Wyndham Grand Makes Debut in Kuala Lumpur

Wyndham Grand Bangsar Kuala Lumpur announced its grand opening. The former Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar was converted to Wyndham Grand, marking the first Wyndham Grand hotel in Malaysia. The hotel, located in the heart of Bangsar, includes 513 rooms, 200 of them twin rooms, with the standout features being the hotel’s event spaces. Those include the Grand Ballroom with a capacity of up to 2,000 people and a collection of 12 versatile meeting rooms. For Wyndham, this is their third hotel opening in Malaysia this year overall and they have a lineup of over 10 upcoming hotels that will add more than 3,000 rooms in the coming years.

M/s ASV Hotels & Properties Developers announced the signing of a franchise agreement with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts for a new hotel development under the upper midscale Wyndham Garden brand in Lucknow. Lucknow is the capital city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in India. The Wyndham Garden Lucknow City Center is expected to open in 2025 with 85 contemporary rooms and amenities, including a lobby lounge, all-day dining restaurant and bar, health club, spa, a rooftop swimming pool, as well as larger banquet halls, meeting rooms, and a business center.

Hyatt India said they are aiming to add 10 hotels a year for the next five years. Hyatt currently operates 47 hotels in India and expects their growth trajectory to persist in the upcoming years. They recently opened two more hotels, Hyatt Place Bodh Gaya Hotel and Hyatt Place in Goa Candolim. They have plans to launch a new brand, JDV, in Goa and open hotels in Haridwar and Calcutta, and are aiming to end this year with a total of 50 hotels in the country. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hyatt India has seen a 47% increase in revenues.

Hilton announced the signing of the first Curio Collection by Hilton in India through a franchise hotel agreement between Hilton and Roach Lifescapes Pvt Ltd., marking the brand’s debut in the Indian market. The property is Whitefield, Bengaluru will open in August 2024 and will feature a total of 221 well-appointed rooms, from king rooms to spacious suites, and offer 8,000 square feet of event space. The hotel will include an array of amenities, including two elevated dining outlets, a stylish lobby bar, outdoor pool, spa, and a fully equipped fitness center. Business travelers will have the convenience of a well-equipped executive workspace.

Indian Hotels Company Ltd said they are confident in opening as many as 45 new hotels by the financial year 2025-2026 to have a portfolio of 325 hotels. They currently have a total portfolio of around 280. The company expects a ratio of 50:50 between owned and managed properties under its portfolio by FY26. They recently signed contracts to open two hotels in Bhutan and two in Dhaka. IHCL opened 8 hotels and signed 17 more in the first half of the fiscal, giving them an industry-leading pipeline of 82 hotels. IHCL’s latest opening is the Taj Taal Kutir, located near the Kolkata International Airport. This is the third Taj property in Kolkata. The hotel was developed by Ambuja Neotia Group at a cost of Rs 160 crore with IHCL managing the property. The hotel has 75 rooms and suites, The Verandah which is an all-day diner, jazz and Gatsby-era-inspired bar Rhyddim, and The Lakeview Lounge for leisurely evenings. Other amenities include the J Wellness Circle spa and 50,000 square feet of expansive banqueting and conferencing facilities, including indoor and outdoor spaces. With this hotel, IHCL will have six hotels in Kolkata under the Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, and Ginger brands, including one under development.

IHG Hotels & Resorts and Pro-invest Group announced the opening of Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point, debuting the brand in Sydney, Australia. The 105-room hotel follows a multi-million dollar refurbishment in the existing hotel by Pro-invest Group. The company said the new style of boutique hotel will provide travelers a front row seat to King Cross’ round-the-clock culture of hospitality and entertainment. The hotel features a theatrical lobby where a specially curated art collection sets the tone. Renowned Sydney chef Luke Mangan has opened a new restaurant and bar at the hotel, with the streetside French Izakaya. Mangan will also oversee The X Café. Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts is Pro-invest Group’s fourth owned and operated hotel in Sydney and third Hotel Indigo in their portfolio. Pro-invest Group has a total of 32 hotels open and in the pipeline across Australia and New Zealand. The group is IHG Hotels & Resorts’ largest franchise partner across Australasia with an extensive state of Holiday Inn Express hotels, as well as recent openings under the Kimpton and voco brands.

The Westin Tokyo in Ebisu has renewed its lobby lounge, The Lounge, and international restaurant, The Terrace. This is aimed at offering a more enhanced and comfortable stay environment and elevating the overall hotel experience. The hotel said the concept of this renewal is “Heritage and Reinvigoration.” This marks the first major makeover of the hotel since its opening in 1994, seeking to transform it into an urban wellness hotel by evolving for the future. The Lobby Lounge has a 10-meter-high atrium supported by marble columns. The Orangery is an inner garden bathed in light and is the theme of the new space, where the lush greenery of the Westin Garden outside the largest windows blends together with the elegant style of the interior. The Lounge has become more integrated with the garden. The Terrace underwent a transformation into a place that better embodies Westin’s commitment to wellbeing, including the concept of Eat Well, and serves as a touchpoint for guests to experience the evolution of the urban wellness hotel.

The Candeo Hotels Osaka Shinsaibashi opened its doors to reporters on October 11. The official grand opening of the Japanese hotel is scheduled this month, located over the Osaka Temple. The hotel incorporates the historic Mitsutera temple on its lower floors, allowing the 215-year-old temple to coexist with a new commercial complex, while the upper floors house guest rooms.

Andaz Macau, the second of the two new hotels in Phase 3 of the Galaxy Macau casino resort, is expected to open all 700 rooms by Chinese New Year 2024. The property launched on September 15, directly connected to the Galaxy International Convention Center and 16,000-seat Galaxy Arena. The Raffles at Galaxy Macau hotel tower had a soft opening to the public in mid-August.

Genting Singapore announced it will invest a total of S$6.8 billion (US$5 billion) in the expansion of its Resorts World Sentosa integrated casino resort. That is a big increase on the previously announced S$4.5 billion investment, first planned in 2019. The major expansion project alongside the waterfront of Sentosa Island already received provisional government approval. It will include the addition of 700 new hotel rooms plus experiential lifestyle content in a blend of biophilic architecture. Upgrade works on the IR’s existing facilities are already well underway with the transformation of the Forum, Minion Land in Universal Studios Singapore, and the Singapore Oceanarium progressing well and expected to soft open in early 2025.