Regent Hotels Returns to the U.S.

Barclays downgraded Travel + Leisure to Underweight as they are expecting further deterioration of the timeshare business as they don't believe the Fed rate cuts will benefit in the near term. Barclays reiterated their Neutral to Negative bias on the space.

Wolfe Research cut their ratings on RLJ Lodging Trust and Park Hotels to Peer Perform from Outperform.

Hotel Equities announced the opening of the new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Kansas City at The Legends, located in Kansas City, Kansas. The hotel is owned by Legend Hotel LLC and managed by Hotel Equities. The hotel offers an indoor pool, a fitness center, and meeting space.

HALL Group has selected Coury Hospitality to take over the management of HALL Arts Hotel, a lifestyle hotel in the heart of the Dallas Arts District. Developed by Craig and Kathryn Hall, HALL Arts Hotel offers 183 guestrooms, including 19 suites, a rooftop pool, an art collection, a fitness center, and a restaurant and lounge. In addition to managing HALL Arts Hotel, Coury Hospitality is overseeing HALL Park Hotel, an Autograph Collection property also owned by HALL Group, which is set to open in Frisco, Texas, this October. This new lifestyle hotel will feature 224 rooms, including 60 suites, immersive dining experiences, and luxurious amenities.

Construction is underway at developer Serac Capital Partner's new hotel in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with a project completion date of mid-2026. According to hotelprojectleads.com, the mountain lodge hotel will be flagged with a Marriott brand. The development will include 180 hotel guestrooms, a resort-style pool, a bar and lounge area, and a full-service restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. Construction financing is being provided by the Central Bank and Yampa Valley Bank, with a preferred equity investment provided by EB5 Capital. Serac Capital is co-developing the project with Walsh Dupart.

Hilton Garden Inn Gainesville has completed a renovation of the property's 104 guestrooms, lobby, fitness center, more than 1,500 square feet of meeting space, and outdoor pool. The Gainesville, Florida, hotel also features an onsite restaurant and lounge. Hilton Garden Inn Gainesville is owned by Apple Hospitality REIT and managed by McKibbon Hospitality.

Essex Hotel Management, LLC announced the completion of a $1.8 million comprehensive renovation of the Hampton Inn & Suites Lake Placid, in Lake Placid, New York. The hotel is owned by The Hotel at Mirror Lake, LLC. The 97 guestrooms, common areas, indoor pool area, and exercise facilities were all refreshed, including upgrades to the carpet, artwork, soft seating, and televisions. Case goods, appliances, and window treatments were also updated throughout the hotel.

The Regent Santa Monica Beach officially opens for business on October 1, marking the return of the Regent brand to the U.S. and the first time it will operate a hotel stateside following IHG's takeover of the brand in 2018. The Santa Monica, California property is slated to feature 143 guestrooms and 24 suites, an onsite restaurant, Guerlain Spa, an oceanfront pool deck, and beach butler service. Following a more than $150 million gut renovation to what was formerly a Loews hotel, Regent Santa Monica Beach is expected to be Regent's flagship in the Americas region.

Jose Andres Group and Thor Equities are joining forces to create the hospitality company's first hotel: The Bazaar House by Jose Andres. The 67-room luxury hotel will feature an exclusive private membership club, multiple f&b venues, events space, an expansive dedicated wellness center, high-end retail offerings, and more, located at 3000 M Street in Washington D.C.'s Georgetown and slated to open in 2027. The private club will be a focal point of the project, featuring exclusive benefits and venues for members, including The Bazaar Club, a penthouse club with a signature restaurant.

Traveler Motel has reopened with a new owner. The hotel, located in Onekama, Michigan, celebrated its grand reopening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday. Under the stewardship of Mariada Gezon, Travelers Motel has undergone extensive renovation.

HREC Investment Advisors arranged the sale of the 127-room Holiday Inn Savannah Downtown, located in Savannah, Georgia. HREC Investment Advisors exclusively represented the owner, Key International, on this transaction.

Gencom closed on a $550 million recapitalization of the Fairmont Southampton resort in Bermuda, funding a major redevelopment and expansion of the 593-key resort. The extensive redevelopment underway at Fairmont Southampton will modernize the historic resort, which will feature a complete transformation of all guestrooms. The revamp will also include upgrades to the hotel's expansive lobby and reception area, as well as the meeting spaces and ballrooms. The restaurant spaces will undergo a makeover, and Fairmont's Beach Club will be re-imagined as a signature amenity, which will include a new Oceanside beach grill and lavish resort-style pool. The redevelopment will additionally include a multi-phased residential program with luxury residences branded under the Fairmont Flag. The resort is slated to reopen in early 2026 following the comprehensive renovation. Financing for the Fairmont Southampton transaction was provided by key institutional lenders led by Starwood Property Trust and Clarien Bank. Lotus Capital Partners served as capital markets advisor to Gencom on this deal.

The first-ever Hyatt Centric hotel in the Caribbean is opening in the spring, according to the Caribbean Journal. The new, 130-room Hyatt Centric Santo Domingo is accepting reservations starting May 15, 2025. Dining concepts at the hotel will include a restaurant and three lounges; and there is also a rooftop pool, and a gym.

Personnel Move

Matthews Real Estate Investment Services recently hired Mabelle Perez as Associate Vice President in Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Florida. Perez specializes in hospitality assets across the U.S., with a specific focus on the Southeast region. Her specialties include full-service, limited-service, and distressed hotel assets. Most recently, Perez was a director for hotels and hospitality at Berkadia.

Europe Highlights

As part of its 10th-anniversary celebrations, Moxy Hotels revealed plans to reach the 100-hotel mark in its Europe region by the end of 2025, with the addition of 17 hotels, including market entries into Spain, Turkiye, and Luxembourg. The 17 properties slated to be added to its European portfolio include its recent and upcoming entries into three markets: Moxy Barcelona is expected to open in October with 414 guestrooms. The brand is anticipated to make its debut in Turkiye with the opening of the 168-room Moxy Istanbul Beyoglu by the end of the year, followed by the expected addition of Moxy Izmir. The newly opened 129-room Moxy Luxembourg Airport marked Marriott's debut in Luxembourg. The brand also plans to expand its presence in France, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Serbia, and Germany by the end of 2025. Upcoming highlights include the following: In France, Moxy is slated to add Moxy Annecy, followed by Moxy Nice. The expected openings of Moxy Pompeii and Moxy Verona are poised to strengthen the brand's footprint in Italy. In Germany, Moxy anticipates opening Moxy Kupferzell, Hohenlohe. Moxy plans to add its fifth hotel to Poland, with the anticipated addition of Moxy Warsaw City. Following the opening of Moxy Cork, the brand expects to add Moxy Dublin Docklands in Ireland. Moxy is slated to open its third hotel in Portugal with Moxy Alfragide Lisbon. Moxy Brussels Airport and Moxy Antwerp are expected to strengthen Moxy's presence in Belgium. The brand also plans to add its second hotel in Serbia with the expected opening of Moxy Belgrade Skadarlija Downtown.

Highgate announced the rebranding of four of its managed portfolio assets in Algarve, Portugal, under the Marriott International umbrella. Each located within the Salgados Beach resort destination, the newly rebranded and co-located Westin Salgados Beach Resort, Algarve; The Residences at The Westin Salgados Beach Resort, Algarve; Algarve Marriott Salgados Golf Resort & Conference Center; and Marriott Residences Salgados Resort, Algarve, will be the first Highgate managed properties in Portugal to join Marriott International's portfolio. Highgate Portugal is also overseeing comprehensive redesigns of each property's public spaces, guest accommodations, and food and beverage outlets to offer modern and elevated aesthetics. Renovations are set to begin in late 2024 for the targeted reopening of all four properties in 2025.

Belfast hospitality and development group Andras House is set to expand its portfolio of hotels and aparthotels in the city to ten. The company has confirmed it will develop a new £17 million, 165-room property for YOTEL next to Shaftesbury Square in Belfast, Ireland. The YOTEL deal will be the third hotel or aparthotel in development by Andras House to the south of the city center.