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🏨 Marriott International targets doubling the Four Points Flex by Sheraton portfolio in Europe by 2026, from 25 to over 50 properties. Launched in the EMEA region in September 2023, the brand offers midscale accommodations with over 2,700 rooms in countries like Denmark, Turkey, the UK, Italy, and Germany. Planned growth includes new hotels in Austria (2), France (Four Points Flex by Sheraton Lourdes Sanctuaire), Germany (7), Italy (Parma, Bologna, Rimini), the UK (4, including Edinburgh and Brighton), Turkey (3), and Denmark (Four Points Flex by Sheraton Copenhagen Glostrup). The expansion reflects demand for affordable lodging and benefits from the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. The brand also entered Japan with 14 hotel conversions.

🏨 YOTEL is expanding globally with openings and renovations in Europe, Middle East, and Asia, targeting urban centers for business and leisure travelers. Belfast will see a new YOTEL with 165 rooms by late 2026, while YOTEL London City's renovation completes by April 2025. YOTEL Tokyo Ginza opened in December 2024, offering 244 rooms. YOTEL's Kuala Lumpur 290-key hotel opens in 2026, and YOTEL Bangkok will launch in late 2025 with 250 rooms, part of the Cloud 11 development. The brand emphasizes technology, like SmartBeds™ and YOBOT luggage storage, and sustainability in projects like Kuala Lumpur and NEOM's Oxagon.

🏙 Blackpool, Porto, and Ostrava presented urban regeneration strategies at the HTL Connection Tent to attract international investors. Key figures included Nick Gerrard from Blackpool Council, Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, and Andrej Michalik, City Architect and Director of MAPPA, focusing on tourism, leisure, and mixed-use developments.