Hotel Openings

🏡 Rixos Hotels opened the Rixos Tersane Istanbul, their 13th hotel in Türkiye, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Located 41km from Istanbul airport and accessible via public transport including a ferry line and a local helipad, this hotel is part of a historic development in the Golden Horn estuary. Offering 432 rooms, 67 luxury suites, 55 terraces, dining, an infinity pool, and a 2,027m² ballroom, it aims to attract local and international tourists by blending culture, art, and sports.

🏡 IHG will open voco Maroochydore Sunshine Coast in 2028, featuring 153 rooms, wellness facilities, restaurants, bars, and event space. Accor's Grand Mercure brand has opened in Hangzhou Qingshan Lake, China, offering 177 rooms with lake views and extensive meeting space. IHG also plans to open Holiday Inn Ujjain in India by 2028, adding 100 rooms to its portfolio. Indian Hotels Co. will manage The Claridges, New Delhi from April 2025, an iconic hotel with 119 rooms and historic charm.

🏠 Galaxy Hotels Group, located in Frisco, Texas, opened the Courtyard by Marriott Reno Sparks in northern Nevada, featuring 127 rooms and suites. This four-story hotel is the company’s sixth in Nevada and is near the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. The hotel offers various amenities including a 1,700-square-foot fitness center, The BISTRO, an outdoor courtyard, and 845 square feet of meeting space. Galaxy is an approved Marriott International franchisee and operates hotels across nine U.S. states.

🏠 Accor partners with Jadran Hotels Rijeka to rebrand the 135-year-old Hotel Continental in Rijeka, Croatia, into Handwritten Collection, opening in 2026 with 75 rooms. Accor's boutique brand plans to expand to 250 hotels by 2030. Dalata Hotel Group plans a new luxury Clayton hotel in London's Tower 42 Estate with 154 rooms, opening in 2028, aiming for BREEAM excellent accreditation. LBA Hospitality adds two IHG hotels in Chattanooga, totaling 154 rooms. Bradford Allen Hospitality initiates a $25 million renovation of Hyatt Rosemont Chicago/O’Hare Hotel to become Hyatt Centric with 206 rooms, 12,000 sq ft meeting space, and a new restaurant.

🏨 IHG Hotels & Resorts introduced Garner brand in Europe, launching three hotels in Germany with NOVUM Hospitality. Garner Hotel Hamburg Nord, Elmshorn, and Augsburg—opened within 10 days—add to 90+ Garner hotels globally. The Hamburg Nord has 100 rooms; Elmshorn has 75 rooms; Augsburg features 132 rooms. Aiming for 500 U.S. hotels in 10 years and 1,000 in 20, the first Garner hotel opened in Auburn, Wash. in August 2023. Northern Europe anticipates over 50 Garner hotels, part of IHG's German expansion to over 200 hotels.

🏡 Ace Hotel and Swim Club Athens, designed by French studio Ciguë, embraces Greek modernism with vintage furniture and local art. Situated outside the Athens city center near Glyfada, the 120-room hotel occupies the former Fenix Hotel, known for its brutalist architecture. Ciguë's interior design pays homage to the 1970s Athenian Riviera, combining a laid-back elegance with the contemporary Athenian art scene. The ground floor features an expansive public space, including a redesigned pool and a wooden walkway blurring indoor and outdoor boundaries. The design incorporates sandy-hued terrazzo flooring, white plaster facade with wood and greenery, alongside art by Claire Manent, Panos Profitis, and Bregje Sliepenbeek. Dionysos marble and vintage 1960s and 70s furniture add unique character, reflecting the studio's aim to echo the local seaside ambiance and cultural heritage.

🏦 Oberoi Hotels & Resorts enters the UK market with its first hotel, The Oberoi, Mayfair, in London. The 23-room luxury boutique hotel will be part of the South Molton development, after Grosvenor secured restoration permission in 2022 for the 33,000-square-foot Listed Building. Renovations started in November 2023, aiming for completion by 2027. Vikram Oberoi, managing director and CEO, sees it as pivotal for global expansion. EIH, Oberoi's parent company, set up a UK entity with £30 million share capital. The Oberoi Group, established in 1934, now operates 32 hotels in seven countries.

🏡 Virgin Hotels CEO James Bermingham, who joined in 2021, has expanded the brand further with the opening of Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch in August 2024, marking the ninth Virgin hotel. This London location is a conversion of the former Mondrian, aligning with Virgin's strategy to have properties in all destinations Virgin Atlantic flies to. Virgin Hotels started in 2010, launched its first hotel in Chicago in 2015, and currently has properties in the U.S. and U.K. Upcoming expansions include Virgin Hotels Denver Fox Park, scheduled for 2026. Virgin Group, founded in 1970, encompasses various ventures, including airlines, cruise ships, and space travel. Virgin Atlantic Holidays generates thousands of room nights for Virgin Hotels in key cities like New York and Las Vegas. Virgin Hotels operates largely under long-term management contracts and franchises, like the 1,500-room Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Virgin Limited Edition, the luxury resort arm, includes nine properties with room rates averaging $2,000 per night, and was founded in 2009. Virgin Hotels and Virgin Limited Edition were combined under Virgin Hotels Collection in 2023, following Jon Brown's departure.

🏡 Sonesta International Hotels Corporation opened Sonesta Essential Savannah in Newton, Massachusetts, near Savannah, Georgia. The 41-room upper-midscale hotel, located near I-95, offers proximity to Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, Ogeechee River, Henderson Golf Club, Historic District of Savannah, River Street, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, and Hunter Air Force Base. Executive VP Keith Pierce highlighted the brand's expansion, aiming to provide affordable, clean, and dependable accommodations with essentials like sleep program, WiFi, hot breakfast, all-day coffee, and a fitness center.

???? In Morocco, known as the Arab world's largest wine producer, 40 million bottles of wine, including a unique gray wine, are produced annually. Adam offers VIP winery tours and exclusive visits to Yves Saint Laurent’s house in Marrakech through his travel service, leveraging personal connections. Access Morocco recently launched its own transportation service, enhancing client experience with Wi-Fi and fridges in vehicles. Adam is also developing a hotel in Ouarzazate, the filming location for movies like Gladiator. Marie, a personal travel consultant, emphasizes the importance of passion and persistence in discovering hidden gems, while Adam highlights the necessity of flexibility in bespoke travel. They address future travel trends, noting a rise in sustainable and ecotourism and the challenges posed by AI to authentic travel experiences.