Hotel Openings

🏢 HEI Hotels & Resorts added The Westin Dallas Downtown to its portfolio, now managing five hotels in Dallas and 15 properties in Texas. Opened in 2015, The Westin features 326 rooms, 34,000 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant, bar, indoor pool, and fitness center. Located in Dallas CBD, it's near the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center and is part of One Main Place, a 33-story development. HEI's CEO, Anthony Rutledge, looks forward to enhancing the hotel's market position.

🌞 Marriott Hotels opened its first all-inclusive property, Marriott Cancun, in Cancun, Mexico. The resort has 450 guestrooms, 124 ocean-view rooms, 38 suites, 13 dining options, and a 5,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor kids' club named CAMP Club by Marriott. It features a water park with slides and a lazy river, an adults-only area, and a fitness center. The resort provides nearly 24,813 square feet of event space, with four event rooms and 12 breakout rooms. New all-inclusive Marriott resorts are expected in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Djerba, Tunisia in 2024 and 2025.

🍴 The Coal Shed's largest project to date moves to North Street, Brighton, in Clarence House, seating 142 guests. Helalat's first concept, launched in 2011, now expands with executive chef Lee Murdoch. The menu will emphasize local produce, beef, and Brighton's seafood, featuring a Himalayan salt-ageing room and a 25-seat bar. The cocktail menu is inspired by NYC and London. Five distinct dining areas, including a private event space for 26, will be available. The current location will close on 1 September.

🏠 Mandarin Oriental to manage a new luxury resort and residences in Bali, opening in 2027, featuring 110 suites and villas with panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and a variety of amenities including a beach club and sustainability lab. ???? Super 8 celebrates its 50th anniversary with a throwback $8.88 room rate for 888 room nights starting August 8, following a $140+ million brand overhaul. ???? Marriott’s HotelHelp pilot donates emergency rooms in 5 U.S. cities to support human trafficking survivors, aiming to reach 25 North American cities by 2025 and expand globally. ???? IHG appoints 1508 to design three hotels in Nepal, adding nearly 500 rooms to its portfolio, with openings expected within two years.

🏢 The Alchemist will open a new site in January 2025 at 16 Eastcheap, near Monument station in the City of London. Spanning 5,549sq ft across ground and basement levels with 115 covers, the venue represents a £1.9m investment. This location joins six other London venues, complementing the area's history and the city's resurgence of corporate activity. Designed by Macaulay Sinclair, The Alchemist aims to provide a memorable experience in the heart of a corporate hub.

🍴 Chef Thomas Straker, known for his high-profile restaurant stints and social media presence, is set to open a new café-style concept at 60 Golborne Road, Notting Hill, following his first restaurant's launch at 91 Golborne Road in 2022. This upcoming deli will feature breakfast items like acai bowls and granola. Straker's debut restaurant garnered critical acclaim and secured a spot on the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 list in 2022. Despite success, Straker faced criticism for lacking diversity in his kitchen last year but has since pledged to improve. He also runs a flatbread outlet in Arcade Battersea and his retail range All Things Butter is available in Sainsbury's and Ocado.

🍽 Minneapolis’ new restaurant Bûcheron was opened by chef Adam Ritter and Jeanie Janas Ritter. Adam has a background in Michelin-starred and “World’s 50 Best” restaurants, recently leading Demi's menu development, a James Beard Awards Best New Restaurant-finalist. Jeanie worked at Chez Panisse then managed operations at various upscale locations. Meals at Bûcheron cost $60-75 per person without drinks. The menu draws from the Parisian Bistronomy movement, featuring dishes like a wedge salad with lamb bacon and a foie gras terrine. The wine list, managed by Tyler McLeod, emphasizes biodynamic wines and female winemakers, while the cocktail program by Will Gobeli adds small twists to classics. Located in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood, Bûcheron was designed by Christian Dean Architecture with local art by Mary Jo Hoffman creating a warm, convivial atmosphere.

🍔 Native Burger, led by Luke Taylor, opened on 30 July in Cornwall, offering a 20-seat venue with a menu of nine burgers. The Westgate Street location, previously a butcher's shop run by Philip Warren, now showcases Warren's exclusively grass-fed meats. Menu highlights include the Twisted Fire Starter, The Workout, and Tequila Slammer burgers, along with fries topped with bacon bits, cheese, and pulled beef. Native Burger aims to contribute to Launceston's social revival.

🍴 The Goring hotel's flagship restaurant, The Dining Room, relaunches with a makeover by Russell Sage Studio and a refreshed dining experience, including a six-seater chef’s table. CEO Jeremy Goring leads the project, with executive chef Graham Squire, who has maintained the Michelin star since 2019. Starters and mains average at £25 and start at £42, respectively, with a £80 pre-theatre three-course menu. The wine list has over 500 references, with by-the-glass options starting at £12. The hotel, minutes from Buckingham Palace, holds a Royal Warrant and is London's last family-owned luxury hotel.

🍦 Kaspa's Desserts is set to open its 109th UK store on Dean Street, Central London, creating 10 jobs. Founded in 2012 by Azhar Rehman in Croydon, the dessert brand expanded via franchises and launched its first international store in Islamabad in 2018. The Soho flagship location will offer an array of hot and cold desserts, catering to the vibrant nightlife of the area.