Hotel and Resort News and Notes for October 2024

While most big hotel news is covered by TMR’s team and hosted on its Hotels and Resort homepage, some smaller news bits deserve attention. Below you can find rolling hotel news bites from the last four weeks that travel advisors, industry professionals, and frequent travelers should know about.

New menswear collection from Ritz-Carlton
New GM at Hotel Nikko San Francisco
1,000th property from Mercure Hotels
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Queens Proposal
New Marriott Hotel in Macao
Le Méridien Hotels’ D.C. addition
Choice Hotels’ major expansion
Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown renovation
The Mining Exchange, a Registry Collection Hotel
New GM at Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection
New VP of sales at Omni Hotels & Resorts
Big refurb at The Peninsula
New resort manager at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan

The Ritz-Carlton has launched a new menswear collection in partnership with Madrid’s Late Checkout company, which features nine different wardrobe pieces that celebrate the hotel company. This collection includes co-branded tailored jackets, a soft V-neck sweater in baby blue and ecru, and white tees adorned with co-branded logos.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco has named Casey Neuburger at its new general manager. Previously, Neuburger held management positions at San Francisco’s Intercontinental, Park Hyatt Philadelphia, and Park Hyatt Washington D.C. He will lead the hotel, which recently underwent a $60 million renovation, effective immediately.  

Mercure Hotels, the mid-scale hotel brand that is part of Accorr, has officially opened its 1,000th property following the openings of Mercure London Earls Court, Mercure Chandigarh Tribune Chowk, Mercure Fukuoka Munakata Resort & Spa, (Japan) Mercure Marival Emotions Resort, and Mercure Nantong Renmin Road. Mercure will host a celebration at one of its newest flagship hotels, Mercure Dubai Deira, later this fall to commemorate the achievement. 

Yotel is expanding its U.K. operations with a new hotel in Belfast, scheduled to open in 2026. The hotel will open in Shaftesbury Square in central Belfast, a short walk from Queen’s University and the Botanic Gardens. The hotel is Yotel’s 35th overall property. It will include a food and beverage concept, a 24/7 fitness center, and a meeting room.

Hard Rock International, along with NY Mets owner Steve Cohen, has unveiled plans for a new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the Queens borough of New York City. The $8 billion privately funded project is now moving forward with ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) New York City’s process for public approval of the development. It is competing against other projects in New York City for only a few new gaming licenses in the city. State regulators said they won’t decide on new casino licenses in the New York City area until late 2025.

Marriott is adding another hotel in China, announcing plans for a new Luxury Collection property in Macao.  Londoner Grand, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Macao will open in January 2025. The hotel, just 3 miles away from Macau International Airport and 3.9 miles away from Taipa Ferry Terminal, will open with 2,405 rooms and suites and five different dining venues.

The Washington-D.C. hotel, Iconic Washington, is joining the Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts portfolio following a $15 million renovation. The renovation includes a redesign of the lobby, public spaces, and guestrooms to “reflect the Golden Age of travel and to pay homage to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, who cut the opening ribbon to The Madison in 1963.”

Choice Hotel has celebrated the opening of 17 MainStay Suites and Suburban Studios since the beginning of the year. that includes Choice breaking into markets in Las Vegas, Moreno Valley, Orlando, and Tampa. Another 70 properties in the Choice pipeline are expected to open by March 2025.

Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown wrapped up a multi-million-dollar comprehensive property renovation that touched every part of the guest experience. The hotel now offers 494 guest rooms and suites across its 28 floors, a new “public square” lobby with the Community Table, and &More by Sheraton, an all-day eatery. In a nod to Nashville, the hotel also added two state-of-the-art karaoke studios.

Wyndham opened a new hotel in downtown Colorado Springs called The Mining Exchange, a Registry Collection Hotel. The newly renovated hotel offers 128 rooms in the downtown of Colorado Springs and is the first Registry Collection Hotel in the U.S. for Wyndham. The building it occupies was once home to the stock exchange for gold and silver sourced from the Rockies.

Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection in Costa Rica has named Koen Masschelein as General Manager. Masschelein most recently served as Director of Operations at Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection, and had previously worked as resort manager at Hacienda AltaGracia.

Omni Hotels & Resorts has named Annette Bales as its new vice president of sales. Previously, Bales served as executive director of sales, service, and experience at Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor, Fla. She also held various leadership roles during a 15-year tenure at Marriott International.

New York’s The Peninsula Hotel has reopened following a big refurbishment that included the addition of a reimagined rooftop bar called Pen Top. The hotel, which has been opened on Fifth Avenue since 1904, now sports a new Grand Entrance and Palm Court, along with refurbished guest rooms and suites. There’s also a few new food and beverage concepts, including Pen Top, which now offers indoor and outdoor year-round dining.

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has named Ketut Sena as its new resort manager. Sena has been a member of the team at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Seyan since 2000. He will now oversee 300 employees at the resort.