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WAYSIDE INVESTMENT GROUP of Houston and Iridescent Hotels of Dallas are partnering on the management of two hotels in San Antonio, Texas, and Houston. Both companies are relatively new ventures by established hoteliers. The hotels are the 126-room Hyatt Place San Antonio-Northwest/Medical Center and the 113-room Holiday Inn Houston West - Westway Park, and the hotels' new owners are also based in Houston. The Hyatt Place is near San Antonio International Airport, several company headquarters, medical centers and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The Holiday Inn is near USA Baseball, Memorial City Mall, Houston's Energy Corridor, the Galleria, Downtown Houston, Reliant Park and Minute Maid Park. "The addition of these two hotels is testimony to the continued steady growth and expansion of Iridescent Hotels' third-party management team and the collaboration with Wayside Investment Group," the companies said in a statement. "Several more additions are on the horizon for late first quarter and early second quarter."

THIRD-PARTY HOSPITALITY management company Twenty Four Seven Hotels has added four California hotels to its West Coast portfolio, a statement said. A member of the Newport Beach, California-based company's executive team said it's part of a controlled growth strategy. The new properties are the 128-room Hyatt House Sacramento/Midtown, the 112-room Hyatt Place Newark/Silicon Valley, the 90-room Hampton Inn & Suites Marina and the 119-room Holiday Inn Express Chino Hills. Currently, the firm is providing pre-opening services and these properties are expected to be fully operational in December, the statement added. "We continue to expand our management footprint throughout California, with these four additions bringing our total Golden State portfolio to twenty. By focusing exclusively on the West Coast, our area operational expertise is unparalleled. This also allows for the ability to more readily share best practices and enact economies of scale," said David Wani, CEO, Twenty Four Seven Hotels. "Twenty Four Seven Hotels provides a full-suite of services, starting at the earliest phases of the pre-construction process to create advantages over companies acquiring or assuming operations at a later stage."

NewcrestImage has opened a Hyatt Place in Amarillo, Texas, the company's fourth hotel in the city. The 91-room, four-floor hotel is the second property of a three-hotel, 300-room 'hotel campus' located at the I-40 Frontage Road and South Soncy Road intersection. The first property of the hotel complex, a 90-room Tru by Hilton, was opened in August 2018 and a 90-room Aloft by Marriott is scheduled to begin construction by mid-year of 2020. "We offer travelers three distinctive hotel experiences and styles at a single, high-visibility, high-traffic location," said Mehul Patel, Chairman, and CEO of NewcrestImage. The company owns and operates two other properties in Amarillo's downtown area, a 107-room Courtyard by Marriott in the historic Fisk Building and a 226-room Embassy Suites directly across from the Amarillo Civic Center complex.

NEWCRESTIMAGE HAS SOLD most of its hotel portfolio, along with some other properties, in a $822 million transaction with Summit Hotel Properties. Dallas-based NewcrestImage will remain invested in Summit and will own and operate two historic hotels it recently acquired and plans to make new acquisitions in the future. The definitive contribution and purchase agreement includes 27 hotels with 3,709 guestrooms for $776.5 million, or $209,000 per key. It also includes $24.8 million for two parking structures and $20.7 million for the various financial incentives through Summit's joint venture with Singapore-based sovereign wealth fund GIC, made in 2019 to acquire hotels in the U.S. "NewcrestImage has assembled a collection of high-quality distinctive Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG hotel properties throughout the Sun Belt region, which will be a great addition to Summit's portfolio," said Mehul Patel, NewcrestImage's managing partner and CEO. "As we will become one of Summit's largest shareholders, we have confidence in Summit as one of the industry's leading owners with a highly regarded public platform. We believe the two portfolios create an excellent combination of hotels that have tremendous growth potential and are well-positioned to create long-term shareholder value as the lodging recovery continues."

Sameer Nair is now senior vice president of acquisitions and development for Atlanta-based hotel investment and management firm Hospitality Ventures Management Group. Prior to joining HVMG, Nair oversaw transactions worth more than $600 million as vice president of investments and capital markets for Delray Beach-based Kolter Hospitality, the company said in a statement. In a career span of 11 years, Nair has sourced and closed deals worth more than $350 million across Hilton-, Hyatt-, IHG-, Marriott-franchised hotels and also negotiated and restructured $1 billion of existing debt. "An industry expert with more than a decade of hospitality real estate experience, Sameer immediately brings a wealth of knowledge and industry relationships he's acquired during his decorative career thus far. His presence immediately augments and broadens our already strong bench strength, and we look forward to Sameer playing an important role in helping HVMG and our owners and investors achieve their growth goals," said Robert Cole, HVMG president and CEO.

NEWCRESTIMAGE HAS OPENED its first Canopy by Hilton upscale hotel in north Dallas. The Canopy is part of Frisco Station, a four-brand, 600-room "lifestyle hotel campus" developed by the company. The 150-room, seven-floor Canopy joins the first two hotels, an AC Hotel and Residence Inn dual-brand with 150 rooms each that opened in 2019. The fourth hotel, a 150-room Hyatt Place, currently has no scheduled date for start of construction. "The opening of this Canopy symbolizes the story of hospitality's comeback around the country and around the world," said Mehul Patel, chairman and CEO of NewcrestImage. "Our company's commitment to serve travelers is not a victim of coronavirus, and we have many hygiene procedures in place so guests can feel safe, comfortable, and special." Some of those procedures include disinfecting guest luggage on arrival; using technology to reduce physical interaction between guests and staff during check-in and check-out; and improving the hotel's HVAC system to prevent spread of microbes and virus.

Pradip Bhol is now promoted as the cluster director of engineering at Courtyard By Marriott Surat, following his tenure as chief engineer. In the new capacity, he will oversee operations at Courtyard By Marriott Surat, Surat Marriott Hotel, Auro University, and forthcoming projects at Earth Space, Courtyard Surat said in a statement. Courtyard Surat is managed by Gujarat JHM Hotels and owned by the U.S.-based Auro Hotels, founded by the Rama family. "Pradip's promotion is a testament to his remarkable contributions and underscores Courtyard By Marriott Surat's commitment to recognizing and empowering talent within its ranks," said Vikas Sharma, Courtyard Surat's area general manager. "His leadership will undoubtedly chart new heights of success and further solidify the cluster's position. " Bhol has previously worked at Hyatt Hotels Corp., Accor, Lemon Tree Hotels, and Marriott International, the statement added.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING points are becoming a standard amenity at hotels, akin to the rise of Wi-Fi in the early 2000s. Benefits for the hotel owners and franchisers can include additional revenue, carbon credits as well as attracting guests from the growing number of electric vehicle drivers. A 2022 Green Lodging survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association revealed a surge in the deployment of EV chargers within the hospitality sector, with 26.6 percent of all U.S. hotels equipped with charging stations. The EV charging facilities are more commonly found at luxury hotels (nearly 90 percent offer them), while only about one in five limited-service hotels provides charging, representing significant growth opportunities. Hotel brands such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, BWH Hotel Group, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels International, Hyatt Hotel Corp. and G6 Hospitality have prioritized deploying EV charging based on customer preferences. Their franchisees have begun incorporating EV charging infrastructures into their properties. "We've heard from our owners that offering EV charging solutions is increasingly influential for guests when choosing hotels," said Brian McGuiness, IHG's senior vice president of global guest experience. "This is backed by our observation of guests using EVC filters on the IHG One Rewards mobile app and website. Our integrated EV-charger search filter within the IHG One Rewards mobile app allows travelers to easily find properties with EV charging capabilities, empowering them to plan their journeys conveniently and confidently."

A LAWSUIT FILED in federal court in Washington state alleges that STR, owned by commercial real estate information researcher CoStar Group, along with several major hotel companies conspired to inflate luxury hotel rates. The seven individuals named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit seek to make it a class-action filing on behalf of every person who stayed at the defendants' hotels from February 2020 until the present for an unspecified amount. CoStar and hotel companies including IHG Hotel & Resorts, Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels Corp., entered an exchange of "competitively-sensitive information about their prices, supply, and future plans" in violation of the antitrust provisions of the Sherman Act, according to the lawsuit. STR and most of the other defendants in the suit did not respond to requests for comment in time for this article, but a spokesperson for IHG said the company could not comment on pending litigation. "Teddy Roosevelt passed the antitrust laws to prevent titans of industry from price fixing in smoke-filled rooms," Steve Berman, the plaintiffs' lead attorney told Reuters, calling the defendants' conduct the "modern equivalent." The alleged price fixing happened in major cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Seattle. The lawsuit focuses on STR's "Forward STAR" product that was expanded into many of those markets in April after launching 17 of the country's 25 largest hotel markets, including Las Vegas, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston and Phoenix.

THE AHLA FOUNDATION recently held its 6th Annual Night of a Thousand Stars awards gala, recognizing leaders in the hotel industry and presenting Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt Hotels Corp. president and CEO with the third annual Arne Sorenson Social Impact Leadership Award. The event also raised close to $1 million to support AHLA Foundation initiatives. Lina Patel, director of strategic franchise initiatives at Red Roof, also was recognized at the event held during the 2024 America's Lodging Investment Summit at the J.W. Marriott in Los Angeles. Shatterproof, a national nonprofit that promotes addiction treatment, also recognized Hoplamazian during ALIS. "The Night of a Thousand Stars Gala brings our entire industry together to celebrate the work and dedication of the unsung heroes of hospitality-the individuals at the heart of our industry," said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation president.

STR FILED A motion to dismiss a lawsuit that claims it, along with several major hotel companies conspired to inflate luxury hotel rates. The research firm said in the motion that the seven individuals named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit failed to show a knowing conspiracy to fix prices through STR's "Forward STAR" program in violation of federal antitrust laws. The lawsuit, filed in February in federal court in Washington state, alleges that STR, owned by commercial real estate information researcher CoStar Group, and hotel companies including IHG Hotel & Resorts, Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels Corp., entered an exchange of "competitively-sensitive information about their prices, supply, and future plans" in violation of the antitrust provisions of the Sherman Act, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs seek to make it a class-action filing on behalf of every person who stayed at the defendants' hotels from February 2020 until the present for an unspecified amount. However, STR's motion claims it fails to provide evidence of any illegal actions and is mistakenly part of a current legal trend.

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