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A GROUP OF InterContinental Hotels Group franchisees have filed a lawsuit against the company in connection with a cyber-attack that "significantly disrupted" its booking channels and other applications in mid-September. The lawsuit claims that IHG should have taken more steps to prevent the breach in light of warnings it received after a previous breach. IHG implemented a response plan, including notifying the relevant regulatory authorities, working with its technology suppliers and engaging external specialists to investigate the incident, according to the company. The breach affected IHG's reservations and customer care call centers, as well as internal systems, such as Merlin and the IHG Help Desk, according to a statement from AAHOA on the breach. The association said franchisees, including some of its members, saw a complete shutdown in guestroom bookings during this outage. On Sept. 15, several IHG franchisees filed a lawsuit against IHG in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division alleging the company should have done more to prevent the breach. The lawsuit references a similar breach the company experienced in 2017 as an example that IHG should have taken further steps to secure its system.

A CYBER-ATTACK "significantly disrupted" booking channels and other applications for InterContinental Hotels Group last week, according to a statement from the company. Now, AAHOA is demanding an explanation for the breach and assurances that its members' data is protected. IHG has implemented a response plan, including notifying the relevant regulatory authorities, working with its technology suppliers and engaging external specialists to investigate the incident, according to the company. 'IHG is working to fully restore all systems as soon as possible and to assess the nature, extent and impact of the incident," the company said. "We will be supporting hotel owners and operators as part of our response to the ongoing service disruption. IHG's hotels are still able to operate and to take reservations directly."

PEACHTREE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT entered into a long-term contract with Savannah, Georgia-based HOS Management to operate nine hotels. The hotels are primarily in the Southeast and are Marriott, Hilton and IHG branded. PHM will manage hotel operations in compliance with hotel brand standards, scalable operating efficiencies, digital and market initiatives and other cost saving across the portfolio, according to Peachtree. PHM is part of Atlanta-based Peachtree Group, led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals. "We have a wealth of experience managing hotels and providing best-in-class operations for our valued partners like HOS Management, who have entrusted us with their hotel operations," said Patrick Short, PHM president. "With 25 percent of our portfolio third-party managed, we are committed to protecting the assets value and driving bottom lines results for our partners while providing an outstanding experience for our hotel guests."

THE U.S. HOTEL construction pipeline grew 9 percent by both projects and rooms year-over-year, according to the latest U.S. Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics. It stood at 5,545 projects with 658,207 rooms at the close of the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the hotel construction pipeline in the top 25 markets in the U.S. also registered year-over-year growth in the first quarter. Dallas had a record 184 projects with 21,810 rooms at the close of the first quarter, followed by Atlanta with 144 projects containing 18,242 rooms, Los Angeles tally stood at 118 projects with 19,066 rooms, Phoenix with 117 projects with 16,100 rooms and Nashville had 115 projects containing 15, 354 rooms, LE report revealed. In another report, LE analysts also detailed the leading franchise companies and their brands in the construction pipeline at the close of the first quarter. Marriott International tops the charts with 1,499 projects containing 181,377 rooms, followed closely by Hilton Worldwide, with a record-high count of 1,436 projects with 161,359 rooms, and then InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) with 809 projects containing 80,679 rooms. Combined, these three franchise companies comprise 68 percent of the projects in the total U.S. pipeline, LE said.

Zubin Saxena is the new senior vice president and country head for Hilton India. Saxena joins Hilton from Radisson Hotel Group, where he worked for more than eight years, most recently as the managing director/area senior vice president for South Asia. He is scheduled to assume his new responsibilities in January, Hilton said in a statement. Saxena has a 24-year career in hospitality, including a 4-year tenure at IHG as director of development for South Asia, Hilton said. He held senior advisory positions at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in India and HVS in New York. In his new role, he will oversee Hilton's 25 operational hotels in India and lead the company's expansion in South Asia with 20 properties in the development pipeline. He takes over the position from Navjit Ahluwalia, who leaves Hilton after six years.

The SpringHill Suites by Marriott San Diego Carlsbad is now open in Carlsbad, California. It is owned and managed by DKN Hotels of Irvine, California, led by Kiran Dahya as CEO. The 104-suite hotel in Carlsbad Village outside San Diego is near Carlsbad State Beach, U.S. Marine Corps's Camp Pendleton, LEGOLAND California, The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, The Crossings at Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Premium Outlets. Amenities include a rooftop lounge, outdoor swimming pool and two meeting rooms with a combined 1,156 square-feet of space. DKN Hotels was founded in 1984 by the Dahya family. Its portfolio of owned and third-party managed Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and independent properties throughout the greater Southern California area.

SATORI COLLECTIVE, A real estate investment management firm specializing in hotel properties, sold the 124-suite Holiday Inn Express & Suites at Alpharetta-Windward Parkway to Bukhari Group Hospitality. The sale resulted in an approximate 24 percent internal rate of return and a double equity multiple for the company, Satori said in a statement. Satori Collective is led by Andy Chopra as co-founder and managing partner. Bukhari Group Hospitality is led by Syed Bukhari, while his son Mehboob Bukhari is in charge of the hotel operations. "We acquired this all-suite property in 2013 and promptly executed a thorough, multi-million dollar value-add renovation, repositioning it as a Holiday Inn Express & Suites by IHG," said Samir Yajnik, CIO of Satori Collective. "Over the past decade, we stayed true to our vision and were rewarded by unlocking the hotel's financial potential. Our initial underwriting and research proved accurate, as evidenced by the realized upside from enhanced brand quality and the hotel's unparalleled location in the thriving Alpharetta market."

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.