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HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION plans to expand its brand portfolio in India and Southwest Asia, with eight new hotels set to open across various leisure and city destinations in 2024. The expansion will focus on Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place and Hyatt Centric brands and is timed to coincide with an expected rebound of travel in the country and sub-continent, Hyatt said in a statement. "Southwest Asia continues to demonstrate high growth potential and is among the top global growth markets for Hyatt, said Sunjae Sharma, Hyatt's managing director for India and Southwest Asia. "We have strong expansion plans for 2024 across our portfolio encompassing our legacy brands like Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place and Hyatt Centric across destinations that will strengthen our brand presence in key markets. This expansion represents our strong commitment and confidence in the Southwest Asia region." Hyatt is also expanding its luxury and lifestyle brands in India, including the recent launch of JdV by Hyatt with the opening of Ronil Goa, the statement said. JdV by Hyatt is the ninth brand introduced by Hyatt in India, reaffirming its commitment to expanding its presence in the country.

HYATT HOTELS CORP. plans to open more than 50 new luxury and lifestyle hotels globally within two years, with Europe projected to see a 52.8 percent increase in luxury hotel stock by 2028. Future openings include Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, Park Hyatt Johannesburg, Andaz Miami Beach and Andaz Gold Coast, Hyatt said in a statement. Hyatt, with 70 percent of its global rooms in luxury and upper-upscale categories, added 28 luxury hotels in the past three years and doubled its luxury room count since 2017, the statement said. "2024 has been a strong year for the Europe, Africa, and Middle East region, driven by luxury and lifestyle segments, as shown by the strong performance of our hotels and excitement around openings like Park Hyatt London River Thames and Park Hyatt Marrakech," said Javier Águila, Hyatt's group president, EAME. "Our future in these sought-after segments looks brighter than ever, thanks to recent acquisitions like Mr & Mrs Smith and Standard International, as well as our commitment to building dedicated teams and leveraging specialized talent to enhance our luxury and lifestyle offerings."

PEACHTREE GROUP PROVIDED $114.6 million in bridge loans to recapitalize two Hyatt hotels owned by McWhinney: Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin, Texas, and Hyatt Place Denver Peña Station in Denver. The company originated a 48-month floating-rate bridge loan for the 246-room Austin hotel and a 60-month fixed-rate bridge loan for the 226-room Denver hotel, Peachtree said in a statement. Peachtree is led by Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO; Jatin Desai, managing principal and CFO; and Mitul Patel, principal. "The Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin is a standout property that embodies Austin's energy and appeal," said Jared Schlosser, Peachtree's executive vice president of hotel originations and head of CPACE. "This recapitalization reflects our confidence in the asset's potential and McWhinney's vision for creating exceptional destinations."

HYATT HOTELS CORP. reported an almost 85 percent growth in its global pipeline since 2017, reaching a record of 129,000 rooms. During this period, the company doubled its luxury rooms, tripled its resort rooms, and quintupled its lifestyle rooms. Pictured is a rendering of the New Andaz Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Florida. The company is expanding its brand portfolio both nationally and globally, selecting new and existing markets to enhance its network effect for owners and guests, Hyatt said in a statement. "Hyatt leading the industry in net rooms growth for seven years is a result of our unique approach to development," said Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt's president and chief executive officer. "We strategically expand our portfolio of brands, intentionally selecting new and existing markets to enhance our network effect for owners and guests. Our commitment to thoughtful organic growth and strategic acquisitions amplifies our asset-light business model. Our goal is not to be the largest hospitality company, but the company most valued by colleagues, guests, and owners."

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."

Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt Hotels Corp. president and CEO, has been named the 2025 Cornell Hospitality Icon of the Year. The award, established by the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, will be presented at the Cornell Icon and Innovator Awards in New York City on June 3. Appointed to his current role in December 2006, Hoplamazian has led Hyatt's IPO, overseen its growth, and helped define its purpose over 18 years: to care for people so they can be their best, Cornell said in a statement. "We are excited and honored to recognize Mark as this year's Cornell Icon," said Kate Walsh, dean of the Nolan Hotel School. "Mark is a tremendous leader who, with his deep care for every colleague, guest, and stakeholder, embodies the essence of hospitality. He leads Hyatt - and our industry - with heart, mind, and soul, and is an inspiration and model for our Cornell students. We could not think of a more fitting leader to honor as our Industry Icon."

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.

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.