Hoxton adds Australia. Ennismore and developer Alfasi Group have signed a deal for The Hoxton in Melbourne, Australia, as part of the Matchworks Precinct in Cremorne. The country’s first Hoxton is set to open in 2027 and will feature 198 guest rooms, three food and beverage outlets, hybrid event spaces around a communal pantry and a gym. The Hoxton operates 16 hotels, including recent openings in Charlottenburg (Berlin), Brussels, a second hotel in Amsterdam and Vienna. The Hoxton is soon set to open in Edinburgh and Florence and recently announced the brand’s first signing in Scandinavia with The Hoxton Oslo.
Hilton adds Guyana. Hilton has signed a deal with the dual brands Hilton Georgetown and DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Georgetown as the company’s first hotels in Guyana. The hotels’ 411 rooms, owned by an Assets Group subsidiary and managed by Hilton, will be part of a seafront, mixed-use business and entertainment complex in the country’s capital. The new DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Georgetown will offer 158 suites. The complex also features a conference center with a 25,900 square-foot ballroom and meeting rooms spanning 10,800 square feet. With more than 225 hotels open in CALA and a pipeline of over 170 hotels, Hilton plans to enter eight new countries and territories in the region over the next few years, including Bermuda and Paraguay in 2024 and Guyana in 2027.
InterCon returns to Serbia. IHG Hotels & Resorts is returning to Serbia after 20 years and will open the InterContinental Belgrade in partnership with Delta Holding in late 2026. The hotel will feature 203 rooms, a sky pool, a rooftop restaurant and bar, and a terrace with fine dining. The hotel will be located in the “Delta District”, a new mixed-use building in the business and financial center of Belgrade. IHG operates three open hotels in Serbia, all located in the capital. The InterContinental Belgrade will also join nearly 20 open and planned hotels in the Balkans in Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and North Macedonia.
Park Inn to Melbourne. Radisson Hotel Group has signed a deal for the 89-room Park Inn by Radisson Melbourne Carlton, marking the upper-midscale brand’s debut in Australia. The converted property in the suburb of Parkville will open in Q4 2024 and will be completely refurbished and redesigned following the conversion.
Accor renewals in Australia. Accor has signed partnership renewal agreements for more than 40 hotels, totaling 5,500 rooms, across Australia. Accor Pacific partners have also invested more than $450 million in hotel renovations and refurbishments since the start of 2022. To mark its 40th renewal, Accor recently cemented its partnership with Silversea Investments through a long-term franchise agreement that will see significant investment in the refurbishment of the Novotel Sydney Parramatta and Mercure Sydney Parramatta, which will be renamed Novotel Sydney Rosehill upon completion of the refurbishment. The hotels are now managed by Trilogy Hotels.
New data on travel in Southeast Asia. The consumer profile of Southeast Asia’s travel sector is changing, with a rise in bleisure (business and leisure) and wellness travel, according to a new report by Indian company Hotelivate. In addition, outbound travel from China is increasing due to various policy reforms that make travel easier for Chinese citizens. Although total outbound trips in 2024 are expected to be nearly 25 million lower than 2019 levels, the shift from group travel to FITs has helped close the travel spending gap. Interestingly, Chinese tourists are spending less on shopping and more on hotels, food and drink, and experiences. South Korea and Japan currently attract most of China’s outbound demand thanks to low airfares, and Indonesia is also growing in popularity. As Indonesia’s second-largest source market, India’s outbound travel has surpassed 2019 levels but remains modest compared to the country’s potential. A key opportunity for many countries lies in improving short-haul connections within Asia.
Leisure time persists in Europe. According to the results of Cheval Collection’s latest travel survey, demand for leisure is growing, with 72% of the 2,600 respondents (75% from the UK) planning at least three trips in the next year, up from just under 45% last year. The study also found that more than 75% of guests prefer to book direct, with a significant number also attracted by loyalty programs. When making a booking, almost 77% of respondents prefer to book direct or would actively consider doing so if the price was competitive, with only 18.5% saying they would always book through an online travel agent. Value for money remained a factor for guests, and when booking accommodation, between 43% and 45% of respondents said they would either book the cheapest non-refundable rate or wait for a sales event before making a purchase. Just over 30% of travelers said they preferred a provider with an attractive loyalty program.
