China has locked down part of Tibet’s capital following reports of a Covid-19 outbreak that grew from four to 22 cases on Monday. Tibet previously only had a single case, dating back to 2020 but like we have been saying, Zero-Covid will not work against these new variants because of how transmissible they are. Tibet is another popular vacation spot for Chinese visitors and follows in the footsteps of Hainan’s outbreak and the Chinese government locking it down, forcing some 25,000 tourists to be stranded on the island. In Hainan, another 471 cases were reported bringing that outbreak to 1,500 cases. The national number in China has doubled since last Thursday.
Radisson Hotel Group announced the signing of Radisson Biratnagar in Nepal, in partnership with The Centurion Hotel Private Limited, which will further strengthen its leading position in South Asia with over 100 hotels in operation. The 145-room Radisson Biratnagar is expected to open in the third quarter of 2024 and will be in Biratnagar, the industrial, fast-growing provincial capital of the country that shares its borders with the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal, just 10 minutes from Biratnagar Airport. When open the guests will have access to comfortable and spacious rooms along with amenities including a swimming pool, fitness center, spa, specialty restaurants and a 10,000 square foot banquet area. Radisson Hotel Group’s strong expansion across the South Asia region has them targeting more that doubling their footprint with 148 hotel and resorts to be added by 2025.
Ennismore announced its continued expansion across New Zealand and Australia with the signing of four new hotels in New Zealand with CP Group. The partnership will see the opening of four new hotels including a JO&JOE in Auckland, two TRIBE hotels in Auckland, and a Hyde in Queenstown. The hotels are expected to open in 2023 and 2024. The new hotels will be located in the heart of New Zealand’s distinct cities and will join Ennismore’s expanding collective in the Pacific region. That region already includes TRIBE Perth and SO/Auckland, as well a SO/Melbourne, Mondrian Gold Coast and 25hours Sydney, set to open between 2023-2025. Ennismore is a joint venture between Sharan Pasricha, founder and Co-CEO, and Accor, formed in 2021. The Ennismore brands include 21c Museum Hotel, 25hours Hotels, Delano, Gleneagles, Hyde, JO&JOE, Mama Shelter, Mondrian, Morgans Originals, SLS, SO/, The Hoxton TRIBE and Working From.
In partnership with Viet Capital Real Estate and Phoenix Holdings, Nobu Hospitality announced the first Nobu Hotel, Restaurant, and Residences in Vietnam while both groups explore further development within the country. Phoenix Holdings is the family investment office and partner organization. Danang is a beach city on the South-Central Coast of Vietnam. The Nobu Danang destination is crafted as a luxury beachfront urban resort situated along Danang’s legendary My Khe beachfront on Vo Nguyen Giap Street. Nobu will be in an iconic 43 story tower, the tallest building in the city, and will offer a world-class dining and entertainment destination. The hotel will offer 200 guest rooms, including 18 luxurious suites, expansive meeting and event space and a state of the art wellness and fitness facility. There will also be 271 stylish residential units offering one, two and three bedroom configurations as well as two skyline penthouse units. Below the hotel and residences will be the Danang City Centre podium offering high end retail shopping, an upscale Chinese restaurant, a modern Vietnamese fine dining restaurant and an American steakhouse. There will be a rooftop cocktail bar and lounge.
Indian Hotels Company announced its decision to start two hotels near the Statue of Unity in the Kevadia district of Gujarat. The company has partnered with Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd for the greenfield project, expected to open in 2025. The two hotels are the 125 room Vivanta and 150 room Ginger, located near the statue. They will offer a number of dining and wellness facilities. The Vivanta hotel will also have conference facilities for customers on business tours. With the inclusion of these two hotels, Indian Hotels will have a total of 19 hotels in the state, including six that are currently under development.
OYO Hotels and Homes has acquired Denmark-based vacation rental operator Bornholmske Feriehuse. Oyo made the acquisition through its DanCenter subsidiary. Bornhomlmske Feriehuse has over 700 homes on its platform and is expected to clock more than 250,000 guest nights in 2022, according to Oyo’s press release. Oyo said the acquisition will strengthen their presence in Europe. Back in May, Oyo acquired Croatia-headquartered Direct Booker, which has more than 3,200 homes. Oyo already owns vacation rental brands in Europe such as Belvilla, DanCenter, Danland and Traum Ferienwohnungen, offering fully-managed private homes across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Croatia.
InterContinental Sydney’s rooftop bar will be revealed this September following a $110 million renovation. The lobby will also be transformed into a modern hotel bar. InterContinental Sydney has reshaped its bar and dining experiences, working closely with cocktail and spirit culturists Proof & Company, to offer guests new and contemporary social destinations in the heart of the city. The rooftop bar is located on level 32 and will open to the public in September, renamed Aster Bar. The hotel will continue to operate an exclusive Club InterContinental lounge in the hotel’s re-imagined rooftop spaces. The Treasury will open in the original cortile of the building, as an all-new dining destination, located on the site of the former lobby bar. The hotel expects The Treasury to be Sydney’s new iconic meeting place for local and visitors alike.
Personnel Moves
Robertson Lodges, the luxury lodge group behind Kauri Cliffs, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers and Matakauri Lodge, announced the appointment of Anthony Ross as chief operating officer. In the newly appointed position, Ross will oversee the operations of the three Relais & Chateaux family-owned New Zealand lodges. Ross spent several years as CEO of JA Resorts & Hotels in Dubai and Aryaduta Hotel Group in Indonesia as well as GM and area GM with Swire Hotels in China. Most recently, since returning to New Zealand, his consulting firm Longview Hospitality Ltd acted as Owner’s Representative for Park Hyatt’s in Auckland and Melbourne.
EaseMyTrip, one of India’s largest online travel tech platforms, announced the appointment of Lokendra Saini as chief operating officer. Lokendra is known as an entrepreneur, founding a mental health and wellness startup. Over 15 years he was also associated with leading brands like ixigo, Goibibo and MakeMyTrip.
