Hotel Owner April 2019 | Page 11

MONTH IN REVIEW GO ONLINE www.hotelowner.co.uk HOTEL BRANDS Hampton by Hilton pipeline ‘largest in brands history’ Hilton has revealed its Hampton by Hilton brand, the largest in the Hilton portfolio, “continues to lead the way in the upper-midscale segment” and has “the largest pipeline in brand history”. Hampton was also recently recognized at the top of the ‘Hotels & Motels’ category on the Entrepreneur magazine Franchise 500 list for the 10th year in a row. Shruti Gandhi Buckley, global head, Hampton by Hilton, said: “Building on our record of innovation and performance success, Hampton maintains strong momentum worldwide. “Our decade-long No. 1 ranking on Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 Hotels & Motels list underscores the brand’s ability to empower our owners and franchise partners to continue to build and operate successful hotels that meet the evolving needs of travelers.” Hampton currently has more than 2,430 properties in 25 countries and territories. In the fourth quarter of 2018 alone, the brand opened the doors to 24 new hotels, including 10 in China, and surpassed the milestone of more than 250,000 rooms open worldwide. With more than 640 hotels in development, Hampton’s pipeline is currently the largest in brand history and the largest within the Hilton enterprise. The brand will continue to expand in key global regions including South America, with four first-in- country locations slated to open in 2019: Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Hampton will also expand its footprint in China, where it is the fastest-growing international hospitality brand, with 59 open and nearly 200 signed hotels in the country. April 2019 1 HOTELS Galliard completes construction of £110m Great Scotland Yard Hotel London developer Galliard Group has completed the three and a half year construction of the new Great Scotland Yard Hotel in London, due to launch later this year. Once the location of the original Scotland Yard Metropolitan Police HQ, the 93,000 sq ft hotel with 153 bedrooms and suites will be owned by Abu Dhabi-based multinational conglomerate company Lulu Group International and operated by Hyatt. The developer said it has a “police and military theme”, with historical links to Jack the Ripper, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudolf Hess. In 2013 Galliard Group acquired a 125- year Crown Estate lease on the building which was exchanged for a forward sale of the hotel when completed to LuLu Group International in 2016 for £110m. TOP 3 FROM THE WEBSITE 1. M  otel One revenues jump 22% in 2018 2. Greenvale Hotel owner arrested over Cookstown disco crush 3. Man pleads guilty to starting fatal Aberystwyth hotel fire 2 3 4 5 HOTEL OPENINGS Travelodge opens two hotels in West Midlands Travelodge is continuing to expand its presence in the West Midlands officially opening its first hotels in Walsall and Solihull. Collectively these two hotels represent an investment of £15m for third party investors, create 40 new jobs and boost Travelodge’s portfolio to 580 hotels - which includes 25 properties in the West Midlands. Walsall Travelodge, is a 60-room hotel located close to the railway station represents an investment of £5m for the landlord. The purpose built hotel was officially opened by Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands combined authority, mayor of Walsall, Marco Longhi and Hannah Thomson, Travelodge, people director. The Solihull Travelodge, is an 82-room hotel and represents an investment of £10m for the landlord. The hotel was officially opened by Gary Steele, Travelodge regional director for the south west, and Adnan Ahmad, district manager for Birmingham and hotel manager, Jyoti Rana. The hotel features an on-site restaurant called the Bar Café, complimentary car parking and offers 16 ‘SuperRooms’, the company’s premium economy room. Solihull Travelodge is the second hotel in the West Midlands to offer SuperRooms, the other hotel is Birmingham Bull Ring Travelodge. END: THAT’S ALL. YOU ARE NOW UP TO DATE www.hotelowner.co.uk 11