New Lifestyle Brand Planned For The UK

A total of £100 million is to be invested in renovating and expanding a group of Starwood Capital Group-owned hotels across the UK in order to create a new chain of urban, lifestyle hotels. The hotels, which were all acquired by the US-based group over the last two years, are the 373-room Hotel Russell in London, the 167-room Royal York Hotel in York, the 100-room Blythswood Square and 230-room Grand Central in Glasgow, and the 49-room Bonham, the 249-room George and the 199-room Roxburgh, all in Edinburgh. Work has already begun on the George and the Royal York hotels, and renovations will start at the other properties later this year. The currently unnamed new brand is expected to be launched in 2016.

First Swiss Hotel To Become Part Of The Autograph Collection

Marriott International's Autograph Collection has welcomed its first hotel in Switzerland into the fold. The newly constructed Kameha Grand Zürich is also one of the collection's first new-build properties. The 245-room hotel is in the new Glattpark development area, which is still under construction close to the border of Zürich and Zürich International Airport. The hotel is surrounded by more than 30 acres of forests, meadows and ponds. 

Firmdale Opens Its First Serviced Apartments

London-based Firmdale Hotels has made its first move into the serviced apartment sector with the opening of its new property in the UK capital, One Denman Place. The 24 one- and two-bed apartments are adjacent to the group's 91-room Ham Yard hotel and apartment guests will be able to benefit from the hotel's services. Firmdale now has nine hotels in operation in London and one in New York, as well as seven bars and restaurants across the two cities.

Steigenberger Makes Waves In Majorca

Steigenberger Hotel Group has signed a franchise agreement with RIMC Camp de Mar Hotelmanagement for its first hotel in Spain. The former Dorint Royal Golf Resort & Spa Camp de Mar on the Balearic Island of Majorca is to undergo a modernisation programme this winter and will be rebranded as a Steigenberger property. The five-star, 164-room hotel is housed on the 18-hole Andratx Golf Course.

Park Plaza Number Five For Croatia

PPHE Hotel Group has got together with Croatian partner Arenaturist, in which it owns a minority interest, to develop its fifth Park Plaza hotel in Croatia. Renovation started late last year on the Hotel Park property in the resort of Verudela, near to the city of Pula at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, and in summer 2015 the hotel is expected to emerge as the Park Plaza Arena Pula. The refurbishment is to include an extension of one of the hotel's wings, increasing the room count to 175.

Fraser Suites Unveils Its Third Project In Germany

Singapore-headquartered serviced residence operator Frasers Hospitality has announced a new property for Germany. A historic building in Hamburg is to be converted into the 147-unit Fraser Suites Hamburg. The five-star, all-suite hotel is expected to open in 2018. The total cost of the project (including the acquisition of the building and the refurbishment) is around SGD89.6 million (US$65.5 million). Once open, the hotel will be Frasers' third hotel in Germany; its first two properties in the country will be the Capri by Fraser Frankfurt and the Capri by Fraser Berlin, which are due to open in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Former Liverpool Prison To Become A Hotel

After being used as a prison for more than 130 years until it closed in 1997, the Victorian, Grade II-listed Bridewell building in Cheapside in the port of Liverpool, northwest England, is currently being transformed into a hotel, by Liverpool-based staycentral.com. The building was originally designed as a police station and courts complex – historically, Liverpool police stations with cells attached to them were called Bridewells and the Cheapside prison was the city's main Bridewell. Work began on the building 18 months ago and the 85-room Bridewell Liverpool is due to open this spring as the group's first hotel. Commenting on the project, Lee Darwenn, staycentral.com's operations director, said, "It's not just any normal building, it's steeped in history, it's in a brilliant location and most of all it fits with the ethos of the modern micro-hotel concept which staycentral.com will roll out nationwide in the coming years."

Castle Hotel Sold

A Kuwaiti investor has acquired a Grade II-listed hotel in the market town of Tamworth in England's West Midlands region. Nair Ezzat purchased the 40-room Castle Hotel from Tim Wedgwood for an undisclosed sum. The hotel had been on the market with an asking price of £2.1 million.

Alila Hotels And Resorts To Open Second Oman Property

After making its first appearance in the Middle East last year with the opening of the 78-unit Alila Jabal Akhdar in Oman, Singapore-based boutique resort and hotel manager Alila Hotels and Resorts plans to develop a second property in the country. Owned by Alil Salalah, a subsidiary of the Oman Investment Fund, the Alila Salalah is due to open in Mirbat, in southwestern Oman, during the second half of 2017. The resort will have 100 suites and 25 villas. "Huge emphasis will be placed on creating an ecologically friendly development to complement and enhance the surrounding landscape and environment," said Frederic Simon, Alila's chief executive officer.

No News Next Week

Just a note to remind our readers that the HVS EMEA newsletter will be on holiday for the Easter break next week. The next newsletter will be on Friday 10 April.

Absolute Share Price Performance Over the Past Week – 19-26 March 2015

NH Hoteles – BNP Paribas upgraded to "outperform" from "neutral". 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Simon Turner, President, Global Development for Starwood, sold 22,795 shares worth US$1,913,868 on 23 March 2015. The selling price was US$83.96 and the shares hit a nine-month high on the day.

Accor – Share prices fell 4.25% at close of business on Wednesday.

Disclaimer: Information provided above has been gathered from various market sources. HVS has not independently verified the accuracy of the information provided. Interested parties should not rely on the information as statement of facts and are advised to make their own independent checks to verify the information provided. For further information, please feel free to contact HVS London.