Aman Debuts Sister Hotel Brand Janu With a Wellness Theme

25.08.2023 - 14:00 / skift.com / Howard Johnson / Sean Oneill

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The long-vacant former Zahn’s Department store in downtown Racine, Wisconsin, will soon be the Hotel Verdant following months of renovations, reported Milwaukee’s Business Times. Dominion Properties, and its partners on the project, Grey Hospitality and Charlestowne Hotels, said the 80-room Hotel Verdant would open within a few months.

Two months after suing the Chetrit Group over its unfinished 33-story, 323-key hotel in New York City, Maverick Real Estate Partners has seized the Garment District property, reported The Real Deal.

A joint venture of NewcrestImage and Hospitality Capital Partners completed the acquisition of 11 hotels in seven states with a total of 1,551 rooms, in a transaction handled by CBRE in Atlanta. The properties are 10 Courtyards and one Residence Inn hotel in Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

Skift Note: It’s especially interesting to see cities re-think their buildings for possible adaptations for hotels or other projects.

Aman’s sister brand, Janu, is set to open its first hotel, Janu Tokyo, this coming autumn to a building managed by Mori Building Co. Ltd. The 13-story Janu Tokyo will have 122 rooms, most with private balconies that look out at the Tokyo Tower, said Luxury Travel Advisor. The Janu Wellness Centre will span over 4,000 square meters and be one of the largest wellness facilities of any luxury hotel in Tokyo. In a building next door, Aman Residences, Tokyo, will next year offer 91 exclusive homes as well as lifestyle services and a residents-only 1,400sqm Aman Spa.

A developer plans to restore the old Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge on Grand Avenue, in Des Moines, Iowa, to its former use as a mid-century modern hotel. The building will have 85 rooms, an outdoor courtyard with fire pits, games, and beverage services. It will feature the iconic orange-pitched roof that was synonymous with Howard Johnson’s. Developers also hope to renovate a 3,400-square-foot commercial building located next to the hotel into a restaurant. 

Savills Vietnam issued a report saying despite improvements in 2022, occupancy and room rates in Ho Chi Minh City have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. The occupancy rate of 45% last year was 20 percentage points higher year on year but was still 23 percentage points less than the figure in 2019. 

Thai hotel operators are ramping up plans to expand investment at home and abroad according to Nikkei. The article discussed Centara Hotels and Resorts planning to build at least six hotels over the next few