Boutique hotels tips

Indians spent over $2 billion on international travel in August, data from the Indian central bank shows – the highest amount in the past 12 months. Travel held the lion’s share in total overseas spending during the month: close to 63% of $3.2 billion.

Mark Keiser has a problem with luxury hotels: He thinks too many look and feel the same.

India’s largest hospitality company, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), is expanding its “experiential leisure” segment by acquiring a majority stake in the operating company behind Tree of Life Resorts and Hotels, the firm said Tuesday.

Stratis Batayas, a first-time hotel owner in Greece, is better at inventing creative concepts for guests than knowing the latest techniques in global hotel marketing and distribution.

Christian Louboutin, the luxury shoe designer known for red-soled footwear, has acquired a stake in Experimental Group, a Paris-based hospitality company.

AirAsia has announced the launch of a new route from Ahmedabad to Kuala Lumpur. Set to take flight from May 1, the new connection will mark AirAsia’s eleventh route from India, and third new route in 2024 alone. This will also be the Malaysia-based carrier’s entry into the state of Gujarat, as it looks to rapidly grow its connectivity from Malaysia to India.

Sydell Group, the owner of NoMad Hotels, is weighing the possibility of selling the boutique brand, according to a report published in Bloomberg on Friday.

This summer has seen a surge in the highest end of luxury across the world. Some of it is about revenge travel and increased global mobility: A lot of the Middle Eastern market parked closer to home in Covid and are now shipping their Bugattis to the streets of London and other haunts in Europe. The palaces of Paris, the best hotels in Europe, and five-stars in the U.S. did brisk business at eye-watering rates.

Standard International, the hotel company behind The Standard Hotels and The Peri Hotel — and a majority owner of Bunkhouse House Group — is taking on a lot these days to meet CEO Amber Asher‘s aggressive expansion plans.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Monday, November 14. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

While luxury boutique hotels have always appealed to a certain set, Small Luxury Hotels of the World is trying to create more converts. In October, it launched a marketing campaign around a so-called “private collection” to amplify the message that “smaller is better.”

When guests walk into Jams Music Hotel in Munich, Germany, they encounter a floor-to-ceiling mural of Prince and a chance to pick out albums from the hotel’s vast collection of vinyl to play on the record player in their room.

Earlier this month, Roseate Hotels and Resorts said it is buying yet another luxury hotel in the United Kingdom — this time, a five-star boutique called The Dunstane Houses located in Edinburgh, Scotland. As with the three other UK properties Roseate has acquired, the brand will attempt to keep the decor and service practices localized.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is a boutique hotel brand created by Bill Kimpton in 1981 in San Francisco. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) bought it for $430 million in 2014 and has been scaling it up as a mid-priced lifestyle brand.

When planning a trip to Italy, most people put historic, charming cities like Venice, Florence, and Rome on the itinerary. But Oasy Dynamo, a new luxury, wilderness retreat nestled in the Pistoia mountains of upper Tuscany, is hoping travelers want a taste of nature, too.

Ace Group International, the operator of a buzzy brand of 11 open Ace lifestyle hotels, will be acquired by Sortis Holdings, a Portland, Oregon-based hospitality firm, the companies said on Tuesday.

The Ace Hotel Group, the boutique hotel chain considered to be a pioneer in the sector, announced Tuesday that it will be acquired by hospitality firm Sortis Holdings for $85 million, marking yet another chapter in the history of this small but influential player in hospitality.

When international travelers visit Portugal, some may look for a big chain you’d find in, say Phoenix. But AlmaLusa, a boutique hotel brand founded in 2016, is banking on travelers looking for something more authentic.

It’s a big month for Almanac Hotels. The luxury boutique hotel chain — which launched its first hotel in Barcelona in 2018 — has two back-to-back openings. Its second property soft launches in Vienna in late February, and its third hotel opens in Prague in early March.

Few stories are more romantic than Romeo and Juliet, and few places embody the tragic love story more than the courtyard with Juliet’s balcony.

Talent retention, digital marketing tactics, partnerships with local brands, and sustainability strategies were among the topics that independent hoteliers discussed the most at last week’s Independent Lodging Congress 2023 event in Austin, Texas.