Brands tips

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is bringing back its Gateway brand from “cold storage,” but it will be a reimagined version: A full-service hotel offering in the upscale segment.

Choice Hotels is about to begin a year-long U.S. marketing campaign to raise awareness for its brands. Ads will air on linear and streaming TV and platforms like Spotify as part of a multi-million dollar effort.

Hilton is considering as many as 14 names for upcoming hotel brands, its recent trademark filings show.

Standard International is launching a new hospitality brand, The StandardX, centered around its younger roots.

If you follow the short-term rental industry, you would have read or heard Sonder touting itself as “a leading next-generation hospitality company that is redefining the guest experience through technology and design” countless times.

The Portrait Milano debuts December 1 in the heart of Milan’s fashion district. The location makes sense, given that the 73-room property belongs to the Lungarno Collection — a group of Italian boutique hotels founded by the family of Italian loafer king, Salvatore Ferragamo.

Hotel company Sonesta said on Tuesday it would launch a new brand, Sonesta Essential, and offer a just-added brand, The James, to developers.

CEO Christopher Nassetta said Hilton expects to organically develop its own new brands rather than chase costly acquisitions in part because “we don’t want to have to fix other people’s problems.”

Accor, the Paris-based hotel giant, will reveal on Thursday a new global “soft” brand, Handwritten Collection, featuring so-called lifestyle hotels. These mid-priced properties have funky furniture and buzzy restaurants and bars but don’t offer the full services of a premium boutique.

Some industry observers speculated that the pandemic would speed up consolidation of the hotel sector, as owners of independent hotels might find cost and other pressures too difficult and would essentially sell out to the big brands. So what was the state of the independent hotel sector in 2022, as the pandemic subsided, according to just-released numbers?

When hotels previously signed up with Oyo, they’d have to make significant renovations to comply with the budget hotel company’s brand standards, but Oyo is now easing those requirements.

Hilton transitioned its central reservations system into the cloud in 2020, enabling guests to book connected rooms, but it is testing several new features to more deeply personalize guest bookings and stays.

Hilton Worldwide said on Wednesday it was expanding its partnership with connected fitness-equipment maker Peloton to add its bikes to hotels in three new overseas markets: Germany, Britain, and “participating properties” in Canada.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, April 19. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Sonesta International Hotel Corporation announced the debut of two soft brands within its expanding portfolio, Classico, A Sonesta Collection, and MOD, A Sonesta Collection. These two new brands offer independent hotel owners the opportunity to affiliate with Sonesta’s network while retaining their iconic hotel names, identities, designs, and established styles.

Marriott International has signed a licensing deal with MGM Resorts to let Marriott Bonvoy loyalty members earn points when staying at 17 MGM resorts, starting in October. Bookings at 40,000 of MGM’s rooms mainly in Las Vegas will be available through Marriott’s site and app by year-end.

Hilton’s earnings report on Wednesday was the first one from a major hotel group for the second quarter. All eyes were on whether the company saw any cracks in demand. In short: No.

IHG Hotels & Resorts revealed on Tuesday that it has been pitching hotel owners on a new brand addressing an opportunity in the middle of the market it said is underserved.

Hyatt gave details on Wednesday about the first locations for Hyatt Studios, a brand it unveiled in April. The hotel operator will open the first Hyatt Studios just outside of Mobile, Alabama, and Marysville, California — targeting spots where its other brands aren’t present.

IHG needed a new brand to appeal to two audiences — guests looking for something cheaper than the company’s 70-year-old flagship, Holiday Inn, and developers looking for a more cost-effective brand to run. The UK-based hotel giant on Wednesday took a step to fill this market gap by officially launching its 19th hotel brand, Garner an IHG Hotel.

Finding amazing local ice cream shops can be one of the best parts of summer travel. Luckily, many of those shops are now offering delivery around the country and some brands are even being sold in your own local grocery stores, thanks to popular demand.