Future of lodging tips

$3,431: That’s how much it will cost to stay at the new Ritz-Carlton Reserve hotel in Saudi Arabia for a night. The super-exclusive, small key-count resort opens for bookings on May 26, hitting the market with the highest rates in the region.

Hilton will spend $210 million to acquire Graduate Hotels, a hotel brand that builds and runs 33 hotels near U.S. and U.K. universities, it said Thursday. The brand caters to college alumni, students, and communities with hip, nostalgic-themed design and campus-centric amenities.

During the unveiling of the Aman Dubai this week, chairman and CEO Vlad Doronin said it will “probably” be the most expensive hotel in the UAE.

Choice Hotels on Monday dropped its $8 billion hostile takeover bid for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts it launched last October.

LXR is a Hilton brand with 14 luxury hotels and resorts. Last week, Hilton announced a deal for an LXR resort in Saudi Arabia, and it has seven other properties in its pipeline worldwide.

Choice Hotels created a storm last October when it went public with a hostile takeover bid for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. It is giving Wyndham stockholders until Friday to tender their shares.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association said Tuesday that President and CEO William “Chip” Rogers had resigned.

It’s a short-term rental dream: Lock in a long-term lease on a property and collect more than the lease amount by renting it out. The added bonus is you don’t have to deal with owning the property. 

Rami Zeidan, founder and CEO of Life House, has resigned from the hotel startup, according to a letter to shareholders sent Monday and seen by Skift.

Since Sébastian Bazin became its CEO in 2013, Accor has had a series of transformations and done a lot of acquisitions, such as Mövenpick, Fairmont, and Mantra, and joint ventures, such as Ennismore.

How many times was “churn” mentioned in Vacasa’s earnings call? 16 times, noted one executive in the short-term rental industry (and, yes, we counted too). 

Hilton Grand Vacations reported financial results on Thursday, following recent reports from timeshare operator rivals Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Travel and Leisure Company.

Abu Dhabi hotel group Rotana has a casino project in the works, and investment in the resort is open to anyone, starting at US$89,400 for a hotel room.

Gilda Perez-Alvarado surprised some hotel industry vets when she joined Accor last October, becoming its chief strategy officer. She switched from being the Global CEO of hotel broker JLL.

The surprise exit of Jumeirah Group CEO Katerina Giannouka 15 months into her role is the latest resignation for the government-owned hotel brand of Dubai.

Hilton said Tuesday it plans to let travelers book upscale outdoor lodging, or “glamping,” through its website and app later this year thanks to a licensing deal with operator AutoCamp. The hotel group will let members of its loyalty program earn and redeem points at the campsites run by AutoCamp, featuring amenity-filled tents, cabins, and Airstream trailers.

Katerina Giannouka has left Jumeirah Group one year into her time as CEO, confirms an internal document seen by Skift. The document is attributed to Jumeirah’s owning company Dubai Holding group CEO Amit Kaushal and was circulated to leaders in the organization.

Hotel guests in Las Vegas during Super Bowl 2024 paid the highest room rates in continental U.S. history, according to an analysis by CoStar’s STR.

Marriott said Monday that the 200 millionth person had joined its loyalty program as the company aims to retain its title as having the world’s largest hotel rewards program.

Accor’s top boss said Thursday that the hotel group will benefit as the middle class expands, especially in India.

Airbnb has started to verify listings in five of its top global markets, but the process is much simpler for professional hosts than those with individual listings, according to requirements viewed by Skift.