Top Hotel News from Hyatt, Accor, IHG and More

The new year is starting with a bang for a variety of major hotel brands, which are announcing newbuild properties around the globe and a number of exciting initiatives. Ranging from new partnerships to enhanced sustainability programs and acquisition agreements, here’s a roundup of the latest news from brands including Accor, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Hyatt and more. 

Accor’s Hotel Development Plans for 2023 

Next year promises to be a big one for Accor, which recently released a sneak peek of its development plans for 2023. 

In the luxury segment, new hotel highlights for early in the year include the 159-room Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama — overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Panama City skyline — and Raffles London at The OWO, located at the historic Old War Office in Whitehall, London. Later in the year, the brand will welcome two more Raffles properties, as well: Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences, and Raffles at Galaxy Macau.

Among the new lifestyle hotels slated for next year is the Maison Delano Paris, occupying an 18th-century courtyard building and home to exclusive culinary concepts by three-Michelin-star chef Dani Garcia. France will also welcome the Mama Shelter Rennes, home to the first-ever Mama Skin Spa and a rooftop bar with views of medieval towers. Additional highlights for 2023 include Mondrian Singapore; Rixos Qetaifan Island in Doha; The Hoxton, Charlottenburg in West Berlin; two Ibiza properties from Mondrian and Hyde; and more.

Hyatt Acquiring Dreams Hotel Group

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is in growth mode. In late 2022, the company announced an agreement to acquire Dreams Hotel Group, including the Dream Hotels, Chatwal Hotels and Unscripted Hotels brands. The deal includes a portfolio of 12 managed or franchised hotels, plus another 24 management agreements for hotels slated to open in the future — adding more than 1,700 rooms to Hyatt’s portfolio. 

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In other news from the company, Hyatt has plans to grow its global Independent Collection of Brands — spanning The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt and JdV by Hyatt — through 2025.

“Each brand in the Independent Collection offers distinct properties that are all unique and feature one-of-a-kind experiences for every occasion with more than 100 properties worldwide across all three brands — from on-site beekeeping and aerial yoga at Rancho Pescadero, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand; to embracing local history in Kelso, United Kingdom at Schloss Roxburghe Golf Hotel, part of the Destination by Hyatt brand,” said Katie Johnson, global brand leader, Independent Collection, Hyatt.

Future properties for The Unbound Collection include the 44-room boutique Numu hotel in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Grand Hansa Hotel in Helsinki, Finland (both slated for 2023). The Destination by Hyatt brand, meanwhile, plans to open Banyan Cay Resort and Golf next year in West Palm Beach, Fla., complete with an 18-hole signature golf course. 

New Members Added to Leading Hotels of the World

As of December 2022, The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) has welcomed six new members to its collection of independent, luxury hotels.

Autumn 2022 saw the opening of Samarkand Regency Amir Temur in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as part of a new destination resort. The 233-room luxury property features a 20th-floor Sky Par with panoramic views, among other appeals. The brand-new Portrait Milano in Milan, Italy, just opened in December in one of the oldest seminaries in Europe. With 73 rooms and suites, a lush garden, a wellness center and more, the property is a private oasis for guests. December also saw the debuts of the 129-room Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon in Montafon, Austria, and the Hotel Montevideo in Montevideo, Uruguay. 

LHW also added two classic hotels to its collection: Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Hotel Splendide Royal Roma in Rome. Royal Savoy opened in 1909 and has been restored with art nouveau influence, while Hotel Splendide is located within a historic estate that dates back to the 1800s, and was recently renovated to balance Old World elegance with modern luxury. 

IHG and Iberostar's New Partnership

There’s a new alliance in town: Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Iberostar Hotels & Resorts have inked a partnership agreement. Under the deal, approximately 70 hotels will be added to IHG’s system, flying under the flag of a new brand, called Iberostar Beachfront Resorts. According to the companies, Iberostar will retain 100% ownership of the properties. 

The first properties were added to the system last month, including resorts in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Brazil and the Canary Islands in Spain. Over the course of 2023 and 2024, the companies plan to add additional properties in Spain, southern Europe and North Africa to the new brand.

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At a time when demand for all-inclusive vacations has been boosted by the pandemic, the agreement strategically adds to IHG’s portfolio, broadening its resort footprint in key destinations. The Iberostar properties, meanwhile, will benefit by gaining access to IHG’s distribution channels and the IHG One Rewards loyalty program. As part of the agreement, the two companies will also work together to create opportunities for joint sustainability initiatives, in keeping with their shared focus on responsible tourism. 

Small Luxury Hotels Keeps Sustainability Top of Mind 

Celebrating the first anniversary of its Considerate Collection of “actively sustainable hotels,” Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is doubling down on its eco-friendly ethos.

The Considerate Collection, which started with 25 founding member properties, has expanded to include five more hotels. New additions include Casale Panayiotis in Cyprus, a village restoration project turned luxury hotel; Barracuda Hotel & Villas in Itacare, Brazil, an all-suite retreat; and Villa Petriolo in Tuscany, Italy, which features a Michelin Green Star (recognizing sustainability) restaurant. Two properties from Thailand round out the set: Aleenta Resort & Spa Phuket and Zeavola Resort in Krabi. 

Other green commitments from SLH include a new partnership with Weeva, a sustainability platform that caters specifically to small hotels, helping them adopt measurable and holistic green practices. The partnership allows all 520 SLH member hotels to benefit from the platform. And, as a result of its ongoing partnership with TreeSisters, SLH has planted almost 40,000 trees — enough to fill London’s Hyde Park three times over.

“Achieving 43 hotels within a year for the Considerate Collection is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of,” said Daniel Luddington, vice president of development for SLH. “These hotels demonstrate enormous effort and continue to inspire the whole SLH portfolio, making sustainable luxury feel urgent but within reach. Measuring impact is key for SLH, and our partnership with Weeva is an exciting one, which will help us to report and display more transparency not only for the Considerate Collection hotels, but eventually within our whole portfolio.”

Preferred Adds 11 New Hotels 

2023 Preferred Hotels & Resorts will open the doors of 11 new luxury hotels in 2023, including two additions to its prestigious Legend Collection.

First up in January will be the Galeria Plaza Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, Mexico (featuring a minimalist design in its 196 guestrooms), and Serry Beach Resort on the shores of the Red Sea in Egypt. Over the spring, new openings are set to include Son Net in Mallorca, Spain (a Legend Collection property), located in a 17th-century private estate that has been extensively refurbished; Sly Berlin, in the city’s trendy Friedrichshain neighborhood; and the 106-room Benson Hotel and Faculty Club in Colorado. Come summer, the collection will welcome the design-focused Les Grands Voyageurs in Paris’ Saint-Germain neighborhood, and The BoTree in London (part of the Legend Collection), a newbuild hotel that will feature dedicated “hosts” on every floor, a rooftop restaurant and a live music and entertainment venue.