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Blackstone acquires 3 Florida hotels from RLJ for $43.2M

Hospitality industry power-player Blackstone Group has acquired three Florida hotels from an affiliate of RLJ Lodging Trust for $43.2 million, according to The Real Deal. The purchased properties, all Marriott brands, are located in Broward County near Fort Lauderdale. Blackstone purchased the adjacent 125-room Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale SW/Miramar and 130-room Residence Inn by Marriott Fort Lauderdale SW/Miramar, as well as the 138-room Residence Inn by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Plantation. All three hotels include an outdoor pool, fitness center and meeting space. The transaction comes on the heels of another Florida sale by RLJ, that of the 385-room Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort and the 255-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Resort. The REIT sold the two hotels for $156 million to an undisclosed buyer. Based on the trailing 12 months ending in May, the sales price represented a 12.9x earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization multiple and 6.7 percent capitalization rate, inclusive of $44.5 million in planned capital expenditures, according to the report.

TV Reports on opening ceremony of the largest hotel and tourism training center in the western part of the country

The School of Hospitality Business

KMA Group and Centara Signs MoU for Six Hotels in Myanmar

Thailand-based hotel chain, Centara Hotels & Resorts (Centara), will soon make its debut in Myanmar with six new upscale and upper-upscale hotels in major cities. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Centaras subsidiary, Centara International Management Co. Ltd., and Thai conglomerate, Kaung Myanmar Association Group of Companies (KMA Group), KMA group is investing USD63 million to revamp and rebrand three of its existing hotels with Centara brands and to build three new hotels in Bagan and Than Daung. Works at one of the existing hotels, the Centara Paradise Inle Resort & Spa in Inle, Nyaungshwe Township, Shan state, has been completed and is slated to open by the end of 2019. Meanwhile construction of the new hotels, namely Centara Bagan River Resort & Spa Kaytumadi Dynasty Bagan Resort, Centara Boutique Collection, and Shwe Than Daung Resort, as well as the refurbishment of Centara Royal Naypyitaw Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw and Centara Royal Kaytumadi Resort & Spa in Taungoo, Kayin State, will begin in the next few months. Centaras current portfolio comprises 63 properties spanning across major destinations in Thailand, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Oman, and Qatar.

SEG Plans to Accelerate the Development of a New Fourth Hotel in Gold Coast, Australia

Australia-based Star Entertainment Group Limited (SEG) has announced plans to accelerate the development of a fourth tower within The Star Gold Coasts multi-billion-dollar precinct. The 215-metre tower includes a five-star mixed-use hotel with residential properties, lagoon pools, a nightlife venue, plus additional restaurants and bars, a luxury day spa and wellness centre, as well as outdoor spaces for the local community and visitors. The construction will begin in 2020, with pre-sales for apartments set to launch this month. The new hotel at The Star Gold Coast would complement the existing The Star Grand hotel, The Darling hotel, and the first Dorsett hotel in Australia, which is slated to open in 2022. SEG has revealed plans for a new dining precinct to connect The Star Grand hotel, restaurant, and gaming complex to The Dorsett, once it has been completed.

Airbnb recently had a victory in Europe, after the court of justice there ruled the company be considered a digital service provider.

Made by Maciej Szpunar, one of the European Court of Justice’s advocates general, the ruling essentially gives the digital travel company the ability to operate freely across the European Union. Szpunar found that Airbnb was what Brussels would consider an information society service. This ruling came with a rejection for those who felt otherwise. A French tourism association had argued that Airbnb should face the same accounting, insurance and other financial obligations of traditional providers of real estate. Airbnb, which is registered in the EU nation of Ireland, argued that its commercial activities involve matching property owners with people who are looking for a place to stay, a role which falls outside of traditional real estate brokerage. Part of the legal decision involved the way Airbnb’s assertion was challenged. Szpunar said the French government had not properly notified the European Commission as well as authorities in Ireland that it intended to apply French law to Airbnb. Furthermore, he determined that Airbnb was an online service which connected potential guests with hosts for short-term stays, which was essentially what the company argued. It was unclear whether a proper notification would have changed this judgement. THIS DECISION’S AFTERMATH A natural next question is what happens now? It’s important to note that this decision is non-binding, although the court takes the advice of its advocates general in 80% of cases. Airbnb, unsurprisingly, said it welcomed the opinion as a “clear overview of what rules apply.” This decision could be a telling one. France is not the only market in which Airbnb has faced forces advocating for a crackdown on the way it operates. Other cities in which Airbnb has caused civic issues include Amsterdam and Barcelona, both of which are also in the EU. Challengers criticize the company for changing the face of the neighbourhoods in which it operates, basically removing their personalities and turning them primarily into locales for short-term guests and hordes of out-of-town tourists. This ruling is already significant given that France is the company’s single largest market outside of the United States. Paris, meanwhile, is its biggest single city market, with 65,000 homes there listed on the site. A spokesman for the company said: “We welcome the opinion of the advocate general, which provides a clear overview of what rules apply to collaborative economy platforms like Airbnb and how these rules help create opportunities for consumers.” “We also want to be good partners and already we have worked with more than 500 governments around the world on measures to help hosts share their homes, follow the rules and pay their fair share of tax,” the spokeswoman went on to say. “As we move forward, we want to continue working with everyone to put locals at the heart of sustainable 21st-century travel.

Marriott expands in Tanzania with new Four Points property

Marriott International has announced the opening of its second Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Tanzania, Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel. The original New Africa Hotel was built as the official residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1896. It was used as a hospital during World War I before being converted into a hotel during the British Empire. Sitting at the heart of the central business district of the city, overlooking the harbour, the hotel has since emerged as a landmark and an integral part of the burgeoning city. With the renovation and the rebrand the hotel continues to retain its unique charm, while delivering on the brand’s promise to provide what matters most to today’s independent travellers. “Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel, is a great addition to our rapidly growing footprint in Africa and further consolidates the brands presence in Tanzania. “We are confident that with its blend of stylish comfort and genuine service at a great value, the hotel will meet the rising demand for high-calibre lodging in this fast-growing market and soon emerge as a leading choice among business and leisure travellers,” said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. Designed for the modern traveller with an emphasis on approachable design, the 174 room Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel, features spacious and contemporary rooms including suites. Other facilities include an outdoor pool and a state-of-the-art fitness centre. With 1,000 square feet of indoor meeting and banquet space spread across 12 flexible meeting rooms, the hotel is an ideal venue for gatherings of any size including elaborate social events and weddings. “Our vision is to offer an uncomplicated travel experience for both business and leisure. “Perfectly situated in the heart of the city, the hotel is at the epicentre, steeped in history and surrounded by local attractions,” said Siddharth Chaudhry general manager, Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel. “We look forward to welcoming our guests with the brand’s signature warm and uncomplicated yet comfortable service.”

TV Report on the First National Exhibition of Tourism of East Azarbaijan Province

Introducing the Booking.com Accelerator program

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