News

American Hotel & Lodging Association Joins the U.S. Food Waste Pact

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the trade association that advocates for every segment of the hotel industry, has become the latest trade association to join the U.S. Food Waste Pact (Pact), a joint initiative led by ReFED and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to reduce food waste across the food system.

Whitbread Secures Planning Permission for London's Dorset House Hotel Conversion

Whitbread has received planning consent to transform Dorset House, a former office building located on Stamford Street in Southwark, London, into a 421-room hotel under its hub by Premier Inn brand. This development marks the first hub by Premier Inn south of the River Thames and is part of Whitbread's recent expansion efforts in Central London.

World-first Harry Potter land and hotel to open in Germany

In a historical collaboration between Merlin Entertainments and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, a world-first Harry Potter land and accompanying hotel should open in Germany in the near future. The new universe will be part of Legoland Deutschland Resort in Gunzbürg.

IHG, LUSS Leisure agree to build Crowne Plaza hotel on Serbia's Zlatibor mountain

British multinational hospitality company InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Serbia's company LUSS Leisure have signed a contract for the construction of a Crowne Plaza hotel on the Zlatibor mountain in western Serbia, one of the country's top tourist destinations, the town administration of Cajetina, where Zlatibor is located, said.

LOTTE Hotel Buys the Land of LOTTE New York Palace Hotel

LOTTE Hotel announced on Dec. 15 that it has signed a contract with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York to purchase the LOTTE New York Palace hotel site. The acquisition amount is approximately $490 million (about 7 billion won). LOTTE acquired The New York Palace Hotel, New York’s first five-star hotel and Manhattan landmark, in 2015 and reopened it as LOTTE New York Palace, but at that time, it only purchased the building while leasing the land.

Rebounding Park selling more non-core assets

Park Hotels & Resorts has updated its non-core disposition activity, which it said will included exiting another three properties that were on expiring ground leases, including the 266-room Embassy Suites Kansas City Plaza, the 850-room DoubleTree Hotel Seattle Airport, and the 245-room DoubleTree Hotel Sonoma Wine Country. Collectively, the hotels generated minimal EBITDA in 2025.

Highgate’s Azarbarzin becomes Viceory CEO

After serving as CEO of Highgate since September 2021, the company has named veteran luxury and lifestyle hotelier Arash Azarbarzin CEO of its Viceroy Hotels & Resorts brand.

A new hotel is officially the world’s tallest

With Burj Khalifa holding the status of the world’s tallest building since 2010, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has come to be associated above all with its mega-tall skyscrapers.

1 Hotels launches purposed-driven loyalty program

Starwood Capital’s luxury lifestyle 1 Hotels brand has launched a unique loyalty program called Mission Membership, a purpose-driven concept designed to reward guests. The program focuses on personalization, environmental impact, and “deepening the guest experience in meaningful ways.”

Hotel101 tops off 482-room Niseko hotel in Japan

Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. topped off its 482-room Hotel101-Niseko project in Hirafu, Hokkaido, Japan on December 5, 2025, marking the structural completion of what will become the largest hotel in the area by room count.

Marriott opens first hotels in DRC

Marriott International has entered the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the opening of Protea Hotel by Marriott Kinshasa and Four Points by Sheraton Kinshasa.