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1. Singapore's GIC To Spend Over $1 Billion for HIP Stake
Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC is acquiring a 35% stake in Spain-based Hotel Investment Partners in a deal that values the company at over €4 billion ($4.2 billion), the Financial Times reports. Owner Blackstone Group will retain the remaining interest in the hotel investment platform, which has 73 properties and nearly 22,000 rooms across Southern Europe.
“We aren’t exiting; we are bringing in a capital partner to help support the growth of the business,” Blackstone’s head of European real estate James Seppala told the news outlet.
2. Saudi Arabia Likely To Host 2034 World Cup
Middle East-based news outlet MEED reports Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 FIFA men's World Cup. The event, held every four years, is traditionally a large travel demand driver for host countries but also a large expense.
If Saudi Arabia does end up hosting the World Cup, it would be the first solo host country in over a decade since the next two events will be hosted by multiple countries. The 2026 event will be held in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., and the 2030 event is slated for Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
3. Shiva Hotels Founder Aims To Innovate With Place III Hotels in London
Shiva Hotels and Managing Director and Founder Rishi Sachdev said his company's new luxury brand Place III Hotels is looking to avoid the "homogenous" nature of hotel brands, HNN's Terence Baker reports.
“Place III is a whole different vision, our evolution,” Sachdev said. “How we changed as people, how the market has changed and how guests should be looked after. Added to that is what guests now are looking for, which is an experience."
4. Lending Nears Historic Lows in Commercial Real Estate
The Wall Street Journal reports lending in commercial real estate "is shrinking to historically low levels," which in turn could lead to a wave of defaults and distress as owners struggle to refinance.
"Total volume of commercial real estate loans held by banks, the largest source of debt financing, declined during the first two weeks of October, according to analysis of Federal Reserve figures by Trepp, a data provider," the newspaper reports. "Bank commercial property lending has declined for only two months since 2014. Most other two-week periods since 2014 have shown positive growth."
5. Dead, Missing in Acapulco Hits 100
The human toll from Hurricane Otis reached a grim milestone as the number of dead and missing climbed to 100, according to officials in the Mexican state of Guerro, Reuters reports. The storm made landfall in the resort city of Acapulco last week after intensifying quickly into a Category 5 hurricane.
The city of 900,000 is still in crisis as a lack of food and water has spurred looting.