Read the latest hotel industry news from around the Americas region.

Hilton launched its 19th brand, Spark by Hilton, on Jan. 11 geared toward the economy traveler, reports Hotel News Now's Stephanie Ricca. Spark is a conversion-only brand that will begin in the U.S and has the potential to expand internationally.

Bill Duncan, global category head for focused service and all suites brands for Hilton, said attention to quality and consistency is across economy brands, which will allow Hilton's Spark brand to stand out.

“Do you know how hard it is to be simple and practical? That is really tough to achieve,” he said. “Chris [Nassetta, Hilton's CEO] pushed us really hard on this launch to get to where he believed we should be in the segment. Guests have certain amounts they are willing to and can pay, and putting it all together to get there is like trying to solve a puzzle."

G6 Hospitality appointed Julie Arrowsmith as president and interim CEO on Jan. 12, reports HNN's Dana Miller.

Arrowsmith succeeds Rob Palleschi, who was CEO for five years at the Texas-based hotel company and stepped down to assume the role of CEO at American Campus Communities.

Trinity Investments has purchased the 1,000-room Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, via a joint venture with Credit Suisse Asset Management, reports HNN's Sean McCracken. According to CoStar data, the property sold for $850 million.

"We have the benefit of plugging immediately into Hilton global sales on the group sales side and obviously leisure, as well," said Trinity Investments President and CEO Sean Hehir. "We have 200,000 square feet of meeting space, and I've never seen meeting space like this before. It's phenomenal."

Hospitality investment firm Sortis Holdings is set to purchase Ace Group International, which includes the boutique Ace Hotels brand and its hotel management company, for $85 million in all cash, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Ace has 10 hotels open and operating. Sortis plans to expand the portfolio to 30 hotels.

“The brand’s just done an incredible job over the years of building a very loyal customer base and really a strong community,” Sortis Executive Chairman Paul Brenneke told the newspaper. “It’s really carved out a unique niche.”

Pat Pacious, president and CEO of Choice Hotels International, speaking during the 2023 Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles, said remote work, rising wages and a growing population of retirees are three trends that have long-term value for leisure demand, reports Hotel News now's Dana Miller.

“If you look at remote work, it’s really sort of lifted that constraint of time where the workweek is now maybe three days a week and the other two days of the week people have the flexibility to work from anywhere,” he said. “In our business, we’re seeing more Thursday night check-in for weekends and Monday morning check-out.”

• Valor Hospitality Partners, a global fully integrated management and operations solutions company, expanded its U.S. hotel portfolio with the addition of the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel St. Augustine in St. Augustine, Florida, and the Hilton College Station and Conference Center in College Station, Texas.
• Third-party hotel management company Remington Hotels assumed management for the Crowne Plaza College Park - Washington, DC.
• Global hospitality company Aimbridge Hospitality has been appointed to manage the White House Inn Napa Valley through Aimbridge's Evolution Lifestyle operating division.
• TPG Hotels & Resorts assumed management of 10 hotels in Georgia. Eight are Marriott International select-service hotels and two are IHG Hotels and Resorts select-service hotels.
• HEI Hotels & Resorts assumed management of the 312-room Austin Southpark Hotel, which is owned by L+R Hotels.
• Hyatt Hotels Corp. opened the 156-room Hyatt House Orlando Airport. The hotel is owned and managed by McKibbon Hospitality.
• Goldwyn Resort & Residences opened the Cable Beach in Nassau, Bahamas.
• Hilton opened the 330-all-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort. This marks the first Embassy Suites in Aruba and second Hilton hotel on the island.
• Marriott International and Maraey signed an agreement to build a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Brazil. Construction is expected to begin in the second half of this year.

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