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1. Hungary’s Largest Hotel To Close For Winter Due to Energy Costs
Executives at the largest hotel in Hungary by room count, the 499-room Danubius Hotel Hungaria City Center, have decided to close for four months this winter due to soaring energy prices, according to eTurboNews. Parent company Danubius Hotels & Spas Group is the largest hotel group in the country with 19 properties, either under the Danubius brand or as the operator of international brands such as Hilton and Radisson Blu.
The hotel, located in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, will be closed between Nov. 1, 2022, and Feb. 28, 2023, executives said. According to Trading Economics, Hungary’s inflation rate in September, the latest data available, was 20.1%. The average rate of inflation for the same month across the European Union was 10% and the worst-affected country is Turkey, currently with an inflation rate of 83.45%.
2. GLH Rebrands as Clermont Hotel Group
Nine years after Guoman Hotels rebranded as GLH, the largest hotel owner-operator in London by room count now has decided to rename itself the Clermont Hotel Group, according to Event Planner News.
The hotel has two properties called The Clermont, both in London, and owns and manages the Thistle and Thistle Express brands, the Hard Rock London and Guoman Hotels, which includes the Royal Horseguards Hotel.
3. Hotel Asset Managers' Optimism Dampened by Recession, Labor Market
Executives at the Hospitality Asset Managers Association said that until recently most hotel asset managers were actively pursuing acquisitions, but now nearly everyone has cold feet due to a lack of financing and increasing interest rates, Hotel News Now’s Sean McCracken reports.
HAMA members added that hotel asset managers are feeling less enthusiasm heading into 2023 due to the looming threat of a recession and increasing interest rates, although labor remains the biggest obstacle. Carly Thorp, vice president of asset management for hospitality at McWhinney, said the labor issues are felt “in everything from housekeeping all the way up, and “if you’re looking for directors of finance, good luck.”
4. Cancún Hoteliers Concerned About Plans for 3,000 More Rooms
Hoteliers in Cancún, Mexico, have raised concerns over the possibility of a further 3,000 rooms being added to the Yucatán resort Pok-Ta-Pok in the city’s latest development, the Benito Juárez Urban Development Program, according to local newspaper Riviera Maya News.
Jesús Almaguer Salazar, president of the La Asociación de Hoteles de Cancún, Puerto Morelos e Isla Mujeres, said “everyone should be concerned about the over densification approved for the Pok-Ta-Pok Golf Club because it will exceed the Hotel Zone.”
There are currently approximately 37,000 hotel rooms in Cancún, and the golf club already has permission to build 3,000. Almaguer Salazar added that if all 6,000 rooms are opened, that “would imply a greater demand for circulating vehicles, more drainage, drinking water and electricity, also considering that two workers per room are usually hired.”
5. Reynal Appointed Four Seasons CEO
Alejandro Reynal, the former president and CEO of Apple Leisure Group, has been named as the new president and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, HNN’s Bryan Wroten reports.
He takes over from John Davison, who worked for the firm for 20 years and started as president and CEO in 2019. He announced on Oct. 13, 2021, his intention to retire in 2022.