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1. Australia’s Salter Brothers Transfers Travelodge Assets to Accor
Salter Brothers, the Australian hotel-management company, will rebrand 11 of its Travelodge hotels as Accor brands in a deal that follows Salter’s July 2021 acquisition of 11 hotels from Mirvac and NRMA for 620 million Australian dollars ($473.5 million).
The rebranding, to begin at the start of the 2023 financial year, includes “an industry-leading link to [environmental, social and governance] outcomes,” according to a news release, and more than 2,000 rooms changing to Accor brands Ibis Styles, Mercure and Novotel. The release said the deal is Accor’s largest integration since its acquisition of Mantra Group in May 2018, which brought the Art Series, Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree brands under Accor. With nine of the 11 hotels being rebranded as Mercure, that brand will have 53 assets in Australia.
2. Tristan Capital Acquires Majority Stake in Raag Hotels
Tristan Capital Partners via its European Property Investors Special Opportunities 6 fund has acquired majority ownership in the Channel Islands-based Raag Hotels, which owns Point A Hotels, in a 420 million pounds sterling ($552.2 million) deal, according to a news release. In the deal, Wellcome Trust, the largest charity in the United Kingdom by endowment value, fully exits as a stakeholder in Point A hotels.
Partners Queensway remains as majority shareholder of Raag. Point A has seven properties it describes as budget boutique in London and one each in Dublin, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with its combined room count being 1,520. Kristian Smyth, executive director of investments at Tristan, said the plan is to add two to three Point A hotels per year.
3. Investment in Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Drives Opportunities for Hoteliers, Guests
U.S. hoteliers who have installed electric vehicle charging stations at their hotels believe they are preparing for future guest demand and that these stations will help them stand out among other hotels, Hotel News Now’s Bryan Wroten reports.
Currently, the number of electric vehicles on American roads is not huge, but that is expected to change, notably with recent news of $5 billion in federal investment intended for charging-station infrastructure. Also playing a part are recent concerns about gas prices and sources, given the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
4. Increased Demand, Lack of Staff Cause Severe Delays at Manchester Airport
Severe delays at Manchester Airport, the north of England’s largest, have carried over from the weekend, with airport management apologizing but warning passengers could continue to face long lines and delays for “several weeks,” according to the Manchester Evening News.
Owned by 11 local authorities, with the largest share owned by the city of Manchester, operator Manchester Airports Group said it has struggled with an increase in passengers following the full relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and a drop in staff numbers that led to “a large number of bags being rejected at security.” The BBC added the mayor of Manchester is considering drafting police and other forces to help alleviate the delays.
5. Travelodge UK To Reposition Most Assets as 'Budget-Luxe'
Travelodge U.K. has announced most of its hotels, and all new builds and conversions, will be repositioned up as “budget-luxe,” according to a news release.
The move follows a survey of more than 5,000 customers who expressed a desire for “style, choice and little homely touches to make it easier to work, rest and relax both inside and outside of the room." Executives said the plan is to reposition 60 hotels by the end of 2022 out of a portfolio of 593 hotels across U.K., Ireland and Spain. It is the U.K.’s second-largest hotel brand by asset number, after Premier Inn.