Hotel News Now’s Independent Insights newsletter each month features a news roundup from the independent hotel sector. Subscribe to the free monthly newsletter here.
Soft brand’s popularity provides resiliency
Soft-brand collections has been a popular option for owners of both independent and hard-branded hotels since it entered the industry in 2008, but the COVID-19 pandemic could have an interesting effect on growth of soft brands, writes Hotel News Now’s Bryan Wroten.
Speaking during the “Soft brands. Strong performance?” webinar presented as part of the online Hotel Data Conference, STR research analyst Kelsey Fenerty said soft brands have enticed hotel owners with the idea of combining the desire for unique independent properties with the distribution channels and support from large brand companies. (STR is the parent company of HNN.)
“…Soft brands have shown stellar growth over the last 10 years, speaking to their popularity, (Fenerty) said. Supply growth stayed around the 20% mark even after the Great Recession when supply growth slowed down,” Wroten writes.
Annapolis Waterfront Hotel gets multimillion-dollar makeover
The 150-room Annapolis Waterfront Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland, part of Marriott’s International’s Autograph Collection, debuted its new guest experience this August following a multimillion-dollar renovation, according to a news release.
The renovation focused refreshing the building’s façade, adding new awnings, lighting, furniture and planters; enhancing all 150 guestrooms and signature Waterfront Harbor Suite with walnut hardwood floors and nautical décor; redoing guestroom bathrooms with tonal blues and whites; and renovating its nine event rooms and adjoining outdoor event space to better enhance meetings, events and weddings.
"It is a rare opportunity to be able to transform a hotel in its entirety – to really see the concept take shape in every space and detail from the inside out. We worked in close collaboration with Hersha Hotels and Resorts to really make their vision a reality,” Baskervill Principal Adrienne Scribner, who led design for the project, said in a news release.
Fresh beauty founders open boutique hotel
On 6 August, co-founders of global beauty brand Fresh, Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, and hospitality expert Damien Janowicz, launched the 11-room boutique hotel The Maker in Hudson, New York, Forbes writes.
The hotel is housed in three historical buildings with each guestroom designed “to deliver an inspired and unique guest experience,” according to the article. Features include a bohemian flare fused with design from 19th-century Industrial, La Bell Époque, Art Deco and Mid-Century periods; vintage and custom reproduced furniture; and a Fragrance Library Room that allows guests to try more than 180 fragrances.
Deals, developments, people on the move
- Kirkwood Collection completed a full renovation of its most recent purchase, the historic Garden Street Inn in downtown San Luis Obispo, California, during a three-and-a-half-month closure due to COVID-19. The grand reopening is set for this Labor Day weekend.
- The Seagate Clubs* in Delray Beach, Florida, has appointed two new members to its leadership team: Jamie Erler in the role of director of membership, marketing and communications for The Seagate Clubs, and Sonny Grosso as director of golf for The Seagate’s Country Club.
- The Lloyd boutique hotel opened on 5 August in Stamford, Connecticut, with 94 rooms, by developer and operator RMS Companies. This is Stamford’s only boutique hotel.
- Luxury lifestyle brand Aparium Hotel Group has appointed several GMs to its three newest properties. Pablo Molinari for Hotel Haya in Tampa, Florida; Allison Streu for Surety Hotel in Des Moines, Iowa; and Aaron Black for Daxton in Birmingham, Michigan.
- The Glenmark Hotel, part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, in Glendale, California, opened on 17 July. The 85-room hotel also features a 1,000-square-foot fitness center and 7,900 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space.
*Correction, 3 September 2020: The story has been updated to clarify the identity of the employer.
Compiled by Dana Miller.