Several Hotel Cos. To Launch Brands in New Locales

Several hotel companies in recent weeks have announced plans to expand their brands into new areas in Europe and Asia.

Best Western Hotel Group plans to double upscale brand Aiden’s portfolio this year in “key markets,” including introducing the brand in Scandinavia and India, the company announced during the Americas Lodging and Investment Summit in Los Angeles in January.

The Scandinavian Aiden properties will add 30 hotels to the brand’s current 19-property portfolio. Aiden’s Scandinavian portfolio will have solar roofing and modular designs, according to the company, and each Aiden property will also include a hologram concierge for check-in and check-out and “guest services.” The hologram technology could mitigate some staffing challenges for the expansion.

The first hotel in the region, Aiden by Best Western Herning, is expected to open in February in Herning, Denmark. BWH Group also said it plans to launch Aiden in India but did not indicate further details.

The news follows Best Western’s launch of midscale extended-stay brand Home by BWH in October 2022.

Upcoming Expansions and Brand Debuts

Also adding to their international portfolios are Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group and Hyatt Hotels Corp., each recently announcing brand debuts and expansions in the near future.

Wyndham has signed a deal to debut its Trademark Collection in India with the opening of The Earth Amritsar, the company announced Monday. The brand debut, in partnership with Earth Suites & Resorts, is “expected to open in early 2024” in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab, the company said. The deal would add to Wyndham’s portfolio of more than 9,100 hotels in more than 95 countries.

The news follows Wyndham’s plan to globally expand The Meetings Collection, announced in October.

Hyatt also plans to debut three new hotels—Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Place—in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, in an agreement with Rua Al Madinah Holding Company, the company announced Monday. The hotels will be the first Hyatt-branded properties in the city and are part of Madinah’s plan to “attract 30 million tourists by 2030” the company said. The deal would add a collective 1,729 guest rooms to Hyatt’s portfolio in Saudi Arabia.

IHG has also struck a brand-debut deal by partnering with Odyssey Hotel Group on its Vignette Collection launch in Germany with Alte Post Vignette Collection in southeast Bavaria by 2026, the company announced Thursday. The news follows the company’s deal to debut its Voco Brand in India, announced in January.

Angelique Platas www.businesstravelnews.com