IHG strengthens ties in Saudi Arabia
https://hotelsmag.com/news/ihg-saudi-arabia-hotel-signings/
IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a dual management agreement with Mosa bin Abdul Aziz Al-Mosa and Sons Real Estate Holding Co., marking new growth in Saudi Arabia. The announcement includes plans for Crowne Plaza Al Khobar Al Bandariyah with 232 keys and Holiday Inn Riyadh Rose Yard with 106 keys.
Crowne Plaza Al Khobar Al Bandariyah is expected to open in early 2027. The hotel will sit near the Corniche with access to Dammam and King Fahd International Airport. Plans include meeting spaces and social areas designed for work or downtime.
Holiday Inn Riyadh Rose Yard, located in the Al-Suwaidi district, is scheduled to open in late 2026. The hotel will offer access to destinations such as the Diplomatic Quarter and Diriyah Gate. It will introduce the brand’s Open Lobby concept, combining dining, work and relaxation areas in a single space.
“As Saudi Arabia accelerates its Vision 2030 ambitions, we are delighted to expand our footprint with the signings of Crowne Plaza Al Khobar Al Bandariyah and Holiday Inn Riyadh Rose Yard. This partnership with Mosa bin Abdul Aziz Al-Mosa and Sons Real Estate Holding reinforces our commitment to the Kingdom’s growing tourism sector. We look forward to leveraging our global systems and ‘True Hospitality for Good’ ethos to deliver world-class hospitality that elevates the guest experience and further supports the nation’s economic diversification goals,” said Haitham Mattar, managing director, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG Hotels & Resorts.
The projects add to IHG’s presence in two key markets. Riyadh continues to draw investment across several sectors, while Al Khobar benefits from its coastal position near major demand drivers.
“Our partnership with IHG represents a strategic step in expanding our portfolio of high-value hospitality assets across fast-growing markets such as Riyadh and the Eastern Province. We invest in carefully selected projects that enhance asset value and deliver hotel operations built on world-class standards. Choosing IHG reflects our confidence in their global expertise and their ability to generate sustainable operational returns while elevating the appeal of the destinations we develop. The launch of these two new hotels aligns with our ambition to grow our real estate and hospitality investments and contributes to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by diversifying our offerings and developing assets designed to create long-term value, leading us toward our target of building a portfolio of more than 1,000 hotel rooms by 2030,” said Abdulaziz bin Mosa Al-mosa, vice chairman of the board, Mosa bin Abdulaziz Al-Mosa and Sons Group Real Estate Holding.
IHG currently operates 46 hotels in Saudi Arabia with 60 more in the pipeline.
Unsplash/Saacid Ahmed
https://www.fodors.com/news/news/tourism-is-surging-in-a-country-that-has-a-level-4-travel-warning
After decades of turmoil, Somalia is drawing travelers to its conflict-ridden regions. The East African country still poses risks to foreign nationals, and governments discourage any travel to the area. Despite this, 10,000 people entered Somalia in 2024, a 50% increase over the previous year, and tour operators are organizing trips despite serious warnings.
Travel company Untamed Borders told CNN it has organized 13 group tours to the country’s capital, Mogadishu, in 2025, up from just two in 2023. Those who join these trips are often seeking extreme destinations or are on “country counting missions,” said founder James Willcox, who acknowledged it’s one of the highest-risk destinations they operate in. “The risk of attacks is real. All of the limited places where international guests can stay are potential targets. You can’t go off radar in Mogadishu,” he said.
Terrorism and piracy are significant threats in the country. Earlier this year, militants attacked a hotel in Beledweyne, about 200 miles north of the capital, resulting in several deaths. Millions are internally displaced, and the humanitarian crises remain severe.
Still, people are eager to experience the region. One way is to visit Somaliland in the north, a self-governing, autonomous region within Somalia. It declared independence in 1991 and is pushing for international recognition as an independent state. More stable than Somalia, it operates with its own democratically elected government and currency. Meanwhile, the northeastern region of Puntland is semiautonomous but is not seeking international recognition as a separate state.
All travelers must obtain an e-visa before traveling to Somalia, including Somaliland and Puntland. However, a single visa may not permit visits to the autonomous regions. Somaliland and Puntland do not recognize the newly introduced e-visa system, and visitors must obtain other permits to enter those areas. The Australian government’s Smartraveller website warns, “Visas might not be valid in areas where the central government’s authority is challenged, particularly in Somaliland and Puntland. If you’re visiting these areas, direct your visa enquiries to the person or organisation you will be visiting.”
In September, Somalia launched a new e-visa system to encourage more visitors. But the U.S. and U.K. governments have warned that the system was breached, exposing personal information of applicants. The problem continues, even after the government quietly moved the portal to another website.
The U.S. Embassy in Somalia issued an alert stating that people who applied for the e-visa may have been affected. “On November 11, 2025, multiple sources reported credible allegations that unidentified hackers penetrated Somalia’s e-visa system potentially exposing the personal data of at least 35,000 people, including possibly thousands of U.S. citizens. Leaked data from the breach included visa applicants’ names, photos, dates and places of birth, email addresses, marital status, and home addresses.”
Warnings
The U.S. State Department has a Level 4: Do Not Travel warning for Somalia. It warns of widespread violent crime, including murder and kidnapping, and notes terrorists frequently target hotels, restaurants, airports, shopping areas, and public spaces. The country also endures civil unrest, and protests may turn violent. Health services are often insufficient. Though piracy off the Horn of Africa has decreased, pirates remain active.
American citizens have reported that their passports were stolen, leaving them stranded. According to warnings, “this often occurs when U.S. citizens travel to Somalia to visit family or attend an event,” and their own family confiscates their passport. “Some adult U.S. citizens cannot leave the international airport because they need explicit consent from their family.” Consular services are limited. “There is no permanent consular officer in Somalia, not even the Somaliland region. If a traveler’s passport is lost, stolen, expires, or if they become destitute, the U.S. government may not be able to help.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has also banned certain flights within and near Somalia.
The U.K. Foreign Office also advises against travel to Somalia “due to the threat from terrorist groups and continuing violence.” It adds that there is a high risk of kidnapping, and foreign nationals are frequent targets. Terror threats remain, and terrorists attack public spaces indiscriminately, according to the advisory. “Stay aware of your surroundings, keep up to date with local media reports and follow the advice of local authorities,” it suggests.
The U.K. Foreign Office has updated its advisory to include the recent e-visa system data breach, citing the U.S. alert and warning that the breach continues and could affect any personal data entered into the system.
I Faced the World’s Most Dangerous Holiday Dish — It’s Literally Made With Poison
Sergii Koval/Shutterstock
https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/norway/experiences/news/lutefish-norway-holiday-dish-made-with-poison
The festive Norwegian specialty, lutefisk, is definitely an acquired taste.
I love a good winter holiday-season food. Park me at a table with potato pancakes with sour cream. Invite me over for a Christmas ham and, yes, I’ll even try a slice of oft-maligned fuitcake. Anything with crushed candy canes, from cookies to hot cocoa to the shards still in the wrapper at the bottom of my purse? I’m in.
Rehydrated white fish soaked in poison? Insert record scratch.
For the uninitiated, lutefisk is said dish and it’s a Christmas staple in Nordic countries. It’s been around since the Middle Ages, somehow not killing people for centuries. For the non-Nordic among us, lutefisk (pronounced “loo-tuh-fisk”) is a white fish, usually cod, which is air dried over the course of weeks and months until it’s hard. It’s then rehydrated with water before being soaked in lye (lutefisk actually translates to “lye fish”), as in, the poisonous main ingredient in oven cleaner. Finally it’s soaked again in cold water for another four to six days, which removes the lye (hopefully!), baked (or sometimes steamed or boiled), and served.
Different countries have different recipes, but the process is essentially the same. Just ask 16th century author Olaus Magnus who described the dish in his “Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus” (History of Northern People) and bragged how it “is highly regarded, even by kings!”
Well, I’m not royalty, but I was traveling in Trondheim, Norway at the start of the holiday season. Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway, and a destination rooted in both history and innovation. It became a pilgrimage site in the 11th century after the death of St. Olav, who is buried beneath the Gothic marvel that is the Nidaros Cathedral. Today, the city is a worthy pilgrimage for art lovers and students, with its newly-opened PoMo Museum and the country’s largest educational institution, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The Britannia Hotel, Trondheim’s most luxurious property, happened to be inaugurating the holiday season with a traditional lutefisk feast during my stay. How could I pass up the opportunity to try this Norwegian staple? Hey, I like fish! Poison, less so. But then again, I haven’t really ever tried my food soaked in poison, so who was I to judge?
The line to get into the dining room was long, which was a promising sign. It was a relief, considering earlier in the day I’d mentioned to someone I was going to try lutefisk that night and she looked at me with the kind of pity-filled smile I thought was reserved for people announcing they just booked a Frontier Airlines vacation.
I ordered a beer and shot of Aquavit after being told by a nearby diner that ordering a fish-friendly Chardonnay was entirely unacceptable. A side-cart of sides was delivered to my table before the fish arrived. The cart included traditional lutefisk accompaniments: pureed peas, chopped bacon, boiled potatoes, mustard, honey, crackers, lefse (Norwegian potato bread), and brown cheese (a Norwegian staple called “brunost” which isn’t as much cheese as it is boiled-down whey).
Executive chef Espen Aunaas brought a plate with two giant slabs of white fish to my table. I’d been warned about the smell, which has been described in such appetizing terms as “a smelly sock” and “a fishy aroma with a faint whiff of cleaning chemicals.” I did not pick up notes of feet or disinfectants, though the fishy smell was present. In its defense, it was fish.
As for the taste, people have even stronger opinions. Author Angela Blount wrote in Once Upon an Ever After, “I didn’t actually know what regret tasted like–but I imagined if it did have a flavor, it would be lutefisk.” Which is somehow more generous than Garrison Keillor’s take that “it is reminiscent of the afterbirth of a dog or the world’s largest chunk of phlegm.”
I’d say it’s not nearly as bad as edible regret or mucus, but I don’t want that to be confused with high praise. I couldn’t finish even half of my serving. Lutefisk is simultaneously fishy and bland, which is not a power combo of flavor profiles. It’s chewy, if not entirely gelatinous, almost like eating an unsweetened gummy shark purchased at whatever candy store Spongebob goes to.
The aftertaste was more problematic. You know how sometimes while eating tuna fish you all of a sudden get that taste that you just downed a dolphin? Well, minus the accompanying guilt, that’s the aftertaste. On the plus side, those sides couldn’t have been better. And beer and Aquavit are supportive partners in minimizing culinary offenses.
It was a relief to hear Chef Aunaas tell me that lutefisk is considered an acquired taste. He grew up in Trondheim but didn’t appreciate the dish until he became a chef. His parents were not fans after “they tried making it once and served it to my sister’s first boyfriend and he got sick,” he told me. “After that they never made it.”
Rehydrated white fish soaked in poison? Insert record scratch.
For the uninitiated, lutefisk is said dish and it’s a Christmas staple in Nordic countries. It’s been around since the Middle Ages, somehow not killing people for centuries. For the non-Nordic among us, lutefisk (pronounced “loo-tuh-fisk”) is a white fish, usually cod, which is air dried over the course of weeks and months until it’s hard. It’s then rehydrated with water before being soaked in lye (lutefisk actually translates to “lye fish”), as in, the poisonous main ingredient in oven cleaner. Finally it’s soaked again in cold water for another four to six days, which removes the lye (hopefully!), baked (or sometimes steamed or boiled), and served.
Different countries have different recipes, but the process is essentially the same. Just ask 16th century author Olaus Magnus who described the dish in his “Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus” (History of Northern People) and bragged how it “is highly regarded, even by kings!”
Well, I’m not royalty, but I was traveling in Trondheim, Norway at the start of the holiday season. Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway, and a destination rooted in both history and innovation. It became a pilgrimage site in the 11th century after the death of St. Olav, who is buried beneath the Gothic marvel that is the Nidaros Cathedral. Today, the city is a worthy pilgrimage for art lovers and students, with its newly-opened PoMo Museum and the country’s largest educational institution, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The Britannia Hotel, Trondheim’s most luxurious property, happened to be inaugurating the holiday season with a traditional lutefisk feast during my stay. How could I pass up the opportunity to try this Norwegian staple? Hey, I like fish! Poison, less so. But then again, I haven’t really ever tried my food soaked in poison, so who was I to judge?
The line to get into the dining room was long, which was a promising sign. It was a relief, considering earlier in the day I’d mentioned to someone I was going to try lutefisk that night and she looked at me with the kind of pity-filled smile I thought was reserved for people announcing they just booked a Frontier Airlines vacation.
I ordered a beer and shot of Aquavit after being told by a nearby diner that ordering a fish-friendly Chardonnay was entirely unacceptable. A side-cart of sides was delivered to my table before the fish arrived. The cart included traditional lutefisk accompaniments: pureed peas, chopped bacon, boiled potatoes, mustard, honey, crackers, lefse (Norwegian potato bread), and brown cheese (a Norwegian staple called “brunost” which isn’t as much cheese as it is boiled-down whey).
Executive chef Espen Aunaas brought a plate with two giant slabs of white fish to my table. I’d been warned about the smell, which has been described in such appetizing terms as “a smelly sock” and “a fishy aroma with a faint whiff of cleaning chemicals.” I did not pick up notes of feet or disinfectants, though the fishy smell was present. In its defense, it was fish.
As for the taste, people have even stronger opinions. Author Angela Blount wrote in Once Upon an Ever After, “I didn’t actually know what regret tasted like–but I imagined if it did have a flavor, it would be lutefisk.” Which is somehow more generous than Garrison Keillor’s take that “it is reminiscent of the afterbirth of a dog or the world’s largest chunk of phlegm.”
I’d say it’s not nearly as bad as edible regret or mucus, but I don’t want that to be confused with high praise. I couldn’t finish even half of my serving. Lutefisk is simultaneously fishy and bland, which is not a power combo of flavor profiles. It’s chewy, if not entirely gelatinous, almost like eating an unsweetened gummy shark purchased at whatever candy store Spongebob goes to.
The aftertaste was more problematic. You know how sometimes while eating tuna fish you all of a sudden get that taste that you just downed a dolphin? Well, minus the accompanying guilt, that’s the aftertaste. On the plus side, those sides couldn’t have been better. And beer and Aquavit are supportive partners in minimizing culinary offenses.
It was a relief to hear Chef Aunaas tell me that lutefisk is considered an acquired taste. He grew up in Trondheim but didn’t appreciate the dish until he became a chef. His parents were not fans after “they tried making it once and served it to my sister’s first boyfriend and he got sick,” he told me. “After that they never made it.”
The trick to making it taste good (or, “good”), he said, is the salting. With more salt, the fish is firmer and less like sea jello. Some people like the gelatinous version better, and I’m not sure what to say about them other than they’re monsters who I hope never invite me to dinner. Chef Aunaas was more diplomatic by saying, “I think for the mainstream this is the best way to serve it.”
I downed another shot and drowned the lutefisk in enough peas and mustard to fulfill my journalistic quest, but was relieved to have my plate removed. All around me, fellow lutefisk diners were ordering second and third rounds of fish as if they were protein-hoarding for a long winter.
“We eat a lot,” Chef Aunaas laughed of his countrymen and women. “We like sturdy food. We’re not a delicate people. We’re not like the Italians who can sit around and make pasta for the whole day.”
In the end, I’m happy I tried lutefisk and happier that I don’t have to try it again. But should anyone else want to sample the dish, it’s easy to find this season throughout Scandinavia and Minnesota, which has a large Nordic population. And though I won’t be partaking, I will toast to your tolerant taste buds. As they say in Trondheim, skål!
Former Park SF assets sell at big discount
Newbond Holdings and Conversant Capital are the new owners of the Hilton in Union Square.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Deals/Mergers-and-Acquistions/Former-Park-SF-assets-sell-at-big-discount?
SAN FRANCISCO – A $408 million sale price has been reported for Park Hotels & Resorts’ former Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55 San Francisco (3,000 total rooms), recently acquired by Newbond Holdings and Conversant Capital. The price marks a reported 75% discount to the appraised values in a 2016 financing.
The hotels were subject to a $725 million non-recourse CMBS loan and were placed in court-ordered receivership in October 2023. At that time, Park no longer had any economic interest in the operations of the hotels.
This can be considered a great deal for the buyers in what has been a rebounding market, especially for group business, and the completion of the process for Park, who just reported seeing an upswing in group demand with its Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort reporting a 57% surge.
Park Hotels & Resorts Chairman and CEO Thomas Baltimore, Jr., stated, “We are extremely pleased that the court-appointed receiver successfully completed a sale of the Hilton San Francisco Hotels after a years-long process. While Park no longer has any economic interest in these assets, with the completion of this sale, Park is now able to remove the legacy items from our financial statements that remained following the transfer of these assets into receivership in 2023. As we look ahead to 2026, Park continues to remain laser-focused on executing our strategic plan to sell non-core assets, invest in ROI projects within our core portfolio and continue to strengthen our balance sheet.”
The new owners of the San Francisco properties stated they are planning extensive capital improvements, adding, “These hotels, anchored in the heart of Union Square and backed by Hilton’s strong global brand, are uniquely positioned to benefit from San Francisco’s resurgence as a leading global destination.”
The sale of the Parc 55 and Hilton Union Square is very significant as these two hotels comprise 20% of the room supply in the city of San Francisco, according to Alan Reay of Atlas Hospitality Group, Newport Beach, California.
Reay told Hotel Investment Today that the huge drop in value from the $1.561 billion appraisal in 2016 can be attributed to a number of factors:
1. Huge increase in downtown office vacancy due to remote working.
2. Loss of major meetings and convention business in the city.
3. Negative publicity associated with spike in the number of homeless and crime in the downtown area.
"At a purchase price of only $138,634 per room it sold at a fraction of replacement cost and will be viewed long term as a great acquisition price as San Francisco is already showing positive revenue growth for hotels," Reay added.
While the rebound is on, San Francisco is not all the way back. Room revenue was $242 million in October — down more than 10% from October 2019, according to CoStar data.
But it seems to be enough for investors this month with Blackstone announcing the acquisition of the Four Seasons hotel in the financial district and Sixth Street closing on The Clancy.
Blackstone is acquiring the 277-room for $130 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. It would be Blackstone’s first acquisition in the city in almost 10 years. The price for the property in the heart of the city’s financial district is reportedly $20-30 million less than what seller Westbrook Partners had listed it for more than a year ago.
Sixth Street, a global investment firm, acquired The Clancy, a 410-room lifestyle hotel in San Francisco, from Braemar Hotels & Resorts for $115 million. The fee-simple hotel will continue to be managed by Marriott International as an Autograph Collection hotel.
“This investment reflects our deep conviction in the San Francisco recovery story, which we believe is in its early innings,” said Marcos Alvarado, partner and head of US Real Estate at Sixth Street. “Improving leisure and convention travel is bolstered by strong tenant demand from expanding AI firms, which provides a constructive backdrop for future performance at The Clancy.”
The hotels were subject to a $725 million non-recourse CMBS loan and were placed in court-ordered receivership in October 2023. At that time, Park no longer had any economic interest in the operations of the hotels.
This can be considered a great deal for the buyers in what has been a rebounding market, especially for group business, and the completion of the process for Park, who just reported seeing an upswing in group demand with its Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort reporting a 57% surge.
Park Hotels & Resorts Chairman and CEO Thomas Baltimore, Jr., stated, “We are extremely pleased that the court-appointed receiver successfully completed a sale of the Hilton San Francisco Hotels after a years-long process. While Park no longer has any economic interest in these assets, with the completion of this sale, Park is now able to remove the legacy items from our financial statements that remained following the transfer of these assets into receivership in 2023. As we look ahead to 2026, Park continues to remain laser-focused on executing our strategic plan to sell non-core assets, invest in ROI projects within our core portfolio and continue to strengthen our balance sheet.”
The new owners of the San Francisco properties stated they are planning extensive capital improvements, adding, “These hotels, anchored in the heart of Union Square and backed by Hilton’s strong global brand, are uniquely positioned to benefit from San Francisco’s resurgence as a leading global destination.”
The sale of the Parc 55 and Hilton Union Square is very significant as these two hotels comprise 20% of the room supply in the city of San Francisco, according to Alan Reay of Atlas Hospitality Group, Newport Beach, California.
Reay told Hotel Investment Today that the huge drop in value from the $1.561 billion appraisal in 2016 can be attributed to a number of factors:
1. Huge increase in downtown office vacancy due to remote working.
2. Loss of major meetings and convention business in the city.
3. Negative publicity associated with spike in the number of homeless and crime in the downtown area.
"At a purchase price of only $138,634 per room it sold at a fraction of replacement cost and will be viewed long term as a great acquisition price as San Francisco is already showing positive revenue growth for hotels," Reay added.
City in recovery
While city leaders are excited about the deal closing, it comes after Park stopped making payments on a $725 million loan on the properties in 2023 due to weak revenues and soft demand.While the rebound is on, San Francisco is not all the way back. Room revenue was $242 million in October — down more than 10% from October 2019, according to CoStar data.
But it seems to be enough for investors this month with Blackstone announcing the acquisition of the Four Seasons hotel in the financial district and Sixth Street closing on The Clancy.
Blackstone is acquiring the 277-room for $130 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. It would be Blackstone’s first acquisition in the city in almost 10 years. The price for the property in the heart of the city’s financial district is reportedly $20-30 million less than what seller Westbrook Partners had listed it for more than a year ago.
Sixth Street, a global investment firm, acquired The Clancy, a 410-room lifestyle hotel in San Francisco, from Braemar Hotels & Resorts for $115 million. The fee-simple hotel will continue to be managed by Marriott International as an Autograph Collection hotel.
“This investment reflects our deep conviction in the San Francisco recovery story, which we believe is in its early innings,” said Marcos Alvarado, partner and head of US Real Estate at Sixth Street. “Improving leisure and convention travel is bolstered by strong tenant demand from expanding AI firms, which provides a constructive backdrop for future performance at The Clancy.”
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