Brands tout European growth

Brands tout European growth

Marriott is introducing its Series brand while Hilton, IHG and Accor are all rapidly expanding on the continent.

https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Development/Brands/Brands-tout-European-growth?

By Rob Schneider

INTERNATIONAL REPORT — Marriott International, Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor are touting their growth in Europe, with Marriott introducing its Series by Marriott brand on the continent and the other major brands expanding through conversions and collection brands.

Marriott said it plans to introduce its Series by Marriott in Europe following the signings of 11 projects across Italy and the U.K. in collaboration with Rome-based Amapa Group and Watford, England-based Splendid Hospitality Group.

Hilton said it plans to double its lifestyle portfolio in EMEA, with more than 200 trading and pipeline properties. As part of this growth, the company has announced multiple new signings across its lifestyle and Collection brand portfolio, including the debut of Motto by Hilton in France and Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Germany.

IHG Hotels & Resorts is also expanding its European footprint, with 27% growth over the last three years, while Accor touted growth across its collection of brands.

Series growth for Marriott

The six properties set to join the Series by Marriott brand portfolio in Italy with Amapa are located in Montesilvano, Peschici, Pomezia, Rimini, Valmontone and Venice, and the five in the U.K. through Splended are in Earls Court, Euston, Kings Cross in London and other regional locations.

Marriott launched its Series by Marriott brand last May. The collection brand spans the midscale to upscale segments.

Amapa Group plans to convert five existing properties and rebrand them under a new brand that will join the Series by Marriott portfolio. In addition, the deal also includes the development of a new-build hotel in Valmontone.

Amapa’s portfolio currently has 21 hotels in operation across Italy. The agreement strengthens the collaboration between the companies, following the successful openings of Courtyard by Marriott Milan Linate and Residence Inn by Marriott Milan Linate.

Splendid Hospitality Group is one of the U.K.’s fastest-growing privately owned hospitality groups, with a portfolio of 24 hotels and over 2,500 rooms across luxury, midscale, and select-service brands. Splendid and Marriott first collaborated in 2023 to introduce the Four Points Flex by Sheraton brand in the UK. In addition to the five hotels in the agreement, both companies are under discussion for additional projects under the Series by Marriott brand.

Hilton's EMEA lifestyle portfolio

Hilton has now surpassed 100 trading lifestyle hotels across EMEA, more than doubling over the past three years, driven by both new-build and conversion opportunities across urban, resort, and culturally significant destinations. Building on this momentum, Hilton plans to more than double its lifestyle presence across EMEA with more than 100 additional hotels under development.

As part of this continued growth, Hilton is announcing seven new lifestyle signings across Europe. The new signings include the 153-key Motto by Hilton Paris La Villette, which will mark the debut of the Motto by Hilton brand in France and is being developed by Groupe Galia; the 97-key Hotel Ventura Saint-Tropez, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, which is being developed and will be operated by Sohoma; the 103-key Quiete Taormina Naxos, Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Italy, which is scheduled to open in summer 2026; the 183-key Cologne City Centre, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, which will mark the brand debut of Tapestry Collection in Germany when it opens in 2027; the 103-key Cork City Centre, Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Ireland, which is expected to open in 2027; the 89-key Hotel Paris Vaugirard, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, which will be operated by Sohoma and is scheduled to open in 2027; and the 120-key New Continental Plymouth, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, in the U.K., which is scheduled to open in spring 2027.

Both Collection brands have delivered strong growth across EMEA for Hilton in recent years. The Curio Collection has more than doubled its presence over the past five years, while the Tapestry Collection by Hilton has also expanded rapidly, with its EMEA portfolio more than doubling over the past three years.

IHG up 27% in Europe

IHG Hotels & Resorts also said it is rapidly expanding its footprint in Europe, adding over 32,800 rooms to its portfolio in the past three years — a 27% increase.

Last year, IHG opened a record 102 hotels, signed 117 properties in Europe, and acquired Ruby, a European-based premium urban lifestyle brand. The company’s European portfolio now comprises more than 1,230 open and pipeline hotels across 40-plus countries.

Germany is central to that growth story – both as a strong domestic market and one of Europe’s most important outbound markets. One of IHG’s fastest‑growing countries in the region, it represents more than 20% of open rooms (32,700) and nearly 20% of its pipeline (8,340 rooms).

Accor's collection brand growth

Accor touted the growth of its collection brands, which now have over 180 hotels worldwide across Emblems Collection, MGallery Collection, and Handwritten Collection, as well as Morgans Originals and Paris Society Hotel Collection, which are both part of Ennismore. The company said a further 125-plus hotels are currently in the pipeline across the group's collection brands, representing more than 65% growth over the coming years.

One of Accor's newest entries in its collection brands portfolio is the luxury soft brand Emblems Collection, which now has 13 properties in the pipeline and aims to reach 60 properties globally by 2032. The opening of Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Emblems Collection in the U.K. in November 2025 was the brand's first location.

MGallery Collection continues to strengthen its global leadership with 125-plus hotels currently operating and 50-plus in the pipeline. The brand has grown by nearly 30% since 2022, supported by a balanced mix of conversions and new developments. In Europe, France remains the brand's leading market, with recent openings such as L'Isle de Leos Hotel & Spa – MGallery Collection in Provence and Le Talaia Hotel & Spa – MGallery Collection in Biarritz. The brand also recently opened in Greece and marked its first opening in Albania.

Ennismore continues to expand its curated collections through its two collection lifestyle brands, Morgans Originals and Paris Society Hotel Collection. Marking Ennismore's debut in Greece and India, two hotels opening under the Morgans Originals umbrella this year include LUURA Paros and Roswyn Mumbai. Launched in 2023, Handwritten Collection has grown rapidly and has already surpassed 40 hotels open, with an additional 45-plus hotels in the pipeline. Accor said recent openings across France, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Romania in 2025 illustrate the speed and adaptability of the model.

'Nothing is easy': Investors return to fundamentals to get hotel deals done

Relationships with lenders, conviction in dealmaking key for transactions

Brookfield Asset Management's Ruby Huang (left) and Noble Investment Group's Ben Brunt speak during the "Transactions reimagined" session at the 2026 Hunter Conference. (Trevor Simpson)

https://www.costar.com/article/1725646422/nothing-is-easy-investors-return-to-fundamentals-to-get-hotel-deals-done

By Trevor Simpson

ATLANTA — The U.S. hotel transactions landscape is seemingly starting to open up, but in order to take advantage of the opportunities, certain fundamentals are required.

Relationships throughout the process, raising enough capital and having conviction in dealmaking are some of those fundamentals, panelists said at the "Transactions reimagined" session at the 2026 Hunter Conference.

Ben Brunt, managing principal and chief investment officer at Noble Investment Group, said Noble has been "super active" with hotel transactions over the past two years while many other private equity firms have waited on the sidelines for the market to clear up a bit.

But just because the Atlanta-based company has been active doesn't mean it's been a walk in the park to get these deals done.

"Nothing is easy. Everything takes a bit longer today than I would say in times past," he said.

What does give Noble an edge over some competitors in the space is its commitment to the hospitality segment while others jump ship to different sectors, Brunt said. Noble has found opportunities in the market by staying focused on its segments and knowing which markets it wants to invest in.

"We've never been out of the market. Because we're not an allocator, we didn't shift gears and say, 'OK, well, hotels are not interesting right now. Let's go do data centers,'" he said. "We're always in the market."

Ruby Huang, senior vice president of portfolio management at Brookfield Asset Management, said Brookfield has also been active over the past two years. In that time frame, Brookfield has generated more than $660 million in gross proceeds from selling single assets from the Hospitality Investors Trust select-service hotel portfolio it restructured back in 2021.

There are a lot of quality hotels in the market, she said.

"When you pair up buyers and sellers in certain markets, I think that there are some great opportunities, especially the capital markets right now," Huang said. "There's going to be great opportunities to be able to align all of those stars to be able to put together a perfect transaction."

There are opportunities for a win-win deal for both buyers and sellers in the current environment, she said. Brookfield is motivated to sell assets to recycle capital and move on from hotels it has held for long enough, but the company is also working with advisers who bring in deals that can offer incremental efficiencies.

"We are winning on both sides," Huang said.

Amit Patel, co-founder, principal and CEO of Spark GHC, said building relationships for each step in the buying process has helped bring hotel deals in. This means having connections with third-party management companies, brokerage companies and institutional groups.

"We're able to find really good deals, high-quality assets that require soft goods PIPs, good in-place debt yields ... and transact pretty quick," he said.

While there has been a pickup in hotel transaction activity, some lenders who don't always deal in the space are showing signs of hesitancy due to broader economic trends such as the war in Iran and the price of oil spiking, said Jared Schlosser, head of credit originations and C-PACE at Peachtree Group.

"It's hard to lend on anything with uncertainty; it's extremely hard to lend on hotels," he said.

Firms that have a focus in other real estate segments may consider against deploying capital in hospitality for this reason. But all of the exterior headlines to the hotel industry "is just noise," Schlosser said.

"When you're in the hotel business and you're a good operator and you have a sound business plan, you're going to be successful regardless of what's going on economically, particularly over a three- to five-year horizon," he said.

What gets a deal done

To close the session, each panelist was asked what they felt was most important to getting a hotel deal done this year.

First and foremost, it takes conviction, Brunt said. Lending partners want to see a quarterly distribution and know that there are systems in place that will drive results.

"You need to know the market, have the relationships from a debt and equity standpoint, articulate it, sell it however you approve deals through your investment committee process. And then have the courage to follow through with your business plan, relative to creating the opportunity through operating leverage," he said.

Getting a deal across the finish line is difficult for a handful of reasons. It takes some extra elbow grease and determination to work it all out, Schlosser said.

"In 2026, raising money is hard. The market is hard. Underwriting P&Ls is hard. Business plans, increasing cash flow, all of it is difficult, and you either have enough grit to persevere and get deals done or you don't," he said. "The real estate business is supposed to be hard, and I think it's just gotten back to being hard again."

It may sound simple, but it comes down to working with the best partner at each stage of the transaction, Huang said.

"Start with working with the best adviser to pair up the buyer and seller, buying the best vendor to secure your debt, the best project managers execute your PIPs and obviously the best operator to execute your business plan," she said.

In a similar vein, Patel said relationships are key.

"It comes down to the relationships that you have across the process, whether it's from your lenders, your investors, franchisee folks — [whatever] it takes to get the deal done, you do what you're going to say you're going to do,, and you do it," he said.

6 communication principles every hotel leader needs during a crisis

https://hotelsmag.com/news/6-communication-principles-every-hotel-leader-needs-during-a-crisis/

Story contributed by Trish Nugent, SVP – head of PR & PA, Mower.

When disruption hits the hotel industry, it rarely unfolds quietly.

Guests are already checked in, front desk teams are fielding questions, group planners want answers, ownership is looking for guidance. And the media may be calling before leadership has a full picture of what’s happening.

In those moments, hotel teams are not judged only by how they operate—they are judged by how they communicate. The speed, clarity and tone of leadership’s response can shape guest trust, employee confidence and media perception within hours. That’s why communications readiness is becoming one of hospitality’s most important leadership capabilities.

The hotel teams that navigate disruption most effectively are rarely improvising—they have already thought through how they will communicate when a situation escalates. The following six principles can help hospitality leaders strengthen communications readiness before the next crisis unfolds.

1. Acknowledge reality early

People can handle bad news when it is delivered clearly. What erodes trust is uncertainty.

When disruption occurs, silence can quickly create confusion inside an organization. Employees begin speculating. Guests start asking questions. External narratives may begin forming before leadership has spoken.

Even a brief internal acknowledgement can stabilize the situation. A simple message confirming leadership awareness—and reinforcing that safety and accurate information are the priority—can give teams the confidence to respond calmly and consistently.

Early communication does not need to resolve every question. Its purpose is to establish awareness and reinforce that the organization is approaching the situation thoughtfully.

2. Prioritize People over Optics

Hospitality is fundamentally about human connection. During disruption, that reality becomes especially visible at the property level, where employees may be supporting concerned guests while navigating uncertainty themselves.

In these moments, leaders should resist the instinct to prioritize messaging over people. The well-being of employees, guests and partners must come first.

Encouraging teams to rely on trusted information sources is especially important, particularly as misinformation can spread quickly during breaking events. Leaders should also remind employees of available support resources and reinforce expectations around safety and personal judgment.

A people-first approach does more than demonstrate empathy. It signals that the organization values responsibility over optics—a critical factor in maintaining trust with both guests and employees.

3. Clarify Who Speaks for the Brand

Disruption often triggers strong public conversation, particularly across social media and online review platforms. Employees—from corporate teams to on-property staff—may feel compelled to respond to questions or share their perspectives within their networks.

Organizations should reaffirm that individual expression is respected while also reminding teams of existing workplace conduct and social media guidelines. Clear expectations help prevent confusion about who is authorized to speak on behalf of the brand. This is especially important for hotel companies operating across multiple properties and markets. In high-visibility situations, a single unclear or unofficial statement can quickly escalate into a broader reputational problem.

Consistency matters. Guests, employees and the media should hear the same message, regardless of where they encounter the brand.

4. Align Operations and Messaging

Disruptions ripple quickly through hotel operations. Travel advisories, transportation interruptions, staffing challenges, event cancellations and sudden shifts in guest demand can all require operational adjustments. In these moments, communications teams must work closely with operations leaders to ensure messaging reflects what is actually happening on the ground.

For brands with franchised or managed properties, coordination between corporate leadership and property-level management becomes especially important. Clear guidance helps ensure guests receive consistent information, whether they are speaking with a general manager, a reservations agent or a corporate spokesperson.

When operational changes occur, timely communication helps maintain confidence among employees, owners, partners and guests.

5. Know When to Pause the Marketing Machine

Modern hotel brands operate complex marketing ecosystems—scheduled campaigns, social media content, partnerships and promotional messaging often planned weeks or months in advance.

When disruption occurs, leaders should review what communications are already in motion. In some cases, continuing business-as-usual messaging is appropriate. In others, a temporary pause may be the more thoughtful choice, particularly if an event has direct relevance to travelers or communities where properties operate.

Situational awareness matters. Marketing messages that appear tone-deaf during a broader event can quickly damage brand trust—even when the intent was simply to maintain routine communications. A quick review of scheduled messaging can prevent unnecessary reputational risk.

6. Stay Situationally Aware

Disruptions rarely remain static. News coverage evolves, social media conversation shifts, and new information often emerges quickly.

Hotel leaders should monitor the broader landscape closely—news coverage, guest sentiment, employee feedback, and industry updates can all provide important signals about how a situation is developing.

In many cases, outside guidance can also be valuable. Industry associations, peer organizations, and experienced communications advisors can help leadership teams interpret rapidly changing situations and respond thoughtfully. Having trusted advisors already identified before a crisis emerges can make a meaningful difference in response time and message effectiveness.

Preparedness builds resilience

Disruption is part of the hospitality business. Weather events, labor actions, infrastructure failures and reputational issues will continue to test hotel brands. What distinguishes the organizations that navigate these moments well is rarely luck. It is preparation.

Communications readiness does not require a complex playbook, but it does require leadership attention—well before a crisis appears. Because when uncertainty arrives, guests, employees, owners, and communities are all looking for the same thing: steady leadership. And leadership is communicated as much through words as through actions.

In an industry built on service and reputation, communications readiness has become an essential part of protecting both.

From bookings to big wins: Event tech upside venues can’t ignore

Align with an events expert to elevate event technology from an essential service to a comprehensive business strategy.

https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/From-Our-Partners/From-bookings-to-big-wins-Event-tech-upside-venues-cant-ignore?

By Darius Vaskelis

SCHILLER PARK, Illinois ─ Interested in attracting and nurturing more event business this year? According to Encore Planner Pulse reports, meeting and event planners make purchasing decisions based on your venue’s available event technology. Ensuring that the venue has the capabilities to meet or exceed group travelers' increasingly sophisticated expectations is pivotal to the booking decision. In fact, the most recent survey showed that 46% of meeting planners feel that creating unique experiences/wow factors is a top priority in 2026. Unsurprisingly, so is managing budget constraints.

Finding a well-equipped event solutions partner with both technical expertise and strong customer-service skills can help you succeed in both areas.

Encore's team combed through the company's Planner Pulse reports, post-meeting Event Pulse surveys and insights from the more than 400,000 events they produced in the past year to identify winning strategies for finding the right partnership fit. The data also revealed inventive ways to surprise, delight and generate more profit from event customers.

Increase event spend with engaging, inclusive event technology

Maximizing audience engagement was a top priority for planners last year and, according to the Fall 2025 Encore Planner Pulse, it will remain top of mind this year. Without a doubt, AI is the hottest technology, but few planners understand how to use it optimally for events.

This is where your venue can take the lead by leveraging AI to increase event accessibility, inclusion and real-time engagement.

Give your venue a competitive advantage by treating AI-powered transcription, translation and summary services as the new elevated standard for meetings. Now, people of all ages commonly use captions to better engage with content on their mobile devices and home screens, making it an expected feature in the viewing experience.

According to Preply research, 74% of U.S. respondents say text on-screen helps them comprehend what’s happening, and 68% say it helps hold their attention. That’s why live captioning on large-format displays in events benefits everyone, not just people with hearing impairments.

Additional upside:

• AI transcripts and session summaries produce content far more accurate and comprehensive than any one person can capture on their own, especially with accented or rapid-fire speech.

• Because AI session transcriptions and summaries eliminate the need for notetaking, participants can stay present and engage fully.

• Transcripts and summaries shared post-event provide additional customer value. Their distribution helps combat the forgetting curve that usually sets in post-event, generating goodwill among attendees and FOMO among their colleagues.

• Real-time AI language translation opens sessions to multilingual audiences, breaking down language barriers and authentically enabling foreign presenters to engage with domestic attendees.

AI transcription, translation and summary services provide you with a goldmine of content. It can be repurposed into blog, social media and marketing content to generate additional sponsored revenue, reward attendees and grow attendance for future events, all reinforcing the value of choosing your venue.

“I’m a note-taker by habit, but let’s be honest: finding that note years later is impossible,” said Encore Customer Relationship Director Gus Capone. “With AI session summaries people can pull up summaries and key takeaways instantly, and the content lives far beyond the session.”

Providing AI session summaries also enhances the guest experience, Capone said. “Attendees told us they loved being able to double-check what they heard or catch up on what they missed without chasing down a speaker. That’s real empowerment.”

Other engagement tools include interactive event tech like Polling+ Q&A, which gives everyone a voice by empowering participants to ask questions, vote on important topics, and contribute to the conversation, whether they’re in-room or joining remotely.

Increase venue revenue with multipurpose event technology

Striking digital displays, LED digital banners, and billboards give your venue eye-catching ways to attract event business. Planners can use them to display event branding, amplify sponsor involvement, and provide directional signage. When not in use for events, these permanently installed LED walls and banners can generate incremental revenue by promoting guest services, venue offers, or sponsored messages.

Simplify the process by having a partner who collaborates with you and your customers to co-create dynamic, memorable experiences.

“Our focus is on delivering content that moves with the audience,” explained Encore Video Production Senior Product Manager Kyle Cartland. One of the ways to do this is to coordinate content display across multiple platforms with a centralized content management system, like Content Everywhere.

“Whether on LED walls, mobile apps, or virtual platforms, Content Everywhere ensures planners can reach participants anytime, anywhere, creating continuity and deepening engagement across the event journey,” he added.

Build brand loyalty with exceptional experiences

Top priorities for planners this year will include finding suitable venues, creating unique experiences and increasing attendance levels, per the Fall 2025 Encore Planner Pulse.

Technologies that can help your venue deliver on these needs include:

• A vibrant Welcome Wall that dynamically greets participants individually upon check-in, makes everyone feel like a VIP and creates a memorable sense of arrival and group belonging.

• Scalable, immersive scenic and lighting solutions, like modular LED walls, Backdrop Pro modular sets and tube lights, that put “wow” moments in reach of all event professionals.

• Directional sound that “moves” from one side of the room to the other to amplify the multisensory and immersive impact of event storytelling

• Pinpointed audio “zones” to create intimate, engaging experiences tied to specific areas of your venue.

• Dynamic event platforms like Chime Live, to connect in-person and hybrid audiences to each other and engage with essential event information.

• Column speakers to replace multiple audio components with a single, streamlined high-quality portable audio unit.

Increase event spend with innovative, educational sales tools

Helping planners understand the available options can increase their overall event spending. One team member used the interactive Encore Event Solutions Explorer to educate and empower event customers to make informed purchasing decisions. The visualization tool helped the planner realize that their initial order wouldn’t be enough to bring their vision to life. After seeing what was possible, the planner increased their event order from a $15,000 services-only inquiry to a $70,000 full-service order with scenic design.

Offering personalized solutions and excellent customer service cements customer loyalty. Planners see event technicians as an extension of your venue. They expect them to deliver hospitality-minded service and customization consistent with your brand promise. It’s crucial to understand the investment your technology partner is making in both training and inventory to ensure alignment.

Maximize venue performance with the right technology partner

The following questions will help you evaluate potential in-house partners:

• How much do you invest in refreshing existing inventory and new technology?

• Do you have access to regional warehouses or is your entire inventory confined to what’s in-house?

• What safety training and certifications do your technicians complete?

• What kind of hospitality training do your technicians undergo?

• How can I be sure your team will reflect our venue’s brand values?

This checklist provides key points for comparison as you investigate potential matches. It helps you see crucial differentiators such as the fact that Encore invested $75 million in new event technology in 2025 to amplify their existing $500-million-plus inventory. The company serves as the in-house partner with 2,100 venues globally. Their local teams can pull from a network of 68 regional warehouses worldwide (26 in the U.S.).

This global leader in events technology also invests more than $100 million annually in service excellence and safety training for their team members, which is one of the reasons Encore is annually recognized as a Great Place to Work® and as the Official Event Solutions Company by Forbes Travel Guide.

Tech can give your venue an edge, but it’s really the power of your in-house partnership that drives your competitive advantage.

“The right partner knows what’s reliable, what brings the wow, and how to shine a light on what makes your venue unique,” said Jill Hunt, Vice President of Customer Experience. “For example, we constantly gather feedback on event success and areas to improve. These insights inform our technology portfolio and help us set the standard for event technology solutions. The right partner, aligned with your brand standard for excellence, can increase venue revenue and event spend.”

“True innovation is more than new features or tools,” explained Encore VP of Marketing Taqi Mohiuddin. “It’s about anticipating what planners and participants will need next. At Encore, technology is a bridge to creating more inclusive, inspiring, and transformative events.”

DUHC&S | Strategic Hospitality Consulting & Advisory

We transform hospitality and tourism businesses through strategic solutions, operational efficiency, and comprehensive renovation. With over  40 years of experience  working with brands like Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Sonesta, we enhance asset value and profitability through:

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