Following recent business acquisitions, Hyatt Hotels is now well positioned to strengthen its presence in the luxury and lifestyle segments of the hospitality industry across the world.
And at the ILTM event in late 2024 in Cannes, France, the group detailed plans to open more than 50 luxury and lifestyle hotels over the next two years. This will build on the progress the group makes in 2024, when it opened 28 lifestyle hotels. The move into this space aims to meet growing demand, particularly from new generations of younger travelers, who are looking for a different look and feel when choosing where to book their hotel stays.
Acquire lifestyle brands
In August 2024, Hyatt agreed to acquire International standarda group of hotel brands at the forefront of the lifestyle hotel space. With the acquisition came a group of hotels operating under brands including Standard, StandardX, Bunkhouse, Peri and The Manner. The acquisition means the group is now building a dedicated team to advance Hyatt’s lifestyle offerings, led by Amar Lalvani, former executive chairman of Standard International.
The Standard deal follows Hyatt’s June 2024 purchase of lifestyle brand Me and All in Europe. The acquisition builds on an existing strategic collaboration with German hotel group Lindner, cemented in 2022 and which has seen Lindner properties migrate to the Hyatt platform, significantly increasing the profile and presence of the Hyatt group in continental Europe.
Me and All, launched by Lindner in 2016 and with six hotels open and four more signed, will now become a separate lifestyle brand. Hyatt expects the brand to be particularly suited to hotel conversions, allowing for faster onboarding of newly signed properties.
“We don’t take it for granted that we are the brand of choice for high-end travelers,” said Crystal Vinisse Thomas, vice president and global leader of lifestyle and luxury brands at Hyatt. “This trust drives us to constantly explore new and innovative ways to deliver unique and unparalleled experiences that exceed guest expectations. »
The group is now reorganizing its hotels into two groups: the luxury portfolio and the lifestyle portfolio. Luxury brands will include Park Hyatt, Alila And Miravalwhile lifestyle hotels are those falling under the Andaz, Thompson and Standard International brands.
A busy opening schedule
The Park Hyatt brand will lead openings over the next two years, with openings in Los Cabos, Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg, Pho Quoc And Taipei expected in 2025. The following year will see launches in Cancun And Mexico.
Andaz will also see many other hotels appear. New locations include Doha, Miami Beach, Lisbon, Bangkok, Gold Coast and Turks & Caicos. The Thompson and Unbound Collection brands will each have three openings, including Thompson Miami Beach, Thompson Shanghai and Thompson Monterrey. Unrelated additions include the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, La Compañia del Valle Hotel and Keraton at the Plaza. New openings are also promised for the Miraval, Alila, Dream and Inclusive brands.