It has been announced that the Hilton group will continue to expand its brands across France, with the not-so-distant aim of doubling its presence in the country. The hotel group currently has 23 hotels in the country, A further 24 are due to be added shortlyThese are spread across seven brands, ranging from mid-range to lifestyle to collection hotels.
After an already busy 2022, Hilton is forecasting a new record for this year with seven openings planned, the largest increase in its portfolio in France in a single year. " France is a key market for HiltonWe are focusing our development on regional French cities and the Côte d'Azur, and on our ongoing expansion in Paris." said Simon Vincent, Hilton's President for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
From the end of March, its brand Hilton Garden Inn to land at Marseille Provence airport with a 178-room hotel, the largest hotel in the airport area. This development was spurred by the takeover of the M.I.A hotel - an acronym for "Marseille International Airport" - a four-star hotel that is currently being spruced up, with flexible meeting rooms for up to 250 people and a restaurant-bar with an extended terrace.
Other openings on Hilton's flight plan for 2023 include new hotels in the regions with the Canopy by Hilton Cannes, expected this summer, a new member of the Tapestry Collection in Bordeaux, the Marty Hôtel, as well as a new hotel in the South of France.A top-of-the-range hotel in Dijon, in the heart of the Cité internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin the Sainte-Anne Hotel Dijon, Curio Collection by Hilton. In the Paris region, the American hotel chain is planning another major development this spring with the Hilton Garden Inn Paris La Villette, located close to the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie and the Zénith.
United Kingdom, Germany and Mexico: three target markets
For its part, another of the world's major groups, IHG, is going to strengthen its presence in its original cradle, the British Isles, where IHG already has almost 350 establishments. Nine establishments are already planned for the coming years. " The addition of these hotels is a vote of confidence from our owners and customers in the IHG brands in the UK, where our presence is already well established." said Matt Walton, Senior Director of UK & Ireland Development at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
The boutique brand Hotel Indigowhich has 18 hotels open in the region and six under construction, recently opened in the historic centre of Exeter and is planning a new address in London's west end, Hotel Indigo London - K West Shepherd's Bush, in 2026. Always sn this high-end, contemporary nicheThe voco brand, which has just opened its 100th establishment in Dubai since its launch in 2018, will be moving into the Surrey countryside this spring with the voco Lythe Hill Hotel.
In a less bucolic style, but more suited to business travellersOne of the jewels in the crown of the IHG group, the Holiday Inn family of brands, is set to further expand its already impressive network across the Channel. Following recent openings in Manchester, with the Holiday Inn Manchester Airport and Manchester Oldham, and in the heart of Sunderland, a Holiday Inn Express & Suites hotel is expected to open in Halifax. As part of its long-stay offer, the British group is also continuing to expand its Staybridge Suites brand. After Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Dundee, Newcastle and London, Staybridge Suites has recently opened a 101-key property in Brighton, close to the regional railway station and the beach.
Another key market for hoteliers in Europe, Germany has recently seen the presence of the Hyatt group greatly strengthened. Announced in October 2022, the partnership between the American hotelier and the German group Lindner Hotels came to fruition at the end of last year with access to reservations for these establishments on hyatt.com. This means uhirty hotels which will soon be added to the JDV by Hyatt brand. In total, Hyatt will have tripled the number of hotels in its portfolio in Europe over the last four years.
Another key merger has just been finalised, this time on the other side of the Atlantic. The Marriott group has just received approval from the Mexican authorities to acquire the Hoteles City Express group, a well-known brand in the country with over 150 hotels and a presence in 75 cities. The brand is due to be rolled out across Latin America, City Express by Marriott becoming the 31e the American group's brand.
