IHG Hotels & Resorts and Australian developer ALAND have signed a Master Development Agreement covering at least 15 hotels and 2,000 rooms to bring the extended-stay brand Staybridge Suites to Australia. The first two properties, in Parramatta and Leppington in Greater Western Sydney, are already signed. The deal builds on an existing partnership centred on voco Gosford and positions IHG in an extended-stay segment it sees as offering strong growth potential in the Australian market.

Vaillance Immobilier has announced the construction of a 100-room, 4-star Mercure hotel in the Gerland district of Lyon, on the site of a fully demolished Ibis Budget property. The opening is scheduled for the first half of 2028, as part of a new mixed-use development combining the hotel with nearly 3,500 sqm of office space. Led by developer Ax'stone, the project reflects the upmarket shift under way in a Lyon district undergoing major urban transformation.

Today's hospitality news, 9 September 2026: between a spectacular break-in, new openings and a technological shift, here's what mattered in the sector today.🔎 Today's trend: hospitality is afraid of nothing. Between a Parisian palace hotel hit by a dramatic burglary, a new alpine retreat from Maisons Pariente in Courchevel and plans for a hotel on the Moon, the sector is swinging between crime stories and bold ambition — not forgetting openings in Spain and the UK, and the crowds at the Cannes Yachting Festival.

MMV, the second-largest hotel operator in the French Alps and a subsidiary of Compagnie des Alpes, has announced the appointment of Serge Foulon as Chief Executive Officer. With more than 25 years of international hotel leadership experience, he succeeds Fabienne Carrasco and joins the group's Distribution & Hospitality Division to accelerate the brand's upmarket positioning and digitalisation in the mountains.

Belgian billionaire Marc Coucke, through his OKU hotel group, announced in early September 2026 the acquisition of Kololo Game Lodge, a 1,500-hectare UNESCO-listed safari estate in South Africa's Waterberg region. The deal comes just three weeks after Alychlo, his investment vehicle, took a majority stake in Belgian restaurant chain Amadeus, illustrating the sustained pace of the Flemish billionaire's moves outside his core pharmaceutical business.

Italian developer Foruminvest Italia has announced the construction of a 279-room hotel in Segrate, on the doorstep of Milan Linate "Enrico Forlanini" Airport, which will open under Accor's TRIBE brand. The property will be operated by Amapa, the Italian white-label operator already running the country's first TRIBE in Malpensa. Construction began in the third quarter of 2026, with delivery targeted for the first quarter of 2028.

Hilton has announced the signing of the London Bridge Hotel, which will join the lifestyle brand Tapestry Collection by Hilton under a franchise agreement with Gama Holdings. The 153-room property, located immediately adjacent to London Bridge station, is set to open in early 2028 following a transformation representing an investment of more than €14 million. The signing marks Tapestry Collection by Hilton's debut in the British capital and brings the number of Hilton brands present in London to nine.

IHG Hotels & Resorts and Vietnamese developer Alphanam Group announced on 8 September 2026 the launch of The Residences at InterContinental Sapa Resort, the first residential project under the InterContinental flag in Northwest Vietnam. Located in the Muong Hoa valley, Lao Cai province, the 79-villa development strengthens the British group's presence in the branded residences segment, one of the most active growth drivers in Southeast Asian hospitality.

Sophos Hotels has announced the arrival of Clara Muller as Senior Director of Development, based in Lausanne, effective 1 September 2026. The executive will lead the group's development department, supported by Louis Finders, promoted at the same time to Director of Development & Feasibility. The dual move restructures Sophos Hotels' development team at a pivotal moment in its growth.

Elizabeth Herzberg joined PM Hotel Group in May 2026 as Senior Vice President, Development. She arrives after more than seven years at Mint House, the hotel brand she helped guide through its acquisition by Kasa in early 2026. The appointment strengthens the development team at the US hotel management group.

David Resnick joins Driftwood Capital, the Miami-based hospitality investment platform, as Partner and Co-Chief Investment Officer, effective August 2026. He arrives after more than two years leading investments at 13th Floor Investments. The appointment strengthens the leadership team of a firm on the rise in the US hospitality investment market.

Bastian Germer is taking over as General Manager of Park Hyatt Sydney, the iconic harbourside hotel, from August 2026. The German hospitality executive leaves New York, where he had led The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad since 2021, to relocate to Australia. The appointment caps a career spanning more than three decades with some of the world's leading luxury hotel brands.