Covid19 live blog roundup: Hotels plan for next year as 2020 draws to a close

We summarise updates shared on the TOPHOTELNEWS Covid19 live blog to draw a picture of how the international hotel industry is negotiating the ongoing crisis.

The international hospitality industry has been sent into a tailspin with the sudden onslaught of the coronavirus crisis. From lockdowns to travel bans and border closures, hotels are having to navigate more uncertain waters than ever before.

Our team has been tracking in real-time how the industry is reacting to the continuing crisis, and here we recap some of the recent activity around the world, focusing on positive developments in particular.

Forthcoming hospitality schemes to watch out for

As this whirlwind of a year starts to wind down, plenty of hotel projects across the world are still being unveiled, or making significant progress.

To give just a few examples, BWH Hotel Group has announced its vision for Aiden by Best Western Darling Harbour in Sydney, while the high-profile Rosewood Hotel Ningbo scheme in China is continuing to move forward. Meanwhile, work is underway on building the first Atwell Suites hotel in Miami.

A plethora of hotel projects are postponed

While many new projects are advancing despite the pandemic, there are also lots that have been put on hold.

The opening of Vienna House Deira Beach has been delayed until mid-2022, for instance, while Accor’s Mecure Terhab Towers, Dubai has been pushed back until January 2022. Elsewhere, Okura Spa & Resort Cappadocia in Turkey has been postponed until 2022, and the refurbishment of Anantara/The Marker Hotel Dublin has been halted indefinitely due to Covid19.

Best of the rest

As always, hotel groups are having to think outside the box in these trying times. In that spirit, NH Hotel Group has launched a mobile guest experience to help guests personalise their stays in a safe and easy way.

We should also celebrate the fact that Vastint Hospitality has secured full planning permission for its new Courtyard by Marriott hotel in the picturesque English city of Chester. Unfortunately, things aren’t looking so straightforward for Hard Rock Hotels, whose project to build a large-scale complex of hotels and casinos in Catalonia has run into difficulties following a ruling by a High Court judge.