Hyatt has received a boost to its new Hyatt Studios brand, with US real estate investor Caliber Hospitality Development signing an agreement to develop 15 hotels across the United States.
The deal gives Caliber exclusive development rights for the brand across key US markets, within the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Louisiana. An initial project has already been identified in Georgetown, Texas with construction work expected to start before the end of 2025, while a second site in Scottsdale, Arizona will get under way in the first half of 2026.
A new entrant to the extended stay space
Hyatt launched Hyatt Studios in April 2023, as an upper-midscale segment offering designed for those seeking an extended stay, rather than typical hotel accommodation. Crafted to meet market needs in the Americas, the brand was set out around an economical new-build development model, with an efficient operating mode to reduce running costs.
Dependent on local market needs, Hyatt Studios can accommodate a mix of different unit types to meet the needs of both long stay guests, and shorter stay leisure and business guests. Rooms all feature a fitted kitchen, designed to support guests who wish to cook or warm meals. The brand aims to take the Hyatt name into new markets, in places which might not otherwise support a Hyatt branded full service hotel.
“Our new Hyatt Studios brand has been steadily growing since we announced it in 2023, and today we have more than 50 executed deals that will extend the Hyatt brand into more than twenty new markets,” said Jim Chu, chief growth officer at Hyatt. “This significant development agreement will advance Hyatt’s ongoing evolution, as we aim to make our brands even more profitable for owners and more desirable for travellers.”
Caliber, which has been operating as a hospitality developer since 2013, sees an opportunity in key US markets, with CEO Chris Loeffler noting that construction starts are currently faltering, “and hotel inventory across the United States is lower today than it was in January of 2020”.
An initial commitment to build 15 sites
The company’s aim is to develop 15 hotels over a three to five year period, with pace depending on market conditions – with a desire to expand the agreement, if demand is strong. Caliber’s efforts will build on a pipeline already established by Hyatt across other US markets, with other development partners also committing to multiple developments for the brand.
The first Hyatt Studios having opened in early 2025 in Mobile, Alabama. There, developer 3H Group was responsible for construction, and the company has already committed to further sites for Hyatt in Huntsville, Alabama and Jacksonville, Florida. The Mobile hotel is being operated by LBA Hospitality, an experienced manager that has a portfolio of more than 115 hotels across the southeastern USA.
