Hyatt Hotels Corp. is hardly a newcomer to the worlds of luxury and lifestyle. But the hospitality giant is preparing to dramatically expand its presence across both sectors over the next few years, unveiling plans to open more than 50 luxury and lifestyle hotels by 2026.
The company currently has 256 properties in those categories.
“What we’re seeing from a global perspective is that luxury travel remains robust,” Tristan Dowell, Hyatt’s global vice president for luxury, lifestyle and leisure, said at the ILTM Cannes conference earlier this month. “We’ve been doing a lot of deep-dive studies on the luxury arena, and with brands like Park Hyatt, Alila and Miraval, we’ll be making an even more concerted effort to bring them to life through a luxury lens and grow those brands.”
Dowell added that Hyatt’s momentum in the lifestyle sector accelerated following its acquisition earlier this year of Standard International, the boutique hospitality group best known for the Standard hotel brand.
“With the Standard acquisition, we’re bringing in some very experienced colleagues that are going to help us be the leader in lifestyle,” he said, citing Hyatt’s appointment of Standard International’s former executive chairman, Amar Lalvani, as head of a newly announced lifestyle division that will be headquartered in New York.
The lifestyle division will oversee brands like Andaz, Thompson Hotels, JDV by Hyatt, the Standard International portfolio and Breathless Resorts & Spas.
Concurrently, Hyatt is in the process of launching a separate luxury division that will comprise brands including Park Hyatt, Alila, Miraval, Impression by Secrets and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt.
Javier Aguila, Hyatt’s group president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, told the media at ILTM Cannes that Hyatt’s ramped-up focus on luxury and lifestyle marks a return to form for the company.
“Luxury and lifestyle has always been very core to Hyatt’s DNA,” Aguila said. “I travel frequently, and I’ve encountered so many people that have shared stories with me from 40 years ago, when Hyatt was a pioneer in establishing the luxury industry in hospitality in their country. We want to regain that leadership, not only in some segments but globally.”
Among Hyatt’s most notable upscale openings slated for 2025 is Miraval the Red Sea, which will mark the brand’s international debut when it opens in Saudi Arabia late next year. Other luxury and lifestyle properties slated to open in 2025 include the Thompson Miami Beach and Thompson Shanghai; Breathless Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa in Mexico; and Andaz Doha, Andaz Miami Beach and Andaz Lisbon.
Big plans for Park Hyatt
On the luxury front, it’s the 44-year-old Park Hyatt flag that will see some of the portfolio’s most substantial growth.
Hyatt plans to add seven Park Hyatt properties to the brand’s existing 40-plus hotel stable over the next two years.
Openings slated for 2025 include the Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo del Sol in Mexico, Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Park Hyatt Johannesburg in South Africa, Park Hyatt Phu Quoc in Vietnam and Park Hyatt Taipei in Taiwan.
Additionally, the brand’s iconic Park Hyatt Tokyo, which closed this past May for a multimillion-dollar revamp, is expected to reopen by October 2025.
“We’ve never seen this number of new openings from the Park Hyatt brand within [the span of] a couple of years,” said Dowell.
Adam Zilber, general manager for the soon-to-open Park Hyatt Los Cabos, called 2025 a “focus year” for the Park Hyatt flag.
“The brand is looking to re-establish itself,” said Zilber. “It was a pioneer from a luxury standpoint.”