Hyatt to expand Independent Collection brands; boosts lifestyle offering with Dream acquisition

6 December, 2022

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced the continued global growth of its Independent Collection brands, including recent openings and a strong development pipeline through 2025 across The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt and JdV by Hyatt brands.

It follows hot on the heels of its acquisition of Dream Hotel Group, which will expand Hyatt's unique lifestyle hotel offerings with a quickly growing brand portfolio focused on vibrant dining and nightlife experiences.

Diverse properties, each true to its destination

The Independent Collection of brands encompasses diverse properties, each true to its destination and offers the modern traveller "enriching luxury and lifestyle experiences in new and exciting ways," according to Hyatt.

"Each brand in the Independent Collection offers distinct properties that are all unique and feature one-of-a-kind experiences for every occasion with more than 100 properties worldwide across all three brands," notes Katie Johnson, global brand leader, Independent Collection, Hyatt.

These range from on-site beekeeping and aerial yoga at Rancho Pescadero, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand, to embracing local history in Kelso, United Kingdom at Schloss Roxburghe Golf Hotel, part of the Destination by Hyatt brand.

Creating one-of-a-kind stories through The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

Hyatt describes The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand as more than just a compilation of one-of-a-kind hotels, with each of the 35 properties "a thoughtful curation of stories worth collecting".

This year the portfolio has been expanded with new openings: Kissel Uptown Oakland (Oakland, California), Mar-2022; Hotel La Compañia (Panama City, Panama), Apr-2022; Magma Resort Santorini (Santorini, Greece), Aug-2022; La Zambra (Málaga, Spain), Sep-2022; Fuji Speedway Hotel (Shizuoka, Japan), Oct-2022; Grayson Hotel (New York, New York), Nov-2022; and Rancho Pescadero (Los Cabos, Mexico), Nov-2022.

Further growth in 2023 will see the opening of NUMU (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico), a 44-room unique boutique hotel arriving early in the year; and Grand Hansa Hotel (Helsinki, Finland), the first Hyatt branded hotel in Finland, offering 219 rooms and five suites in summer 2023.

Noor-Us-Sabah Palace (Bhopal, India), one of Bhopal's oldest and most sought-after hotels, will undergo extensive refurbishment and is slated to debut as a 60-room heritage hotel in 2025. Meanwhile, in development are (Crans-Montana, Switzerland), a 41-room boutique hotel due to debut in Dec-2023 and a second property in Tokyo, Japan in 2023.

Delivering authentic experiences through Destination by Hyatt

The Destination by Hyatt brand is a diverse collection of 55+ independent hotels, resorts and residences that Hyatt describes as "individual at heart" yet connected by "a commitment to embody the true spirit of each location".

This year, three new properties have opened: Austria Haus (Vail, Colorado) in Jun-2022; 7Pines Sardinia Resort (Sardinia, Italy) in Jul-2022; and Schloss Roxburghe (Kelso, United Kingdom) in Nov-2022

Planned 2023 and beyond openings confirmed include the Banyan Cay Resort and Golf (West Palm Beach, Florida), expected to open in Summer 2023, and The Grand Resort Qingchengshan (China), a 231-room resort will be situated in the vicinity of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Connecting to the neighbourhood through JdV by Hyatt

The JdV by Hyatt brand offers a collection of more than 20 vibrant, independent hotels that Hyatt describes as "true reflections of the urban neighbourhoods they call home". Embracing the brand's namesake (joie de vivre), JdV by Hyatt hotels invite guests and locals alike to connect, live in the moment and celebrate the joy of life.

Following the recent opening of EPISODE Hsinchu (Hsinchu City, Taiwan) in Nov-2022, the brand will see global growth in 2023 and beyond.

New arrivals include: The Pell (Middletown, Rhode Island), located minutes from Newport and slated to open early 2023; FirstName Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France): a 147-guestroom property due to open early 2023; FILA HOUSE Shanghai (China), the inaugural FILA-branded hotel in the world, due in 2024; and Ronil (Baga, India), a 125-guestroom hotel.

Linder collaboration delivers growth in Germany and other European countries

Hyatt has also recently announced an exclusive collaboration agreement with Lindner Hotels relating to the Lindner Hotels & Resorts and the me and all hotels brands located in key cities across Germany and other European countries.

This collaboration is expected to add more than 30 hotels and add approximately 5,500 rooms to Hyatt's portfolio. The majority of these hotels will be included within the JdV by Hyatt portfolio, and the hotels are expected to join World of Hyatt in the near future.

Lifestyle offering boosted with Dream acquisition

Hyatt also recently confirmed an affiliate will acquire Dream Hotel Group's lifestyle hotel brand and management platform including the Dream Hotels, The Chatwal Hotels and Unscripted Hotels brands, with properties in some of the world's most prominent hotel markets across the Americas, Europe and Asia.  

This asset-light acquisition will include a portfolio of 12 managed or franchised lifestyle hotels, with another 24 signed long-term management agreements for hotels expected to open in the future.

Upon closing, this expansion will add over 1,700 rooms to Hyatt's lifestyle portfolio and increase Hyatt's room count in New York City by more than 30%.

This acquisition continues Hyatt's asset-light growth strategy following its transactions to acquire Two Roads Hospitality in 2018 and Apple Leisure Group in 2021 - and the aforementioned collaboration agreement with German Lindner Hotels AG, to further grow Hyatt's brand footprint in Europe.

Dream properties are known for their vibrant dining and nightlife experiences including hotspot restaurants, lavish entertainment venues and exclusive night clubs built on strategic collaborations with innovative and award-winning industry leaders.

The acquisition will extend Hyatt's brand footprint in key markets, including Nashville, Hollywood, South Beach, Durham, several locations in New York City and one in the Catskills. Signed contracts represent additional strategic destinations including Las Vegas, Saint Lucia and Doha.