Wyndham and hotel group sbe have announced a new strategic alliance, with plans to launch a new lifestyle hotel brand currently carrying the provisional name 'Project HQ'.
The move will mark sbe's return to the hotel sector: the group sold its remaining stake in brands such as SLS, Delano, Mondrian and Hyde to Accor (which then placed them within its joint venture Ennismore division) in 2020.
The new brand will be affiliated with Wyndham's Registry Collection, which launched in 2021 within the luxury and “smart lifestyle” space.
Wyndham introduces new luxury brand Registry Collection Hotels
The two groups hope to open 50 hotels under the brand worldwide by 2030, about half of them in the U.S., and Wyndham said the properties would be the result of 80 percent conversion projects and 20 hotels from new construction.
Sbe said the targeted international locations included the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Doha, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Latin America and Asia.
A joint press release said that “Project HQ was conceived to be a more accessible experience for the consumer who has been excluded from the lifestyle hospitality market and does not feel they have a brand that meets their travel desires,” adding that the tentative name “is born from the concept that Project HQ Hotels will be at the heart of the cities in which they launch, serving as the 'headquarters' for exceptional dining, nightlife and wellness.”
The project headquarters will also include branded residential projects, with the properties leveraging sbe's existing food and beverage and lifestyle brands, including Casa Dani, MXO, Katsuya and sbe Wellness Clinics.
Commenting on the news, Sam Nazarian, founder and CEO of sbe, said:
“At sbe, we believe in the fundamental value of hotels as places where people create memories and experience wonder. When we created luxury lifestyle in 2005 with SLS, we forged a new category. Now, almost 20 years later, we look to reinvent the lifestyle again with Project HQ, the first smart lifestyle hotel brand.
“We will channel our entrepreneurial spirit and deep industry experience to create intuitive and innovative solutions for both hotel owners and guests. As a global leader for more than two decades, we feel uniquely equipped to solve the unmet needs of the next generation who are eager to engage with the culinary excellence and vibrant social spaces we have intentionally curated and cultivated.
“It is a great privilege to have the support of an icon and entrepreneur like [investor] Marc Anthony as we embark on the next chapter. “We are also very honored to have established a strategic alliance with the best team at Wyndham and look forward to bringing The Wyndham Advantage to Project HQ hotel owners around the world.”
wyndhamhotels.com, sbe.com
