Senior Vice President Player Development

Wyndham's good quarter meets a rough trading day. July 23rd, 2026 at 3:53 PM EDT Skift take. Wyndham Hotels reported second-quarter results, which were solid, but Skift wondered if it would be enough. Plus, hotel development news. (Note: Daily Lodging Report is on vacation until August 2.) Wyndham Hotels reported second-quarter results, which were solid, but as soon as Skift saw the report, Skift wondered if it would be enough. Judging by the early reaction, this is what Skift has been concerned about for this coming earnings season. Up until now, the lodging group has been kind of in a sweet spot, going in the opposite direction when investors punish the market indexes for oil spiking, but taking part when the markets rebounded and rallied. It is early in the earnings season, but Skift is just concerned that if the markets remain volatile, earnings reports have to be sensational, not just good. WH did what they have a habit of doing, beating and raising. It reaffirmed its NUG outlook and bought back $54 million of stock in the second quarter. A report that probably would have been well received if the Nasdaq were not leading stocks into the abyss today. There will be no Daily Lodging Report from July 26 to August 2. RIMAP Hospitality Services Inc. announced the opening of Moxy Ottawa Downtown. Located in the heart of Ottawa's iconic ByWard Market district, the property features Moxy Bar, a fitness center, and flexible gathering spaces. Chartwell Hospitality completed a $10 million renovation of the 303-room Franklin Marriott Cool Springs Hotel and Conference Center, located in Franklin, Tennessee. The extensive upgrades include a complete refresh of the 30,000-square-foot Conference Center, updated guestrooms and lobby, and enhancements to its restaurant. Park Hotels & Resorts Inc. announced the reopening of the Royal Palm South Beach Miami, Tribute Portfolio Resort, following the completion of the iconic oceanfront resort's more than $100 million comprehensive renovation. The reopened property features 404 fully renovated guestrooms and suites, including the addition of 11 new guestrooms, a redesigned lobby and arrival experience, four new food and beverage concepts, refreshed indoor and outdoor public spaces, an enhanced pool and beachfront amenities, and modernized and expanded meeting and event facilities spanning approximately 20,000 square feet. Crescent Hotels & Resorts announced the addition of Hilton Short Hills to its portfolio. Hilton Short Hills offers 314 guestrooms and suites, more than 21,000 square feet of flexible event space, multiple food and beverage venues, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, a fitness center, an executive lounge, and a tented outdoor pavilion. Amaterra Hospitality Group announced the acquisition of RiverPlace Hotel, located in Portland, Oregon. The property features 85 guestrooms and suites, premier dining, outdoor gathering spaces, and more than 7,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor function space. Amaterra Hospitality Group selected CoralTree Hospitality to manage the property. Hard Rock Hotels is temporarily closing two of its flagship all-inclusive resorts in Mexico as part of an extensive renovation project that will see both properties reopen in late December 2026. Hard Rock Hotel Cancun and Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, located in Nuevo Vallarta in Nayarit, will suspend operations this summer for approximately five months while undergoing comprehensive upgrades to guestrooms, public areas, meeting facilities, and guest experiences. Plans are taking shape for the construction of a Hyatt Studios hotel in Cornwall, Ontario, to begin sometime later in 2026. Lakeview Development Holdings Inc. will break ground once its site plans are finalized and approved by the City of Cornwall. The hotel will feature 100 guestrooms, a market, self-service guest laundry, a fitness studio, outdoor patio, grills, and pet-friendly accommodations. Hyatt Studios is still targeting a 2028 opening. The Hanford Hotel, formerly a Comfort Inn until August last year, is undergoing extensive renovations to modernize the building. The Hanford Hotel is under the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels International. Purchased in 2019 by A2Z Investments, the property is undergoing a $2.7 million facelift, which will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2027. The Hanford, California, property has seen a laundry list of updates, including those done to the laundry room, and includes bathrooms being redone, new windows, and new flooring. The pool was redone with updated tiling and coping, and the hotel now has a new gym. Inn on Main, a six-room bed and breakfast in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, has new owners. David and Ruta Gordon have taken ownership of the historic inn. The property features shared common areas and onsite parking. Excavators began clearing the site this week as SolTerra officially broke ground on CASCADA, a 68-room boutique hotel and thermal wellness facility expected to open in late 2028 in Bend, Oregon. The centerpiece will be an adults-only thermal wellness facility featuring eight pools and water experiences. The facility will also include a fitness center, spa treatment rooms, two restaurants, and hotel accommodations. While the hotel and restaurants will welcome guests of all ages, the thermal wellness areas will be limited to those 21 and older. The project includes an internal parking garage with roughly 80 to 85 spaces. Alchemy Real Estate Advisors announced the sale of the Hotel Indigo Downtown St. Louis, an 88-room boutique hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. Alchemy sold the hotel on behalf of a court-appointed receiver for a local bank. The buyer is a private investment group, partnering with a local St. Louis operator. Mumford Company represented Burton Hotel Group of Round Rock, LLC in the sale of the Sleep Inn & Suites in Round Rock, Texas. The purchaser was Icon Lodging. Personnel moves. Davidson Hospitality Group announced the promotion of Steve Keck to Vice President, People & Culture - Field Operations. In his role, Keck partners with operations leaders across all Davidson verticals to oversee the seamless integration of people, processes, and culture while maintaining compliance and operational excellence. Additionally, he is responsible for leading the team of Regional and Area Directors of Human Resources, driving accountability for engagement, turnover, and talent metrics at the property and regional level. Keck was promoted to Senior Director of Human Resources in 2024. Eugenio Pirri joined Hand Picked Hotels as Chief Culture Officer on July 20, 2026. David Spooner will join the group as Chief Commercial Officer on September 7, 2026. Both bring more than 30 years of international leadership experience across some of the world's most recognized luxury hospitality brands. Pirri and Spooner will be based at Hand Picked Hotels' recently opened central London office. As Chief Culture Officer, Pirri will lead Hand Picked Hotels' culture and people agenda. He will work with colleagues across the business to build a positive, high-performing culture that supports the continued transformation of the group. As Chief Commercial Officer, Spooner will lead Hand Picked Hotels' integrated commercial strategy. He will be responsible for driving top-line growth and guest proposition across the group, while leading sales, marketing, revenue management, digital, and group reservations.

After more than 30 years, this Florida icon is shutting its doors for good. Restaurant closures have continued to reshape prominent tourist districts across the U.S. as operators confront expiring leases, redevelopment pressure and higher occupancy costs. In Miami, that trend is now reaching one of downtown's most recognizable dining landmarks: the Hard Rock Cafe at Bayside Marketplace, which is scheduled to close permanently after more than three decades in business. The restaurant's final day is set for August 19, 2026. Hard Rock Cafe confirms a permanent Miami closure. The Hard Rock Cafe at Bayside Marketplace, located at 401 Biscayne Blvd. in downtown Miami, will permanently close on August 19, 2026, according to a Florida Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing and multiple local reports. The state's WARN database lists Hard Rock Cafe Miami and states that 117 employees are affected, with August 19, 2026 identified as the layoff date. Local 10 and the South Florida Business Journal both reported that the closure follows the expiration of the restaurant's lease. The Miami location has operated since 1993, giving it an approximately 33-year run at Bayside Marketplace. Over that period, the restaurant became a fixture of the city's waterfront tourism corridor, drawing visitors from cruise traffic, downtown hotels and the nearby arena and marina district. Its impending closure marks the loss of one of the longer-running branded restaurant tenants at the complex. The WARN filing confirms the scale of the job impact but does not indicate a phased reduction. Reports citing Hard Rock International said eligible employees may have opportunities to transfer to other company-operated locations in Florida. The filing itself establishes the closure as a permanent action rather than a temporary shutdown. What the shutdown means for Miami and what is still unknown. The closure is specific to the Hard Rock Cafe at Bayside Marketplace in Miami, not a statewide exit by the company. Hard Rock International continues to operate other Florida properties and venues, including cafes, hotels and casino-related destinations, according to company information and local coverage. What is ending is the brand's long-running presence at this particular downtown Miami waterfront address. For Miami, the immediate confirmed impact is the loss of a high-visibility restaurant at one of the city's best-known tourist centers. The affected site sits inside a district that serves both residents and visitors, making the change especially noticeable in an area closely tied to conventions, cruises and event traffic. The state notice specifies 117 workers at the Miami location, but it does not break down how many are full-time or part-time in the public summary. Several details remain unconfirmed. Hard Rock International has not publicly released a comprehensive list of affected job titles beyond those described in media reports, and neither the company nor Bayside Marketplace has announced a replacement tenant for the space. Public reporting also has not identified any additional Miami-Dade Hard Rock Cafe restaurant closures tied to this announcement. Lease expiration, redevelopment pressure and the customer takeaway. The reason cited most directly for the closure is the lease. According to the South Florida Business Journal, a Hard Rock Cafe spokesperson said the lease is expiring this year and the decision was made not to renew it. Local 10 reported the same explanation, tying the shutdown to the end of the tenancy rather than to a bankruptcy filing or a broader Florida retrenchment. The closure also arrives amid broader pressure on legacy restaurant spaces in major urban retail destinations. Reporting from The Real Deal and other local outlets noted continuing redevelopment and commercial real estate shifts in downtown Miami, where long-established tenants can face higher costs and changing landlord plans. Those reports stop short of saying rising rent alone caused the closure, but they place the decision within a market where prominent hospitality operators are reassessing older locations. For customers, the practical timeline is clear: the restaurant is expected to keep operating until August 19, 2026, after which the Bayside location will no longer serve guests. Hard Rock International has indicated that the brand remains active elsewhere in Florida, so the closure affects this Miami address rather than the company's broader state footprint. As of now, no future operator for the waterfront restaurant space has been publicly announced.