Wyndham and hospitality group sbe have announced a new strategic alliance, with plans to launch a new lifestyle hotel brand currently going under the working name of ‘Project HQ’.
The move will see the return of sbe to the hotel space – the group sold the remaining stake in brands including 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.
The two groups hope to open 50 hotels under the brand worldwide by 2030, with around half of them in the US, and Wyndham said that the properties would result from 80 per cent conversion projects and 20 new-build hotels.
Sbe said that target international locations included the UK, Saudi Arabia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Doha, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Latin America and Asia.
A joint press release said that “Project HQ was concepted to be a more approachable experience for the consumer that has been priced out of the lifestyle hotel market and doesn’t feel like they have a brand that speaks to their desires in travel”, adding that the working name “is born from the concept that Project HQ Hotels will be in the heart of the cities they launch in, serving as the ‘headquarters’ for exceptional dining, nightlife and wellness”.
Project HQ will also include branded residential projects, and properties will leverage existing sbe F&B 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 make memories and experience wonder. When we created lifestyle luxury back in 2005 with SLS, we forged a new category. Now, almost 20 years later we look to reinvent lifestyle again with Project HQ, the first smart lifestyle hotel brand.
“We will channel our entrepreneurial spirit and deep industry expertise into crafting intuitive, groundbreaking solutions for both hotel owners and guests. As a global leader for over two decades, we feel uniquely equipped to solve for the unmet needs of the next generation who are eager to engage with culinary excellence and vibrant social spaces that we’ve curated and cultivated with intention.
“It is such a privilege to have the support of an icon and entrepreneur like [investor] Marc Anthony as we embark on this next chapter. We also feel so honored to have established a strategic alliance with the best-in-class team at Wyndham and look forward to bringing The Wyndham Advantage to owners of Project HQ hotels around the globe.”
