Industry Outlook

Habitas Redefining Sustainable Travel, Continues its Award-wining Streak with New Accolades

Habitas Redefining Sustainable Travel
Habitas adds to its extensive accolades by being announced the winner of the prestigious Hospitality Design Awards 2022. Habitas is a sustainable, experience-led hospitality brand with properties on three continents. Habitas AlUla, the brand's most recent endeavor, won the Lifestyle Hotel category of the Awards and was commended for its beautiful, eco-friendly design in the middle of AlUla's desert valley.

This honor adds to Habitas' current success, which most recently saw its newest Mexico hotel, Habitas Bacalar, earn many Best New Hotel-led awards, including inclusion in Travel + Leisure's It List and Condé Nast Traveler's Hot List 2022. In addition, Habitas AlUla, the brand's first Middle Eastern hotel, was awarded the Middle East Design Award for Best Hospitality Project by Architectural Digest in 2021.

Habitas is a worldwide hospitality organization that Oliver Ripley, Kfir Levy, and Eduardo Castillo co-founded in 2016. It attracts conscientious travelers seeking fresh experiences centered on human connection, sustainability, and local community empowerment. The brand was recognized as a winner of Travel & Leisure's Global Vision Awards in 2021.

The brand's tremendous expansion involves opening five new locations in 2022 and the development of an additional 25 projects. Habitas unveiled its flagship residence in Tulum in 2017 and is expanding worldwide with Habitas Bacalar, Habitas AlUla, and Caravan by Habitas, as well as plans for locations in Morocco, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Bhutan.

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Hospitality Trends, Hospitality Management

Auberge Resorts Collection Announces Strategic Partnership with Bdt & Msd Partners

PR Newswire | February 02, 2024

The Friedkin Group announced today that the company has entered into a strategic partnership with BDT & MSD Partners ("BDT & MSD"), a merchant bank built to serve the distinct needs of business owners and strategic, long-term investors. BDT & MSD, through its affiliated hospitality investment vehicle, will make a minority investment in Auberge Resorts Collection, the manager of the award-winning portfolio of luxury hotels, resorts, residences and private clubs set in some of the world's most desirable locations. In addition, BDT & MSD's hospitality vehicle intends to invest significant capital towards acquiring and developing luxury hotel and residential assets that will be branded and managed by Auberge Resorts Collection. The partnership reflects BDT & MSD's belief in Auberge Resorts Collection's unique brand positioning and focus on creating one-of-a-kind luxury hospitality experiences. The investment will support Auberge's continued strategic growth in the Americas, Europe and beyond, with a focus on gateway urban markets and high-profile experiential destinations. "This partnership further solidifies Auberge Resorts Collection's position as the leading name in boutique luxury hospitality and marks a new and exciting era for our world-class portfolio," said Dan Friedkin, chairman of Auberge Resorts Collection and chairman and CEO of The Friedkin Group. "BDT & MSD's differentiated, long-term capital and expertise in luxury hospitality investments makes them a perfect strategic partner and will allow us to further grow the strength of the Auberge brand." "Auberge is a world-class manager of distinctive luxury hotel properties, with an exceptional track record of delivering curated guest experiences in the world's leading hospitality markets. We are excited to be a part of its future and look forward to partnering with Auberge's talented team to build on its differentiated strengths and accelerate further growth," said Coburn Packard, partner & head of real estate at BDT & MSD. Since becoming part of The Friedkin Group in 2013, Auberge Resorts Collection has grown into the leading name in boutique luxury hospitality, comprising 27 unparalleled properties across the U.S., Latin America and Europe, with a development pipeline of over a dozen hotels and two additional hotels planned to open in Florence and South Carolina this year. While each property is unique, all share a crafted approach to luxury and bring the essence of the location to life through one-of-a-kind design that reflects the destination, exceptional cuisine and dining experiences that attract both the local community and global traveler, innovative spas and wellness retreats and highly personalized service.

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