Hyatt Makes A Big Acquisition, Expands International Footprint!

There were some rumors late last week, but now it’s official.  Hyatt has acquired a company called Two Roads Hospitality.  You’ve probably never heard of them.  But, if you’re a Hyatt fan, you’re really going to like it!  Two Roads Hospitality is a “collection of collections”.  Some of these are brands completely new to me.  Others are very familiar.  I actually worked at one of the hotels a number of years ago (and met my wife there).  Let’s take a deeper look.

Two Roads Hospitality Brands

There are a number of different brands that make up two roads:

Alila Hotels: These hotels are mostly overseas with a focus on Asia.  And, I think there’s even a cruise ship option?  This definitely bears more exploring.

Destination Hotels: This collection features properties mostly in the US.  It includes Lansdowne Resort, where just over 20 years ago I met a very special woman who would become my wife.  It’s a beautiful property where I worked for a few years, and it obviously holds a sentimental place in my heart.  I’m familiar with a number of the properties on this list.  Plenty of solid additions to the Hyatt family.

Joie de Vivre:  A collection of boutique hotels in the US.  I’ve stayed at a few of these over the years.  Again, another solid addition.

Thompson Hotels: Thompson is an eclectic collection of 10 hotels in North America.  The Thompson hotel Hyatt acquired in Miami back in 2016 (now Confidante) was part of this collection.  It prompted the start of the Unbound Collection, where many of the hotels being acquired today will likely end up.

The Final Two Pennies

There are some other odds and end that are part of Two Roads that I’m not sure about.  But, this is the lion’s share of what will now become part of the Hyatt footprint.  When Hyatt created the Unbound Collection, there were only a handful of properties included.  It’s grown a bit, but this should substantially increase the size of that collection.  Some of these properties could fall under Hyatt’s existing brand structure.  I certainly see a few that could be an Andaz or possibly a Hyatt Centric.  That may make sense in building brand recognition in markets where Hyatt doesn’t yet have a presence.  However, many of these hotels don’t currently conform to those brand standards and are likely better off left as independent hotels.  There is also talk of a completely new brand to house these hotels.

We still have much to learn about the integration of these hotels.  Regardless, this marks a great day for Hyatt fans.  We should expect earning and redemption opportunities at these hotels at some point in the future.  This marks the largest acquisition for Hyatt that I can recall.  It’s a net increase of over 10% in the number of hotels in the portfolio.  And, it’s largely hotels where members will want to redeem points for dream vacations.  That’s great news for the business traveler looking to redeem those hard-earned points at an incredible property.

Hyatt has done plenty of expanding in the limited service and extended stay arena over the past 5 years.  I’m thrilled to see such an expansion of full-service, boutique and luxury hotels.  Bigger isn’t always better.  These hotels make sense as an addition to the Hyatt family.

Did you enjoy this post?  Please share it! There’s plenty of ways to do that below.

You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

And, I hope you’ll check out my podcast, Miles To Go.  We cover the latest travel news, tips and tricks every week so you can save money while you travel better.  From Disney to Dubai, San Francisco to Sydney, American Airlines to WestJet, we’ve got you covered!