Hyatt announces signing of Europe’s first Alila branded resort

Alila La Gruyère in Switzerland will strengthen Hyatt’s luxury lifestyle and wellbeing offerings in the region

CHICAGO, IL, 2019-Jun-20 — /Travel PR News/ — Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today (June 17, 2019) that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Resort 4 SA, owned by Ben Golf Investissements SA, for Europe’s first Alila branded resort.

Overlooking a picturesque lake, Alila La Gruyère will be a luxury destination resort offering a high-end golf course with stunning views and an authentic wellness retreat, enhancing Hyatt’s lifestyle and wellbeing offerings for guests. With 85 rooms and 27 residences, the resort is expected to open in 2023, marking a significant growth milestone for Hyatt since the Alila brand integrated into the Hyatt portfolio in late 2018.

“Following the recent acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality, we are thrilled to announce plans for the first Alila property in Europe. The region of La Gruyère with its medieval Gruyères town is a great location for a brand that embodies a contemporary expression of centuries-old traditions,” said Guido Fredrich, Hyatt’s regional vice president of development for Europe. “Moreover, the Alila brand offers tremendous potential for growth in Europe by responding to the increasing trend of eco-tourism and wellness travel. We also know that well-traveled guests are looking to make impactful connections, and the Alila brand caters to this demand by crafting rare and intimate experiences.”

Alila La Gruyère will be located in Pont-la-Ville in the district of La Gruyère, which belongs to the Canton of Fribourg in western Switzerland. La Gruyère is known for its picturesque landscape, charming medieval town, and world-famous cheese and chocolate factories. Situated on a golf resort, the luxury property will focus on recreation and wellness. Alila La Gruyère will share the brand’s philosophy of creating authentic experiences and personalized guest services that are rooted in the destination and guided by local experts. With its unique location surrounded by pristine nature, the resort will allow guests to relax, recharge and re-energize, whilst taking in the spectacular view across Lake of Gruyère. Supplemented by an exceptional level of customized, yet traditional Swiss hospitality, visitors will be able to indulge in fine dining featuring regional and seasonal produce to fully immerse themselves in the authenticity of the local area.

“We are delighted to work with Hyatt to bring this innovative luxury resort to La Gruyère under the Alila brand,” said Urs Müller, general manager, Resort 4 SA. “The area is already popular for weekend getaways and golf and wellness retreats due to its outstanding natural beauty. With the Alila brand, we look forward to introducing a new concept to the region and creating a world-class destination that will take the travel experience to the next level.”

Strategic Hotel Consulting represented Resort 4 SA in sourcing the ideal operator for the resort and securing the management agreement with Hyatt.

Alila La Gruyère, Switzerland will add to Hyatt’s growing Alila brand portfolio, joining hotels and resorts in Indonesia, India, China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Oman and the United States.

For more information about Alila, please visit: https://www.alilahotels.com.

The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

About Alila

The hallmark of Alila hotels is the combination of innovative design and luxury in unique locations, set apart by an unprecedented level of private space, crafted artisanship, personalized hospitality, and bespoke journeys. Alila means “Surprise” in Sanskrit, which suitably describes the refreshing character of our properties and impressions of our guests when they stay with us. In support of sustainable tourism, Alila hotels adopt EarthCheck operating standards, integrating the natural, physical and cultural elements of their environments. To stay at any of Alila’s hotels and resorts is to embark on a destination experience – be it in recreating the flavors of the local cuisine, enhancing your well-being through ancient healing arts or the thrill of adventure sports, you will re-discover the luxury of living at Alila. For more information visit, alilahotels.com, follow us on Instagram @AlilaHotels or like us on Facebook.

About the Investor

Ben Golf Investissements SA is the holding company of all special purpose vehicles i.e. Resort 4 SA which together form the development project of the Golf Resort La Gruyère. The resort development encompasses the luxury hotel Alila La Gruyère including its generous spa, conference and meetings facilities, various food and beverage outlets, 27 hotel residences, 105 private primary and secondary residences and a world class 18 hole golf course remodeled by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Ben Golf Investissements SA is a multicultural joint venture between Chinese investor and developer Li Yongjun, who is a large and successful real estate developer based in Beijing with significant commitments towards cultural heritage preservation in collaboration with UNESCO; Michel Benedetti, a successful golf and infrastructure entrepreneur from France, with over 100 courses completed and various notable infrastructure projects; and Martine and Urs Müller, who combined have a lengthy track-record of successfully developing, marketing and selling high-profile resorts in the south of France.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 19 premier brands. As of March 31, 2019, the Company’s portfolio included more than 850 properties in over 60 countries across six continents. The Company’s purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to attract and retain top colleagues, build relationships with guests and create value for shareholders. The Company’s subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences, vacation ownership properties, and fitness and spa locations, including under the Park Hyatt®, Miraval®, Grand Hyatt®, Alila®, Andaz®, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt Zilara™, Thompson Hotels®, Hyatt Centric®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Place®, Joie de Vivre®, tommie™, Hyatt Residence Club® and Exhale® brand names, and operates the World of Hyatt® loyalty program that provides distinct benefits and exclusive experiences to its valued members. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “likely,” “will,” “would” and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the rate and the pace of economic recovery following economic downturns; levels of spending in business and leisure segments as well as consumer confidence; declines in occupancy and average daily rate; the seasonal and cyclical nature of the real estate and hospitality businesses; changes in distribution arrangements, such as through internet travel intermediaries; changes in the tastes and preferences of our customers; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners, franchisees, and hospitality venture partners; the possible inability of third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners to access capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; risks associated with potential acquisitions and dispositions and the introduction of new brand concepts; the timing of acquisitions and dispositions, and our ability to successfully integrate completed acquisitions with existing operations; our ability to successfully execute on our strategy to expand our management and franchising business while at the same time reducing our real estate asset base within targeted timeframes and at expected values; changes in the competitive environment in our industry, including as a result of industry consolidation, and the markets where we operate; our ability to successfully grow the World of Hyatt loyalty program; cyber incidents and information technology failures; and other risks discussed in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which filings are available from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any of our forward-looking statements.  We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Simone Loretan
Hyatt – Europe, Africa and Middle East and Southwest Asia
+41 44 279 1226
simone.loretan@hyatt.com

Brittany Umphred
Hyatt
+1 908 873 4517
brittany.umphred@hyatt.com

Source: Hyatt Hotels Corporation