Lodging Lowdown: Highgate Names New CMO, BWH Debuts Extended-Stay Property

Key points

• Highgate appointed Erica Doyne as chief marketing officer; she brings nearly two decades of hospitality and travel leadership experience, most recently as CMO of Cardinal Financial and previously in marketing executive roles at AMResorts and Hyatt.
• BWH Hotels opened @HOME by Best Western McDonough in Georgia, a 128-suite extended-stay property with kitchens and workspaces, marking the brand's first location in the state and Southeast region.
• Located in a fast-growing logistics and industrial corridor south of Atlanta and developed by Raj Patel and Apsilon Hotels, it is the second @HOME by Best Western in the U.S.
• More than 7,000 union hotel workers in Chicago voted to authorize a strike, demanding higher wages and workplace benefits; it could become the city's largest hotel strike.
• Caesars Entertainment shareholders approved Fertitta Entertainment's acquisition, moving the company closer to going private; MGM Resorts will remain standalone after People Incorporated dropped its bid.
• My Place Hotels of America relaunched its conversion-friendly Trend brand, offering independent owners a less-intensive path to join a national franchise system.
• Accor rolled out ALL Concierge, an AI-powered tool designed to assist guests at every point of the travel journey.
• London Bay Development Group topped out the North Tower of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay in southwest Florida; the 224-unit project is expected to be complete by 2027.