Hotel Interactive

August 30, 2026 NORTH BETHESDA, Md. — Choice Hotels International has named Dominic Dragisich as president and CEO, effective Aug. 31. Dragisich has also been appointed to the board of directors. Dragisich has served as interim CEO since May 20 after Patrick Pacious stepped down. Working Choice Hotels for nearly 10 years, Dragisich most recently held the role of chief growth and strategy officer.

August 25, 2026 | From the Hotel Interactive Newsroom Independent hotels face many of the same financial and operating pressures as their branded counterparts, often without the scale, infrastructure or built-in distribution systems of a major flag. Even so, the lack of a prescribed playbook can also give independent owners and operators more freedom to pursue unconventional financing, partnerships and revenue opportunities.

Courtesy of Namron Hospitality MEXICO CITY — Namron Hospitality is expanding its portfolio on Mexico’s Pacific coast with the opening of NEST Los Cabos in Baja California Sur and the addition of MUSA, a 177-acre oceanfront retreat in Ixtapa on Guerrero’s coast near Zihuatanejo. MUSA, or Modern Utopian Society of Adventurers, includes 13 Hotelito rooms, nine Hideaway casitas surrounding a freshwater biopool, four Basecamp rooms, five Casa Musa beach house accommodations and seven villas.

Hotel Odua Weston Jambi in Indonesia. Courtesy of Fusion Hotel Group. HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Fusion Hotel Group is integrating the Ayola and Odua midscale hotel brands from Topotels Hotels & Resorts into its regional portfolio, expanding Fusion’s presence in Indonesia. Topotels operates seven midscale hotels under the Ayola and Odua brands in Indonesian markets including Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya. The hotels serve both business and leisure travelers.

August 18, 2026 DALLAS — NewcrestImage has named Gary Mills senior vice president of acquisitions, a newly created position in which he will lead the hotel investment company’s acquisition strategy. Mills returns to NewcrestImage after serving as vice president of real estate from 2015 to 2020, a period during which he helped double the size of the company’s portfolio, according to the company.

August 18, 2026 HEALDSBURG, Calif. — SingleThread has opened the first location of its new SingleThread Entremets patisserie concept inside Capella Kyoto in Japan’s Miyagawa-cho district. The opening follows the March 2026 debut of SoNoMa by SingleThread, the company’s first international restaurant, also at Capella Kyoto.

August 19, 2026 VAIL, Colo. — The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort, Vail has appointed Kevin Shields general manager and Douglas Farnsworth executive chef. Shields will oversee resort operations, including guest services, food and beverage, sales and marketing, revenue strategy and associate engagement. He also will work with DiamondRock Hospitality, Vail Resorts and Marriott International.

The Hari Hong Kong. Courtesy of Hari Hotels. The Hari London, The Hari Hong Kong and the forthcoming The Hari Singapore will join IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Vignette Collection later this year, extending a relationship between the Harilela Group and IHG that spans more than five decades. The agreement will bring the three Hari properties into IHG’s collection brand while allowing them to retain their existing identities.

August 19, 2026 SAN FRANCISCO — Studio RYS founder Robert Y. Sauvageau, AIA, will retire Nov. 1 after a four-decade career, transferring ownership and leadership of the architecture and design firm to principals Bhavini Hardev, AIA, and Lisa A. Haude, ASID, NCIDQ, RID, NEWH. Following the transition, Hardev, currently principal of interior architecture, will become CEO and principal of architecture and interior architecture.

August 18, 2026 PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos — The Strand Turks & Caicos has appointed hospitality executive Randall Wilkie as general manager of the luxury resort. Wilkie has more than 40 years of hospitality experience across the Caribbean and United Kingdom. Most recently, he served as general manager of Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados, which, like The Strand, is part of The Leading Hotels of the World network.