Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Blue Sky, Navika, open Doubletree in Front Royal, Virginia

The 124-room hotel recently converted from a Holiday Inn, in Shenandoah Valley

Blue Sky, Navika, open Doubletree in Front Royal, Virginia

The DoubleTree by Hilton Front Royal Blue Ridge Shadows & Golf Course is now open in Front Royal, Virginia. The hotel, recently converted from the Holiday Inn Front Royal, is owned by Navika Group of Companies and managed by Blue Sky Hospitality Solutions Management Co.

Real estate company Navika Group and Blue Sky management company both are led by Naveen Shah as president and CEO. Also, Haridas Kotahwala is chairman at Navika Group.


The 124-room DoubleTree recently completed phase one of the multi-million conversion and features a new lobby, front desk and lobby level and guest room corridors.  Additionally, all guest rooms were outfitted with digital key locks and received new mattresses and SMART TVs.

Nearby are Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park and Endless Caverns. Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, fitness center and 3,333 square feet of meeting space, as well as access privileges to the adjacent Blue Ride Shadows Golf Club.  The hotel also features Houlihan’s Restaurant + Bar, and all DoubleTree guests receive the brand’s traditional, warm chocolate chip cookie upon arrival.

“With the completion of this top-to-bottom conversion, the DoubleTree by Hilton Front Royal Blue Ridge Shadows & Golf Course has regained a ‘like-new’ status that will appeal to both business and leisure travelers to the area,” said Madhu Pareek, Blue Sky’s senior vice president of operations.   “With the idyllic Shenandoah Valley as a backdrop, the hotel is the perfect spot for both corporate get-aways and as a homebase to explore the area’s natural wonders. With a new brand to better serve the needs of Front Royal visitors, we are confident the hotel quickly will take its place as the market and segment leader.”

In January, Blue Sky and Navika acquired the Andaz Wall Street hotel, now known as the Hyatt Centric Wall Street New York. That 253-room hotel’s guestrooms and lobby were recently redesigned, but Navika plans to invest approximately $5 million in the property over the next several years.

More for you

International bookings drop at US mountain hotels; occupancy dips despite rate hikes, DestiMetrics reports

Report: Travel decline weighs on western resorts

Summary:

  • International tourism to U.S. western mountain destinations fell in May, lowering occupancy 0.7 percent, according to DestiMetrics.
  • Summer booking hesitancy persisted as bookings from Canada, Europe and Mexico declined.
  • DestiMetrics tracks data from about 28,000 lodging units across 17 mountain destinations in seven western states.

MOUNTAIN DESTINATIONS IN the western U.S. saw a drop in international tourism in May amid economic uncertainty, affecting resort occupancy, according to DestiMetrics. ADR rose 2 percent, while occupancy fell 0.7 percent year over year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Salamander D.C. Joins Preferred Hotels’ Legend Collection
Photo credit: Salamander Collection

Salamander D.C. joins Preferred’s Legend Collection

Summary:

  • The 373-key Salamander Washington, D.C. joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection after a full renovation.
  • The hotel is part of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, led by founder and CEO Sheila Johnson.
  • Preferred Hotels & Resorts is the largest independent hotel brand, with more than 600 properties in 80 countries.

SALAMANDER WASHINGTON, D.C., located on the city’s southwest waterfront, joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection. The 373-room hotel recently completed a property-wide renovation that includes updated communal spaces, redesigned guest suites, a two-level Salamander Spa and Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi.

Keep ReadingShow less
WTH Conference Returns to Los Angeles July 17

WTH conference returns to L.A. on July 17

Summary:

  • The 2025 Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference returns to Los Angeles on July 17.
  • The event gathers women in travel, tourism, hospitality, investment, wellness, and lifestyle.
  • It also will mark the launch of the new Travel Industry Executive Women’s Network website.

THE 2025 WOMEN in Travel & Hospitality Conference, hosted by the Travel Industry Executive Women’s Network and supported by the Boutique Lifestyle Lodging Association, will return to Los Angeles, California, on July 17. The event brings together women from around the world working in travel, tourism, hospitality, investment, wellness and lifestyle.

Keep ReadingShow less
ExStay Washington DC

Third regional ExStay workshop set for D.C.

Summary:

  • ESLA and Kalibri will hold the third ExStay workshop on July 30 in Washington, D.C., following sessions in Atlanta and Dallas.
  • The event will feature experts from brands, operators, data firms and advisory groups.
  • Sessions will cover investment and include Q&As on developing, renovating, converting and operating extended stay assets.

THE EXTENDED STAY Lodging Association and Kalibri Labs will host the third quarterly ExStay workshop on July 30 in Washington, D.C., following earlier sessions in Atlanta and Dallas. The event will bring together extended stay lodging executives for networking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Deloitte value-seeking report 2025

Study: Consumers seek value over low prices

Summary:

  • Consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, pushing brands—including hotels—to adapt, Deloitte finds.
  • Economic uncertainty and inflation are driving caution and shifting views on pricing and spending.
  • Value-seeking by generations: 49 percent of Gen X, 43 percent of Boomers, 40 percent of Millennials and 44 percent of Gen Z.

AMID ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY and inflation, U.S. consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, favoring brands with added benefits, according to a Deloitte study. This shift is reshaping the market as companies, including hotels, adapt to changing expectations.

Keep ReadingShow less