Regent Hotel Berlin is leaving IHG at the end of the year

[Pangolin]

Just saw this scoop on FlyerTalk.

The Regent Hotel on Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt is closing at the end of the year. The operators of the luxury hotel, the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), confirmed this to the German Press Agency. The lease agreement for Regent Berlin expires on December 31, 2024.

The hotel will then “leave IHG’s portfolio,” the response said. The Intercontinental Hotels Group will then continue to operate more than ten hotels in Berlin, including the InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Hotel Indigo.

The Regent Hotel with more than 150 rooms is one of the city’s well-known luxury addresses and has in the past hosted celebrities and football teams. At times the house also housed a restaurant with two Michelin stars, Fischers Fritz. It is unclear what will happen to the building on Berlin’s Charlottenstrasse next year.

[JDB]

I’m not entirely surprised by this as Regent doesn’t sit very comfortably in the IHG portfolio with IHG not really having the ethos, skills or vision to operate at the level to which Regent aspired prior to the acquisition of the brand. Six Senses will be OK as long as the CEO of that brand stays. I’m sure Blackstone will come up with a better solution for the Berlin property.

IHG has really upset its owners/operators in Germany with the Novum acquisition adding lots of hotels in cities already hosting too many IHG brands.

[Rob]

This was always an odd hotel, I was never convinced much money had been invested since Four Seasons gave it up. Berlin room rates are so low that luxury hotels seem to struggle. It does leave Regent looking even thinner though.

[TGLoyalty]

@JDB the property doesn’t really look like where IHG wants Regent positioned rather than the property not seeing IHGs vision …

I think IHG know exactly what they want Regent to be with properties like HK, Cannes, Phu Quoc, Shanghai on the Bund all recent openings.

Bali, Kyoto, Santa Monica (property looks great while SM might not be itself) signal its intent is right for the future.

I wouldn’t be surprised if properties like Paris LG and Amstel become Regents too