In what is seen as a blow to IHG, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is
acquiring the Mr & Mrs Smith London-based hotel booking platform for
a figure of around US$66 million.
The deal - expected to complete before the end of June - includes
hotels in 20 countries where there are currently no Hyatt-branded hotels
in operation,
IHG currently has a partnership with Mr & Mrs Smith whose
booking platform offers 1,500 mainly high-end hotels globally,
including unique experiences located in treehouses, within caves, and
underwater suites.
Once the deal is sealed, participating hotels from Mr & Mrs Smith will appear on hyatt.com.
Hyatt said Mr & Mrs Smith founders Tamara and James Lohan had
built “the ultimate global direct booking collection of truly unique
stay experiences”.
“Importantly, we see a lot of synergy between our collective ethos of
care, and we look forward to working together to bring our shared focus
to new, memorable stay experiences for guests and World of Hyatt
members.”