Shinola to Indianapolis. Detroit-based Shinola is expanding its hospitality operations with the opening of a second Shinola Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. The 170-room, 13-story hotel is being developed by Bedrock Manufacturing (Shinola’s parent company), Sage Hospitality (operator of Detroit’s Shinola Hotel) and Boxcar Development (an investment group led by the Herb Simon family that also owns Pacers Sports & Entertainment). Construction is expected to be completed in 2027. The hotel is part of a $300 million development that will also include a 4,000-seat live entertainment venue on a long-blighted site at the corner of Pennsylvania and Georgia Streets in downtown Indianapolis.
The NLRB dismisses the appeal. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has dropped its appeal of a U.S. federal court ruling blocking the joint employer final rule. The rule would have made it easier for the NLRB to declare joint employment status in business relationships and allowed unions to organize on a company-by-company basis rather than on a facility-by-facility basis. “Today marks a major victory in the fight to protect the franchise business model for hoteliers across the country,” said Kevin Carey, interim president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). “The NLRB’s decision to drop its appeal provides the certainty our industry has been seeking and protects the franchise business model that has paved the way to the American Dream for tens of thousands of hoteliers. We could not have achieved this outcome without the support of our more than 30,000 dedicated members. AHLA stands ready to fight any further attempts by the NLRB to change the joint employer standard.”
From Tivoli, New Hampshire to northwest China. Minor Hotels (China) has signed a contract to build a dual-branded Tivoli and NH hotel in Yining city, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, which will mark the debut of both brands in northwest China when it opens in 2026. Each hotel will have 200 rooms on an area of 1.6 million square meters.
Large-scale investment in Indonesia. The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises of the Republic of Indonesia has partnered with Eagle Hills of the UAE to invest up to $3 billion in Indonesia’s tourism ecosystem and infrastructure. Key aspects of the collaboration include upgrading state-owned hotels to international standards. The MoU is valid for one year with the possibility of extension by mutual agreement. The $3 billion investment has no fixed deadline and allows for flexibility in implementation. The collaboration marks a milestone in Indonesia’s efforts to attract foreign investment and expertise to strengthen its tourism industry, which could transform the country’s tourism industry in the coming years. It is part of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises’ broader efforts to strengthen collaboration between Indonesian state-owned enterprises and global companies to increase productivity and impact on Indonesia.
