Viva Wyndham Resorts announced the redesign of its guest rooms at its Maya Resort and the creation of a new room category, the Honeymoon Suite, at the Azteca Resort. The redesign and addition at two of its all-inclusive resort properties located in Playacar, Riviera Maya, Mexico demonstrate Viva Wyndham Resorts’ commitment to responding to guest feedback.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Hotelera Playa Sombrero S.A., a Costa Rican development company, announced that a Hyatt subsidiary and Hotelera Playa Sombrero have signed a management agreement for the 150-room Andaz Papagayo. Slated to open in 2013, the new Andaz hotel will be located in the community of Península Papagayo, Costa Rica’s residential resort destination.

Miami-based Desires Hotels announced the latest international addition to its boutique collection, The Cliffs Ocean Resort, which is situated between Puerto Plata and Samana along the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The project is the first in the Dominican Republic to be LEED certified and is set to open in summer 2011.

Hilton Worldwide announced that 2009 was the second best year in terms of hotel development in its 91-year history. In 2009, despite major challenges for the hospitality industry overall, Hilton Worldwide added 302 new hotels and more than 45,000 rooms to a total count that is now more than 3,500 hotels and 585,000 rooms. In 2008, Hilton Worldwide opened 327 properties.

Marriott International, Inc. announced at the American Lodging Investment Summit that seven hotels from The Kessler Collection will be the first to join the Autograph Collection, the company’s newest brand, which features independent hotels and resorts from around the world representing upper-upscale and luxury properties with distinctive personalities. All seven hotels, including the Bohemian Hotel Riverfront in Savannah, Ga. (pictured), are set to join the Autograph portfolio by the end of April.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. expects to open another 80 to 100 high-quality new-build and conversion hotels in 2010, coming off of the 83 opened and 77 new deals signed in 2009. Of these new hotels, roughly 70 percent will be outside of North America, with the majority in Asia Pacific.