Brice Kemper has been appointed General Manager of La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel, in Saint-Martin, in the French Caribbean. He takes up his role in August 2026, bringing more than 25 years' experience in independent and group luxury hospitality. The appointment continues a career spanning the Côte d'Azur, Southern Europe and the United States.

🔎 Today's trend: Rabat, the new showcase for international luxury hospitality. Between the arrival of the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, the Conrad and now the Waldorf Astoria, the Moroccan capital is asserting a positioning that complements Marrakech, driven by business, institutional and MICE tourism.

IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement with Discover Resorts Neral Pvt. Ltd. to convert a property in Karjat, Maharashtra, under its premium voco brand. The opening is scheduled for early 2028, with more than 200 rooms, in an emerging leisure and MICE destination on the doorstep of Mumbai and Pune.

The Thai group is installing the largest property in its ASAI lifestyle brand within the Gamuda Cove township, around 20 minutes from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

InterContinental is extending its partnership with Timeshifter, now available free of charge to all guests across its 242 hotels and resorts in nearly 70 countries. Announced in August 2026 in London, the rollout forms part of the restorative travel strategy of IHG Hotels & Resorts' luxury brand, which is marking its 80th anniversary this year.

The asset manager has sold the historic Gran Vía building housing the Room Mate Macarena hotel, formerly the Hotel Rex, which opened in 1945, for €80 million.

The hotel group backed by Universal Music Group is transforming a century-old downtown building into a lifestyle hotel featuring a recording studio, live music venue and residential tower.

Hilton unveils Signia Restore, an immersive wellness concept combining fitness, recovery and retail, launching at the Signia Hilton Indianapolis, currently open for reservations from January 2027. Designed by Rottet Studio, the new concept is set to roll out across further Signia Hilton properties worldwide.

MEININGER Hotels has announced the opening of a second property in Cologne in the second quarter of 2029, on Barbarossaplatz. The future 305-room hotel will result from the conversion of a six-storey office building owned by a Canadian pension fund and managed by Avison Young Investment Management. The deal underscores the hybrid hotel group's continued expansion in its largest European market.

The technology leader, formerly of Axios Media, takes charge of the platform strategy, operational systems and data strategy of the US group, owner of the Convene and etc.venues brands.

The hotelier takes the helm of one of the city's largest convention hotels after seven years leading the Sheraton San Diego Resort.

Fred Dixon will return to the helm of NYC Tourism + Conventions on 1 December, ten years after leaving the organisation he had led between 2014 and 2024. He steps down from the presidency of Brand USA, a role he had held for just over two years, and succeeds Julie Coker, who has been named to lead Visit California.