🔎 Today's trend: appointments are coming thick and fast across international luxury hospitality. From Mauritius to Aspen and Marbella, major groups are reshuffling their leadership teams to support renovations and growth ambitions, while occupancy figures confirm a strong summer in North America.

Meliá Hotels International has announced the signing of a new The Meliá Collection hotel in Lerici, on the Ligurian Riviera, under a franchise agreement with SoGes Group. The 80-to-90-room property will mark the group's first foothold on this stretch of coastline and become its 18th hotel in Italy, with opening scheduled within 24 months.

Minor Hotels has announced Avani Kota Kinabalu, a 352-room lifestyle hotel due to open in the first quarter of 2027 in Sabah, East Malaysia. Set within the The Logg Luyang development led by KTI Landmark, the property marks the Avani brand's debut in the destination and strengthens the group's portfolio in the country.

Kingstone Capital AG (Switzerland) has completely withdrawn from its former joint venture with Versorgungswerk der Zahnärzte Berlin (VZB), following Gravity Capital Hong Kong's acquisition of the Emirati subsidiary that held a 70.3% stake in Grand Metropolitan Hotels Holding B.V. The transaction, finalised on 30 June 2026, ends a shareholding structure that had been deadlocked for several months and frees the hotel group to refocus on its independent international development strategy.

HHM Hotels has announced a strategic combination with Wurzak Hotel Group, which joins its management platform with eleven hotels located in Florida and the US Mid-Atlantic. The deal, unveiled on 11 August 2026 in Philadelphia, does not change ownership of the properties but transfers their management to HHM Hotels, extending a professional relationship between the two groups that dates back more than thirty years.

Highgate has announced the appointment of Siim Karu as Chief Commercial Officer Europe, based in London, effective from 10 August 2026. He will be responsible for driving the group's entire commercial strategy across the European region, spanning revenue management, sales, distribution, marketing and technology.

Accor has announced the opening of the Mercure Oradea, the brand's first hotel in this city in western Romania, representing an investment of around EUR 15 million. The 90-room property, operated under franchise by Grand Hotel West, strengthens the group's presence in the country and connects Oradea to the international travel circuit.

IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a franchise agreement with Morina Development & Investment Co. LLC to convert a 107-room hotel in Riyadh under the Noted Collection banner. Expected to open by the end of 2026, this marks the brand's first foray into the Middle East and underlines Saudi Arabia's strategic role in the group's development.

🔎 Today's trend: Spain, hospitality's laboratory of the year. Between technology expansion into Latin America, a new five-star hotel on the Costa Tropical and continued growth for Checkin Hotel Group in the Basque Country, Madrid confirms its role as a stronghold of European hospitality.

The brand-new Amanvari, which opened in early August 2026 on the Baja California Sur peninsula, has found itself at the centre of an international controversy after hotel critic Ryan Walker was denied access, his reservation having been cancelled by email the day before his arrival. The episode, filmed and posted to YouTube, surpassed 567,000 views within forty-eight hours and has put Aman's crisis management firmly under the luxury sector's spotlight.

IHG Hotels & Resorts published its first-half results on 11 August 2026, marked by double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share and a record level of hotel openings. The British group confirms its growth trajectory despite geopolitical tensions affecting certain Middle Eastern markets.

Pine Cliffs Resort, a Luxury Collection Resort, located in Albufeira in the Algarve, has announced the appointment of Ramón Von Schukkmann as Complex General Manager. Taking up the role in August 2026, the executive returns to a property where he worked sixteen years earlier, now bringing with him more than 25 years of experience in international luxury hospitality.