Qatar's Prime Minister announced on Sunday the creation of Doha Investment, a division of the Qatar Investment Authority that will oversee 45 state-owned companies from launch, including Katara Hospitality. The reorganisation comes as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz cuts Doha off from part of its gas revenue.

Christie & Co France has supported family-owned group Hôtels Charme & Design in its search for a private investor to transform the Grand Hôtel de Valloire et Galibier (Savoie) into a five-star property, a first for the Maurienne valley. Works, which will increase the hotel's capacity from 37 to 43 units, are due to begin in November 2026, with delivery scheduled for winter 2028/2029. The deal illustrates the growing appeal of French mountain resorts to hotel investors.

The Set Collection announces that four properties from the Chedi brand are joining its portfolio of independent hotels: Chedi Hegra in Saudi Arabia, Chedi Al Bait in Sharjah, Chedi Muscat in Oman and Chedi Katara in Doha. This regional expansion illustrates the British group's strategy, which centres on heritage-rich addresses rather than a rapid succession of openings.

Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts has appointed Rami Farhat to lead the pre-opening of its Muscat resort as General Manager. With more than 25 years of luxury hospitality experience in the Middle East, he has notably led the openings of the DoubleTree by Hilton Muscat Qurum and the Avani Muscat Hotel & Suites. The property, developed on Yiti Bay with OMRAN Group, is due to open in 2027.

Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA has entrusted the general management of its Middle East operations to Olivier Badard. Based in Dubai, the former President of Thales for the Middle East and ex-CEO of RATP Dev for Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa took up his duties on 14 September 2026. His appointment comes as the group structures its regional governance around the MENAT platform.

African Collaborations Group (ACG), a pan-African platform dedicated to the industrialisation of sport through ecosystems of integrated sport and entertainment hubs, announces the appointment of Paulo J. Cruz as Founding CEO. The former Senior Vice President of DAMAC Group will lead the development of bankable sports districts across the African continent.

Fusion Hotel Group officially opened LÈGACY Hanoi - A Fusion Original on 16 September 2026. The 218-key property sits in the historic Ngoc Ha district, overlooking West Lake. First announced in December 2025, the opening strengthens the Vietnamese group's wellness positioning in the capital, with a dedicated spa, panoramic dining and a new general manager.

Central purchasing offices, volume consolidation, ERP systems and automation have gradually distanced purchasing from hotels and contributed to the disappearance of the storekeeper and the purchasing manager. But does securing the best negotiated price really mean securing the best cost for the property? The Hospitality Tribune met Kacem Aoualli, a buyer and expert in the function with almost 30 years’ experience at Accor, to question this model and consider the return of a profoundly renewed purchasing manager: a buyer augmented by AI, who is at once buyer, cost controller and storekeeper.

🔎 Trend of the day: Asia-Pacific and the Gulf, new playgrounds for signature projects. From Dubai to Coron, via Bali and Vietnam, destinations are betting on experience and moving upmarket, while in Europe, Monaco's lack of hotel capacity is sending a trade show to Cannes.

At the Annual Hotel Conference in Manchester, Prism (formerly Oyo) founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal set out the Indian group's development strategy in the UK and Europe. Rather than betting on RevPAR growth, the group intends to reduce operational complexity in upscale properties through its single technology platform, while strengthening its ties with institutional owners.

With little available land and few viable new-build projects, institutional investors in Seoul are turning office buildings into hotels, as illustrated by BlueCove-CPPIB at LC Tower and Goldman Sachs-IGIS at Timewalk Myeongdong. A structural shortage of rooms, driven by record tourist arrivals, is fuelling a trend that Cushman & Wakefield Korea expects to last.

Futuroscope has unveiled its 2027 programme to mark its 40th anniversary, featuring a brand-new night-time parade, fresh entertainment and a fourth themed hotel dedicated to science fiction, currently under construction. Backed by Compagnie des Alpes, this latest step continues the €304 million "Vision 2025" investment plan. The Vienne-based leisure park is further cementing its strategy of positioning itself as a genuine stay destination.