The Board of Directors of Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation for the United States, has appointed Caroline Beteta Interim President & CEO, effective 9 November 2026. The former head of Visit California, who led the organisation for nearly three decades, will make securing Brand USA's reauthorisation her overriding priority, at a time when international visitor numbers to the country are falling.

Accor has appointed Kara Brill Randall as Chief Development Officer, Accor Luxury Brands, North America. She joins after twenty years at Hilton, where she most recently led luxury and residential development in North America. The group aims to accelerate the growth of Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel and its collections in a market it considers a priority, both as a destination and as the world's leading source of luxury guests.

Marriott International has published Future of Food 2027, its report on F&B trends across Asia Pacific excluding China. The study draws on chefs, hospitality experts and the group’s properties in the region. It describes hotel dining that is more local, more intimate and shorter, which the group sums up in a single phrase: the rise of place. For operators and owners alike, this bears directly on the programming of F&B spaces and the organisation of service.

From 15 to 18 October 2026, ECO-ONE is holding the second Paris edition of The Hotel Drop, its pop-up online sale of second-hand hotel furniture. The pieces come from two Parisian 4-star hotels: Les Jardins de la Villa, set to become Alfred Hotels' first 4-star property, and La Belle Juliette, part of the Hôtel Paris Rive Gauche group. Four months after a first edition that drew 4,000 registrants, the scheme is establishing itself as an outlet for furniture released by hotel renovation cycles.

Alain K. Bachmann took up the post of General Manager of Casa Tuya on 1 October 2026. The twelve-villa resort, located in the village of Taro just north of Ubud, Bali, is due to open in July 2027. He leaves Zannier Bãi San Hô in Vietnam and returns to Ubud nearly a decade after leading The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah for GHM.

🔎 Trend of the day: demand for accommodation remains robust, from the mountains to the campsite. Two 5-star hotels open in Courchevel Moriond, Paris suites post 82% occupancy, outdoor hospitality breaks records and a new TUI hotel opens in Phnom Penh: the appetite for travel shows no sign of fading – the challenge now is to capture more of its value in the face of the platforms.

Grand Hotel Central Barcelona has entrusted its general management to Raimon Senpau as of September 2026. A seasoned figure in Barcelona's hotel scene, he brings more than twenty years of leadership experience. His appointment comes in the year the building that houses the hotel celebrates its centenary.

The Groupement national des chaînes hôtelières (GNC) is changing its name to France Hospitalité, a federation chaired by Serge Trigano. Announced on 6 October 2026, the new identity marks the hotel chains' independence from UMIH after more than 30 years of association, giving a portfolio of 3,500 hotels employer representation devoted entirely to the hotel industry.

A year apart, the Paris Economic Activities Court (Tribunal des activités économiques de Paris) handed down two rulings in favour of franchisees, on 17 December 2025 and 30 September 2026. The first holds a franchisor liable for damage to its brand's image; the second for approving an unsuitable location. Although delivered outside the hotel sector, they touch two cornerstones of hotel franchising – site selection and brand value – just as the major groups are accelerating their shift to an asset-light model.

Generator has acquired Novotel London Greenwich, a four-star hotel that will become Generator London Greenwich on 1 January 2027. The brand's second London address was announced alongside a management agreement signed with Covivio in Paris's 13th arrondissement. Together, the two deals launch the growth phase sought by Brookfield, which is intended to double the brand's portfolio by 2031.

Marriott International has reached an agreement with Dutch operator Townhouse Hotels. Eight city hotels, totalling more than 700 rooms, will join its portfolio in the Netherlands. Six properties will move under Series by Marriott, which thereby enters the country, and two will join Tribute Portfolio. The group is also establishing a presence in Maastricht and Eindhoven for the first time.

Since September 2026, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels has entrusted the leadership of the Beachcomber Academy to Justine Giove. Trained in, and shaped by, French luxury hospitality, this human resources and operations specialist is tasked with turning the Academy into a lever for talent development, leadership and succession across the eight hotels of Mauritius's leading hotel group.