Maria Strati has joined Shedir Collection, the Rome-based luxury hotel group, as Chief Commercial Officer with effect from 1 October 2026. The former General Manager of J.K. Place Roma and Casa J.K. Place Roma arrives as the group opens a new chapter under Simone Giorgi, CEO and Executive Asset Manager.

🔎 Trend of the day: the leadership transfer market is in full swing. A general manager returns to Le Christopher St Barth, a string of departures at L'Isle de Leos, a newly created role at Discovery Hospitality in the Philippines, new leadership at ERTH and Banyan Tree: with seasonal reopenings and pre-openings approaching, groups are securing their management teams.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH) announced on 1 October 2026 that its Chief Human Resources Officer, Patrick Cimerola, will retire at the end of 2026, after 25 years with the group. His departure comes a month after Dominic Dragisich was confirmed as President and Chief Executive Officer. The franchisor is launching a comprehensive search for his successor.

On 1 October 2026, Oetker Hotels announced a series of internal promotions at the top of its leadership: Duarte Bon de Sousa becomes Chief Operating Officer and joins the Executive Committee, Virginie Saint-Laurent is named Chief People & Culture Officer and Simon Neggers Chief Commercial Officer. The reshuffle comes as the collection, which entered the US market this year, prepares to open Le Mas Bellevue in Saint-Tropez in June 2027 and launch its first branded residences.

🔎 Trend of the day: upscaling under strain. From Paris to the Exumas, high-end projects are running up against their stakeholders – staff on one side, neighbours and environmental campaigners on the other. Meanwhile, the major brands press on with their push into emerging destinations, from the Vietnamese coast to the vineyards of Kakheti.

The subject since June of a preliminary investigation by France's National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) into suspected organised corruption, Malakoff Humanis is seeing pressure mount on its chief executive, Thomas Saunier. According to Mediapart, Jean-Pierre Thomas's consultancy firm allegedly received more than €22 million in commissions from asset managers selected by the group. The case directly concerns the hotel and restaurant sector, as Malakoff Humanis, together with Klesia, provides health and welfare cover for the HCR branch and funds its HCR Bien-Être social support scheme.

Choice Hotels International announced on 30 September 2026 that it had signed an agreement to acquire 100% of Harvest Hosts, a US membership network for RV travellers. The deal carries an enterprise value of around €114 million (approximately $130 million). The franchisor is thereby extending its "value-minded" customer base into outdoor travel, through an asset-light model consistent with its long-term strategy.

Joelle Edwards-Tonks takes up her role as CEO of Sunlife Mauritius on 1 October 2026, succeeding François Eynaud, who led the group for seven years. She also becomes the first woman to head a hotel group in Mauritius, in an internal succession that hands the top job to an executive with a background in sales and revenue management.

On 30 September 2026, Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced a series of openings and projects for the brands in its Essentials Portfolio across the United States, from Hyatt Place to Unscripted by Hyatt. From historic East Coast towns to the communities of western Oahu, the group is targeting regional, coastal and business markets beyond the major metropolitan areas – a strategy underpinned by a network of more than 700 hotels and the 69 million members of the World of Hyatt programme.

On 30 September 2026, Hyatt Hotels Corporation appointed Amar Lalvani to the newly created role of Chief Creative Officer, effective immediately. The President and Creative Director of the Lifestyle Group sees his remit extended across the group's entire global portfolio, as Hyatt sets out its ambition to make each of its brands more distinctive for guests and owners alike.

Radisson Hotel Group has announced the launch of four Radisson Blu Verified Net Zero hotels in Sweden and Denmark: three in Stockholm and one in Copenhagen. This brings the group's total number of Verified Net Zero hotels in the Nordics and the UK to nine. All four properties host major events and large congresses. The programme is moving beyond its pilot phase, on the way to its target of 100 hotels by 2030.

Ewan Taylor took over as General Manager of Wildhive Eshott Hall in September 2026, a Northumberland country house whose original building dates back to 1680. After nearly two decades in Asia, including two years at the helm of Oriental Residence Bangkok, he returns to the UK to lead the property's reopening following an extensive refurbishment.