🔎 Today's trend: hospitality caught between labour tensions and reinvention. From Scotland to the Côte d'Azur, restructurings and workplace disputes are multiplying, while Lyon, Saint Lucia and the Algarve show a sector that continues to innovate and reposition itself.

The global luxury travel advisor network reports a 20.8% rise in sales in 2026, driven by experiential luxury, wellness and a fast-growing ultra-high-net-worth clientele.

London luxury operator Maybourne, owner of Claridge's, The Connaught, The Berkeley and The Emory, is redirecting its commercial efforts toward the US, UK and Europe following a sharp downturn in Gulf clientele since February 2026. The rebalancing allows the Qatari-owned group to forecast rising revenue in the first half of 2026, in an increasingly competitive London five-star market.

Hotelier Daniel Shamoon, co-shareholder of Luxury Hotel Partners and Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is partnering with Dutch entrepreneur Albert Hartog to develop a luxury resort within Pearns Point, a residential community on Antigua's west coast. The deal, announced on 27 August 2026, introduces a hospitality component to a development that has until now been exclusively residential, adding resort accommodation and villas for sale. It reflects the growing strength of the Caribbean's luxury residential segment, driven by sustained international demand.

Wynn Al Marjan Island has announced the Townhomes, a new accommodation category within Enclave, the boutique hotel at the heart of the future integrated resort in Ras Al Khaimah. These two-level private residences, ranging from 630 to 1,110 sqm, draw inspiration from Parisian hôtels particuliers and complete the ultra-high-end offering alongside the existing Marina, Ocean Estates and Apartments.

Swedish hotel property company Pandox has signed a new long-term, revenue-indexed lease with Norwegian operator Strawberry for its hotel in Bodø, northern Norway. The agreement takes effect on 1 January 2027, when the current contract with Radisson Hotel Group expires, and will be accompanied by a joint renovation of the entrance and lobby along with a rebrand to Clarion Hotel Bodø.

CUSTARD chief executive Petra Clayton has taken control of Set-Jet, the world's summit dedicated to screen tourism, acquiring it from Martin Evans, founder of The Tourism Business. The takeover comes a year after the inaugural edition, which drew 220 delegates in the UK, marking a new chapter for this emerging event at the crossroads of the tourism and screen industries.

🔎 Today's trend: the courts take centre stage in hospitality news. Between a validated dismissal in Spain and a conviction of Disneyland Paris a decade after a tragedy, the sector finds itself before the judges - while hotel groups continue expanding their territorial footprint, from La Ciotat to the Basque Country.

Hilton has announced the signing of Maravé Manuel Antonio, LXR Hotels & Resorts, marking the independent luxury brand's debut in Costa Rica. Developed with Ocean Cove MA Development One S.A. on a beachfront estate in the Manuel Antonio region, the 173-unit hotel and residential complex is due to open in 2029. The signing forms part of Hilton's strategy to strengthen its luxury footprint in Central America.

IHG Hotels & Resorts announced on 27 August 2026 the opening of the Holiday Inn & Suites Commerce City-Denver Airport in Colorado. The 106-room property, developed by NibbleNook Hospitality, is the brand's first newly built hotel to feature its new lobby concept, combining reception, an ordering counter and a bar within a single space. The opening forms part of Holiday Inn's ongoing modernisation drive ahead of its 75th anniversary in 2027.

In the Hunter Valley, the group is transforming 137.6 hectares into a resort combining golf, wellness, family offerings and event spaces

The Walt Disney Company is preparing to open a new property in the Disney Resorts Collection, positioned between Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge, with an opening scheduled for 1 July 2027 and bookings opening from early October 2026.