Vail Resorts announces the appointment of Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and President of MGM Resorts International, to its Board of Directors, as the company launches Epic Experience, its multi-year roadmap to modernise the guest experience across its ski resorts. The executive, a long-time Park City resident, becomes the company's tenth board member.

Jean Louis Fresta takes over as Acting General Manager of Shangri-La The Shard, one of London's most iconic luxury hotels, following the departure of former General Manager Kurt Macher. Resident Manager of the property since 2021, he brings more than 25 years of experience with the Shangri-La group across London, Istanbul and Jeddah.

🔎 Today's trend: between technology expansion in Latin America, strategic appointments, upcoming openings and forced closures, global hospitality is moving at very different speeds depending on the region.

Siamese & Kew Green Hotel Management announces the appointment of Erik Lannge as General Manager of TRIBE Living Bangkok Sukhumvit 39, a lifestyle property within the Accor family. With more than twenty years of hospitality experience in Thailand and Southeast Asia, he joins the property after leading the dusitD2 Khao Yai, where he notably launched several dining concepts and an eco-villa cluster.

Within the Details - Hospitality, Sports, Leisure group, which he joined in 2023, André Pereira moves into the role of Cluster Hotel Manager, overseeing the three properties The Pearl, The Anchor and The Residences on the Tróia Peninsula, a 600-key portfolio. A new milestone in a career built entirely in Portugal, spanning the Algarve, Madeira and the Lisbon region.

Hawaiian, owner and operator of the Parmelia Hilton Hotel in Perth and the Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa in Broome, announces the appointment of Beau Waters as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Joining Hawaiian in February 2025 as Chief Operating Officer, he steps into the role following a competitive recruitment process led by the Board of Directors.

Choice Hotels International reports revenue of $441 million for the second quarter of 2026, with 2.6% global net rooms growth and US RevPAR growth for the first time in several quarters. The Group, now led by Dom Dragisich as Interim CEO, raises several of its full-year targets while entering the next phase of its asset-light strategy, with the first sales of wholly owned hotels expected in the first half of 2027.

Hilton officially opens Canopy Bangkok Sukhumvit, the first property of its Canopy Hotels lifestyle brand in Southeast Asia. Located in the Asoke district, the 174-room property combines design by AvroKO, four dining concepts and a locally curated experience programme, developed by LLAN Asset.

The Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, in Hoi An, announces the appointment of Joris Quintelier as Resort Manager, as the property celebrates ten years within the Four Seasons brand. Trained early in his career at the Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, the Belgian executive brings more than fifteen years of experience gained across Paris, the Seychelles, Philadelphia, Doha and Hong Kong.

Minor Hotels announces the opening of Avani Queenstown from September 2026, a lakeside lifestyle property marking the Avani brand's first arrival in New Zealand's adventure capital. The former Oaks Shores Resort, fully repositioned, becomes the brand's New Zealand hub, alongside Avani Auckland Metropolis Residences.

Tikehau Capital and Quest Capital announce the creation of Selecto, a new operator dedicated to urban hospitality in Spain and Portugal, franchised with IHG Hotels & Resorts under the Holiday Inn Express brand. Launch funding, provided by alternative lender Maslow Capital, covers an initial portfolio of four projects in Madrid, Malaga and Barcelona, with a combined gross development value exceeding €200 million.

Following the oil shock of the first half of 2026 triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the global business travel market is entering a phase of normalisation. The new joint forecast from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and ALTOUR points to still-marked cost increases in 2026, followed by a sharp slowdown in 2027, without a return to pre-crisis levels. For hospitality, the equation is distinctive: demand is rebounding strongly, but a record construction pipeline is keeping room rate growth in check.