Luxury Train Hub, a trade-only platform created by technology specialist Paul Gridley, officially launched in July 2026 in Reigate, England. It brings luxury rail journeys from multiple operators together in a single tool. Open to IATA-verified agencies and other rigorously vetted agencies, it aims to make luxury rail as easy to sell as a flight, a cruise or a hotel stay.

On 1 January 2027, GHR Paris Île-de-France, the leading hospitality employers' organisation in the Paris region, will become Union CHR Paris Île-de-France and join Umih as an associate union. The move gives the sector's largest national employers' organisation the added weight of a body representing 60,000 employees, in the run-up to France's 2027 presidential election.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Jérôme Pichon as general manager of Raffles Diriyah Gate. An EHL graduate whose career spans Kerzner, Armani Hotel and The Ritz-Carlton, he has been leading the pre-opening of one of Diriyah's most closely watched addresses since February. Diriyah is the heritage and tourism giga-project on the outskirts of Riyadh.

Accor has entrusted Fadeel Wehbe with the leadership of its luxury brands Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems in Saudi Arabia. He retains the helm of Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre, which he has led since June 2025. With this appointment, the group is relying on an executive who has spent forty years in Gulf hospitality to support the expansion of its luxury portfolio in the Kingdom.

Magdalena Martorell Server took over as General Manager of Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort, in Baa Atoll, in September 2026. The hotelier previously led an Anantara property in Bali and therefore remains within Minor Hotels. She brings more than fifteen years of management experience across Europe and Asia-Pacific, including several pre-openings.

On 18 September, shareholders of the Company des Bains de Mer renewed Stéphane Valeri's mandate for six years. The same day, in an interview with Monaco Info, the Chairman and CEO presented a record financial year, a series of pay rises for employees and the two projects due to start in autumn 2027: the addition of storeys to the Monte-Carlo Bay and the "thermes-terrasses" development opposite Place du Casino.

Italian group Arsenale has entrusted Fabrizio Gaggio with leading its new Business Unit dedicated to hospitality, effective September 2026. He has previously headed Gruppo UNA and Starhotels, and was responsible for global asset management at Millennium & Copthorne. His brief is to structure the hotel portfolio of the Rome-based group, which is in a phase of strong growth.

A Paris city councillor, Elisa Yavchitz becomes the first woman to chair the Board of Paris je t'aime - Paris Tourist Office. She takes up the role as the association seeks to open a new phase in its development, combining the digital transformation of visitor services with a sustainable tourism strategy across Greater Paris.

On 24 July 2026, Basque group HETZI signed the acquisition of Villa KOEGUI Bayonne, an independent four-star hotel in the heart of the city. Coming a year and a half after the opening of BIZIPOZ Hôtel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, this second hotel strengthens the group's Hospitality, Leisure & Dining division. It also extends the group's footprint into the northern Basque Country and comes with a repositioning of the hotel's restaurant towards events.

On 23 September 2026, Aman revealed the name of its first Maldives property: Amanolu. Designed by Kerry Hill Architects in Vaavu Atoll, the project will comprise 52 keys and 16 branded residences, each on its own private island. Opening is scheduled for 2028. Two years after the project was first announced, the group led by Vlad Doronin is setting out the offer that will mark its arrival in one of the world's most competitive luxury beach markets.

Nhood, the real estate operator of the Mulliez Family Association, is restructuring its Capital Markets business in France around dedicated expertise for each asset class. Under the leadership of Federico Valentini, the Hospitality & Living desk is entrusted to Andreas Ignatevossian. The group aims to better support investors in a market that has become more selective.

Cheyne Capital has announced the final close of CRECH IX – Capital Solutions, the ninth vintage of its real estate debt programme. The fund and its associated vehicles have raised £3bn, or around €3.5bn. More than half has already been invested across 73 loans, some of them in hospitality. Cheyne ranks among the most active non-bank lenders to the European hotel sector, and this raise strengthens its position.