Former Jumeirah CEO and longtime Four Seasons executive joins the board of the British luxury hotel group

In a ruling dated 8 July 2026, the labour division of the Cour de cassation has confirmed that an employee can be a victim of moral harassment purely as a result of degrading management methods imposed on their team, without having been personally targeted by the conduct in question. Handed down in a case brought by a former HR director against her employer, the Centrale d'approvisionnement des Landes, the decision significantly widens the scope of moral harassment as previously defined by lower courts. For HR leadership teams, it means rethinking how a degraded managerial climate can, on its own, expose an employer to liability.

Rosewood Hotel Group unveils Rosewood AMAALA at Triple Bay, on the north-western Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, marking the brand's arrival on a shoreline long inaccessible to travellers. The 110-pool-villa property was designed by ACPV Architects and Tristan Auer. The opening forms part of Rosewood's sustained growth in the Kingdom, where the group already has several further addresses in the pipeline.

🔎 Today's trend: luxury hospitality confirms its global resilience. Between strategic appointments at the helm of exceptional resorts, massive financial flows into European palace hotels, and soaring room rates in the world's leading capitals, the high end continues to pull the sector upward.

Gilbert Lemieux, with more than thirty years of experience in the Québec hospitality industry, has been appointed General Manager of Delta Hotels by Marriott Sherbrooke Conference Centre. The announcement was made by Susie Grynol, Regional Vice President of Marriott Canada. The appointment marks a return for Gilbert Lemieux, who began his commercial career at this same property in the mid-2000s.

The Spanish hotel group strengthens its luxury portfolio with the acquisition of an iconic hotel born from the former Byblos, in Mijas, operated under The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand.

Turkish hospitality group Kaya Hotels & Resorts has completed the acquisition of the ME Barcelona, a 164-room five-star hotel at the junction of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer de Casp, from Spanish developer Actual Capital, for a sum exceeding €100 million. The property, operated by Meliá Hotels International under its ME by Meliá lifestyle brand, is set to be rebranded Kaya Palazzo Barcelona from 1 January 2028.

From Rome to Lagos, via Shura Island and Nice, the American group confirms a sustained pace of openings across its luxury and lifestyle segments

The hotel group strengthens its Taiwanese portfolio with the market debut of HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts and rolls out its loyalty services on the LINE messaging platform

LaPour Partners has unveiled a project to convert a 19-storey office tower at the Arizona Center complex, in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, into a 340-room JW Marriott. Led alongside owner Reliance Management and its principal Daryl Burton, the redevelopment aims to meet growing demand for luxury hospitality in one of the most dynamic urban markets in the United States. Opening is scheduled for 2029, with an estimated investment of €173 million.

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN), a wholly owned subsidiary of Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), announced on 16 August 2026 the opening of SEVEN Tabuk, its second entertainment destination in the Kingdom after Abha. Fully indoor and air-conditioned, the site is aimed at both residents and visitors to north-western Saudi Arabia and forms part of the leisure sector development strategy driven by Vision 2030.

To mark its 25th anniversary, Anantara Hotels & Resorts, the experiential luxury brand of Minor Hotels, unveils a collection of signature experiences centred on stillness and wellbeing, rolled out across Italy, Thailand, the Maldives and Phuket. Available throughout 2026 across the brand's more than 50 properties, these experiences respond to growing demand from high-end travellers for a more measured relationship with time spent on holiday. The initiative forms part of Anantara's differentiation strategy amid the global rise of wellness tourism.