Highgate has announced the appointment of Siim Karu as Chief Commercial Officer Europe, based in London, effective from 10 August 2026. He will be responsible for driving the group's entire commercial strategy across the European region, spanning revenue management, sales, distribution, marketing and technology.

Accor has announced the opening of the Mercure Oradea, the brand's first hotel in this city in western Romania, representing an investment of around EUR 15 million. The 90-room property, operated under franchise by Grand Hotel West, strengthens the group's presence in the country and connects Oradea to the international travel circuit.

IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a franchise agreement with Morina Development & Investment Co. LLC to convert a 107-room hotel in Riyadh under the Noted Collection banner. Expected to open by the end of 2026, this marks the brand's first foray into the Middle East and underlines Saudi Arabia's strategic role in the group's development.

🔎 Today's trend: Spain, hospitality's laboratory of the year. Between technology expansion into Latin America, a new five-star hotel on the Costa Tropical and continued growth for Checkin Hotel Group in the Basque Country, Madrid confirms its role as a stronghold of European hospitality.

The brand-new Amanvari, which opened in early August 2026 on the Baja California Sur peninsula, has found itself at the centre of an international controversy after hotel critic Ryan Walker was denied access, his reservation having been cancelled by email the day before his arrival. The episode, filmed and posted to YouTube, surpassed 567,000 views within forty-eight hours and has put Aman's crisis management firmly under the luxury sector's spotlight.

IHG Hotels & Resorts published its first-half results on 11 August 2026, marked by double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share and a record level of hotel openings. The British group confirms its growth trajectory despite geopolitical tensions affecting certain Middle Eastern markets.

Pine Cliffs Resort, a Luxury Collection Resort, located in Albufeira in the Algarve, has announced the appointment of Ramón Von Schukkmann as Complex General Manager. Taking up the role in August 2026, the executive returns to a property where he worked sixteen years earlier, now bringing with him more than 25 years of experience in international luxury hospitality.

Hyatt has announced the integration of Hotel Palace Berlin, a historic property in City West, which will become Hyatt Regency Palace Berlin from the first quarter of 2027. The move strengthens the group's positioning in the business and MICE segment of the German capital.

Treudelberg Resort Hamburg announces the arrival of Carl Artmann as General Manager, effective 1 August 2026. With more than twenty years of national and international hospitality experience, he will work closely with his predecessor, Rolf Haug, over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition as part of the property's ongoing development.

Accor announces the arrival of the Pullman Hotels & Resorts brand in Panama, marking the opening of the Group's very first premium hotel in the country. Due in 2028, the Pullman Panama City will feature 300 rooms, event spaces, coworking, restaurants, wellness areas and a rooftop, in one of Latin America's leading business hubs.

Mews Financial Services B.V., a regulated subsidiary of Mews Systems, obtains an electronic money institution licence from De Nederlandsche Bank, making Mews the first hotel management system to secure such approval in the European Economic Area. The licence should allow the group to bring operational and financial management together on a single platform, in line with its expansion into hospitality-focused financial services.

Alila Hotels & Resorts announces the appointment of Nebi Ozan Ozdemir as Cluster General Manager of Alila Hinu Bay and Alila Jabal Akhdar, bringing the Group's two Omani resorts together under unified leadership. After two years leading Alila Hinu Bay, he now extends his remit to the mountain sanctuary of Alila Jabal Akhdar, recognised with the Condé Nast Traveller Triple Crown Award.