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Business
360°: global hospitality news round-up, 9 October 2026 | From Barcelona to Bangkok via Brazzaville and Rehoboth Beach
🔎 Trend of the day: AI, the new engine of hotel performance. From conversational distribution to real-time pricing, industry players are embedding artificial intelligence at the heart of their value chain, from booking through to profitability management.
Personnel Moves
Hong Kong, China | Conor Hadlington appointed General Manager of Conrad Hong Kong
Hilton has entrusted the general management of Conrad Hong Kong to Conor Hadlington, who took up the post on 28 September 2026. A veteran of Mandarin Oriental, InterContinental and Shangri-La, the British executive now oversees operations, commercial strategy and the delivery of brand standards at the 513-room hotel in Pacific Place, in the Admiralty district.
Explorer
Strategy
Deep Dive, Switzerland🇨🇭 | Geneva Tourism & Convention unveils its 2026-2030 responsible tourism strategy
The Geneva Tourism & Convention Foundation publishes its new responsible tourism strategy for the 2026-2030 period, structured around three impact levers and 29 concrete measures. The document, which follows on from the 2021-2025 sustainability strategy, comes as the destination recorded nearly 3.9 million hotel overnights in 2025, a sector accounting for 2.1% of cantonal GDP and more than 15,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Personnel Moves
Appointment, Rwanda | Martin Cody appointed Cluster General Manager of Kerzner International in Rwanda
Kerzner International announces the appointment of Martin Cody as Cluster General Manager for its two Rwandan properties, One&Only Gorilla's Nest and One&Only Nyungwe House. With more than twenty years at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, spanning the Maldives, Serengeti, Shanghai and Johannesburg, he takes the helm of two of Rwanda's flagship nature-tourism addresses.
Personnel Moves
Appointment, Netherlands | Rafael Oliveira appointed Chief Executive Officer of Heineken N.V.
Heineken N.V.'s General Meeting of Shareholders has approved the appointment of Rafael Oliveira to the Dutch brewing group's Executive Board. He will take the chair as Chief Executive Officer for a four-year term, effective 1 October 2026, succeeding Dolf van den Brink, and becomes the first Group leader recruited from outside its ranks.
Headlines
360°, world tour of the day’s news | From Singapore to Issyk-Kul via Bengaluru and Valencia
🔎 Today's trend: between cyber-espionage targeting hotel Wi-Fi networks, renewed investor appetite for India and Central Asia, and consolidation in the French hotel-coliving market, today's news illustrates the growing globalisation of both commercial and security challenges facing the sector.
Development
Cruise, Monaco | Crystal confirms construction of a third ship with shipyard Fincantieri
Crystal announces the effectiveness of the contract for the construction of its third next-generation ship at the Italian shipyard Fincantieri, with delivery scheduled for May 2034. This third vessel joins the fleet under construction alongside Crystal Grace, due in 2028, and its sister ship, expected in May 2031.
Development
Signing, India | Radisson Hotel Group enters Ongole, Andhra Pradesh
Radisson Hotel Group announces the signing of the Radisson Hotel Ongole, which will become the city's first internationally branded hotel. The signing forms part of the Group's strategy to strengthen its presence in India's tier-2 and tier-3 cities, where improving infrastructure and economic momentum are creating new opportunities for organised hospitality.
Development
Opening, Romania | Radisson Blu arrives at Cota 1400, in the Bucegi Mountains, with a five-star, 68-room hotel
Radisson Hotel Group announces the opening of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Sinaia Cota 1400, the first internationally branded five-star hotel at this altitude in Romania. Housed in a historic building dating back to 1939, right at the foot of the cable car linking Cota 1400 to Cota 2000, the 68-room property combines contemporary alpine hospitality with an upscale wellness offering in the heart of the Bucegi Mountains.
Development
Opening, France | Best Western unveils Le Clos de l’Aube Rouge, in Castelnau-le-Lez, on the edge of Montpellier
Best Western France announces the opening of the Best Western Le Clos de l'Aube Rouge, in Castelnau-le-Lez, in the Hérault department. Set in a former wine warehouse facing the garrigue and the banks of the Lez, the property combines accommodation, dining featuring local produce, seminar spaces and leisure facilities, midway between Montpellier's historic centre, the Pic Saint-Loup vineyards and the Mediterranean coast.
Personnel Moves
Appointment, USA | Vladimir Anokhin appointed Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Marriott Vacations Worldwide
Marriott Vacations Worldwide appoints Vladimir "Vlad" Anokhin as Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer. Reporting to CEO Matt Avril and joining the Executive Leadership Team, he will lead the Group's transformation initiatives, data analytics and product development.
Development
Opening, Papua New Guinea | Sheraton makes its debut in the country with the Sheraton Port Moresby Stanley Hotel & Suites
Marriott International opens the Sheraton Port Moresby Stanley Hotel & Suites, marking the Sheraton brand's arrival in Papua New Guinea. The 394-key property, resulting from the conversion of the iconic Stanley Hotel & Suites, becomes the Group's second hotel in the country.
Personnel Moves
Appointment, USA | Bill Hornbuckle, CEO of MGM Resorts, joins the Board of Directors of Vail Resorts
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.
Personnel Moves
Appointment, United Kingdom | Jean Louis Fresta appointed Acting General Manager of Shangri-La The Shard, London
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.
Derniers articles
Business
360°: global hospitality news round-up, 9 October 2026 | From Barcelona to Bangkok via Brazzaville and Rehoboth Beach
🔎 Trend of the day: AI, the new engine of hotel performance. From conversational distribution to real-time pricing, industry players are embedding artificial intelligence at the heart of their value chain, from booking through to profitability management.
Personnel Moves
Hong Kong, China | Conor Hadlington appointed General Manager of Conrad Hong Kong
Hilton has entrusted the general management of Conrad Hong Kong to Conor Hadlington, who took up the post on 28 September 2026. A veteran of Mandarin Oriental, InterContinental and Shangri-La, the British executive now oversees operations, commercial strategy and the delivery of brand standards at the 513-room hotel in Pacific Place, in the Admiralty district.
Business
US | Braemar Hotels & Resorts sells Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale for €318m and completes its exit from Ashford
Braemar Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: BHR) has signed a definitive agreement to sell the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, in Arizona, for $372 million (around €318m). Closing is expected on 22 October 2026. The Dallas-based listed REIT is using the proceeds to fund its separation from Ashford Inc. and will become a self-managed REIT focused on seven luxury hotels in the United States and the Caribbean.
Personnel Moves
Governance, Singapore | Chin Fen Eu to step down as CEO of Frasers Hospitality as the group reorganises its governance
Frasers Property Limited has announced the departure of Chin Fen Eu, CEO of Frasers Hospitality, effective 1 January 2027. The Singapore-based group is using the transition to split the governance of its hospitality arm between operations, entrusted to Chew Hang Song, and investment, placed under the responsibility of Eric Gan.




