The Crowne Plaza Frankfurt, operated by Novum Hospitality under an IHG licence, was evacuated and closed on Monday in the Niederrad district over fire-safety failures, putting 50 jobs at risk. The 395-room property, whose sprinkler system is reported to be out of service, could require up to €25 million in works, against a backdrop of a lease dispute with French property company Praemia. The sudden closure highlights growing tensions between hotel operators and landlords over responsibility for compliance works.

California start-up Figure presented Helix 2.5 on 17 September 2026, a new artificial intelligence model that allows its Figure 03 humanoid robot to operate in environments it has never mapped. Tested in 30 homes across the San Francisco Bay Area, the system achieved a 56% success rate across three household tasks, with no data collected on site beforehand.

Central purchasing offices, volume consolidation, ERP systems and automation have gradually distanced purchasing from hotels and contributed to the disappearance of the storekeeper and the purchasing manager. But does securing the best negotiated price really mean securing the best cost for the property? The Hospitality Tribune met Kacem Aoualli, a buyer and expert in the function with almost 30 years’ experience at Accor, to question this model and consider the return of a profoundly renewed purchasing manager: a buyer augmented by AI, who is at once buyer, cost controller and storekeeper.

At the Annual Hotel Conference in Manchester, Prism (formerly Oyo) founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal set out the Indian group's development strategy in the UK and Europe. Rather than betting on RevPAR growth, the group intends to reduce operational complexity in upscale properties through its single technology platform, while strengthening its ties with institutional owners.

With little available land and few viable new-build projects, institutional investors in Seoul are turning office buildings into hotels, as illustrated by BlueCove-CPPIB at LC Tower and Goldman Sachs-IGIS at Timewalk Myeongdong. A structural shortage of rooms, driven by record tourist arrivals, is fuelling a trend that Cushman & Wakefield Korea expects to last.

Futuroscope has unveiled its 2027 programme to mark its 40th anniversary, featuring a brand-new night-time parade, fresh entertainment and a fourth themed hotel dedicated to science fiction, currently under construction. Backed by Compagnie des Alpes, this latest step continues the €304 million "Vision 2025" investment plan. The Vienne-based leisure park is further cementing its strategy of positioning itself as a genuine stay destination.

Naguib Sawiris, chairman of Ora Developers, has confirmed an investment of around €100 million in Silversands Mykonos, a six-star, 93-key resort whose opening — originally planned for 2026 — has been pushed back to May 2027 due to construction delays and Greek administrative procedures. In an interview with Greek outlet Thema, relayed by ProtoThema, the Egyptian businessman details his vision for the project and his ambitions for Greece for the first time.

Miral, the Abu Dhabi-based destination management and leisure operator, will invest more than AED 12 billion — approximately €2.83 billion — in Yas Island over the next five years. The programme, separate from the previously announced Disney project, aims to strengthen the destination's hotel offering and attractions as part of Abu Dhabi's Tourism Strategy 2030.

A HOTREC study of 2,713 hotels across 28 countries reveals that Booking Holdings and Expedia Group now account for more than 85% of bookings made via OTAs in Europe. Published on 15 September 2026, the study renews the European federation's call for strict enforcement of the Digital Markets Act, as the European Commission considers a regulatory simplification proposal that could weaken the P2B Regulation.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has completed the speaker line-up for its 26th Global Summit, which will bring together more than 1,000 delegates and 200 industry leaders in Valletta, Malta, from 7 to 9 October 2026. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar and Ambassador Nick Adams, the first US presidential envoy for tourism, join the roster of high-profile speakers. Held under the theme "FUTU[RE]SET", the event will examine the investment, resilience and competitiveness levers shaping the global travel industry.

Luxury Group by Marriott International and Sotheby's are deepening their global partnership with the launch of "The Art of Knowing," a masterclass series dedicated to rare craftsmanship and fine collecting, marking its first expansion into Asia-Pacific. Rolling out in Hong Kong from September 14 and in Shenzhen from October 15, the initiative pairs video content with immersive experiences at The St. Regis Hong Kong and The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. It illustrates the experience-led strategy the hotel group is building to strengthen the appeal of its luxury brand portfolio.

Accor is accelerating the rollout of its franchise model, which already accounts for 61% of its global network and more than 3,500 hotels. Leire Leoz, Group Chief Operating Officer for Franchise, Premium, Midscale & Economy, sets out the drivers behind a strategy aiming for 75% of the portfolio under franchise by 2030 — a scale-up that forms part of the wider asset-light transformation under way across the hotel sector.