🇫🇷 FRANCE
🏨 Development | Radisson plans a third hotel in the Lyon metropolitan area
Radisson plans to open the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Lyon Golf du Verger, in Saint-Symphorien-d’Ozon, south of Lyon, in 2029. The project involves taking over a hotel complex that has remained unfinished since 2013 and will comprise 148 rooms, an 800 sq m spa and two padel courts. It will represent the group’s third announced property in the Greater Lyon area.
💼 Acquisition | Mickael Abitbol outlines his ambitions for Hôtel Aboukir in Paris
Mickael Abitbol has confirmed the acquisition of a 570 sq m hotel at 134 rue d’Aboukir, in Paris’s 2nd arrondissement. The investor plans a complete redevelopment to create a 21-room, four-star hotel featuring a spa and a restaurant open to the surrounding neighbourhood. Opening is envisaged within the next twelve months. According to Abitbol, this is his sixth hotel acquisition.
🏗️ Redevelopment | Sebban Group revives the former Hôtel Artéa in Aix-en-Provence
Closed since 2021 and subject to several official notices concerning the building’s dangerous condition, the former Hôtel Artéa on rue de la République in Aix-en-Provence is to undergo a complete redevelopment by Sebban Group. The project envisages a three- or four-star hotel. The Bricorama store occupying the building’s ground floor is expected to remain in its premises following completion of the works.
⚖️ Liquidation | Anthénea, specialist in luxury floating accommodation, ceases operations
On 14 October, the Commercial Court of Saint-Brieuc ordered the judicial liquidation of Anthénea, a Lannion-based company specialising in high-end floating homes. Having been under court-supervised restructuring proceedings since June, the company failed to secure a financing or takeover solution considered sufficient. Its managing director, Jacques-Antoine Cesbron, nevertheless says that discussions with potential buyers are continuing.
📺 Television | M6’s “Alerte à l’hôtel” sparks controversy following its debut
The first episode of “Alerte à l’hôtel”, broadcast on M6 on 15 October, has attracted criticism from the owner of Auberge de la Vieille Halle in Souppes-sur-Loing. She disputes the programme’s portrayal of her establishment and the actual duration of the assistance presented. Production company ITV, for its part, maintains that the programme involved several specialists working over a thirty-day period. The first part of the broadcast attracted 1.27 million viewers.
🕯️ Incident | South African rugby player dies at hotel on Île de Ré
Hyron Andrews, a 31-year-old South African rugby player with the Johannesburg Lions, died on 16 October while staying with his team at the Atalante-Relais Thalasso hotel in Sainte-Marie-de-Ré. Found in cardiorespiratory arrest, his death is the subject of an investigation to establish the cause. At this stage, prosecutors favour the hypothesis of an accidental death. The hotel has established a psychological support service.
🌍 INTERNATIONAL
🇺🇸 🏡 Branded residences | Breitling plans its first residential development in Miami
Following watches, boutiques and restaurants, Breitling is considering entering the branded residences market. Its first project, B Residences, has been announced in Miami’s Brickell district: a tower of approximately 70 storeys comprising more than 300 apartments, with completion scheduled for 2031. Partners Group plans to invest approximately $220 million in the development.
🇺🇸 🥤 Foodservice | KFC switches from PepsiCo to Coca-Cola in the United States
From 2027, KFC will replace PepsiCo beverages with Coca-Cola products in its US restaurants. The change of supplier marks a turning point in the fast-food chain’s procurement policy, historically associated with Pepsi, and illustrates the commercial importance of partnerships between major restaurant chains and beverage manufacturers.
🇵🇹 🍷 Sommellerie | Norway’s Nikolai Haram Svorte crowned world’s best sommelier in Lisbon, France’s Pascaline Lepeltier takes second place
Norwegian sommelier Nikolai Haram Svorte won the title of world’s best sommelier in Lisbon on Friday, following a competition bringing together the international elite of the profession. France’s Pascaline Lepeltier secured second place, ahead of Japan’s Wataru Iwata in third. The result confirms French sommellerie’s standing among the leading international references in the profession.
🇺🇸 💼 Acquisition | Snowmass Creek Capital acquires Timber Cove Resort in California
Snowmass Creek Capital has acquired Timber Cove Resort, a 46-room property in Jenner, on California’s Sonoma Coast. Built in the 1960s and renovated in 2016, the hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean joins the American investor’s portfolio. The new owner plans investments aimed at enhancing the guest experience while preserving the property’s architectural identity.
🇮🇹 🏨 Opening | The Pavilions prepares a five-star hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo
The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of The First Cortina on 4 December 2026, in the heart of the Italian resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Created through the redevelopment of an existing building, the five-star hotel will comprise 76 rooms and suites, a REVĪVŌ spa and several dining venues, including a Zuma concept. The project strengthens Cortina’s positioning in the upscale Alpine tourism segment.
🇫🇷 ✨ Appointment | Flore Larger to join Kering as Corporate Communications Director
Kering has announced the appointment of Flore Larger as Corporate Communications Director, effective 7 December 2026. Reporting to Laurent Claquin, the group’s Chief Brand Officer, she will be responsible for defining and overseeing corporate communications. Joining from Lazard Frères, she succeeds Paul Michon, who has moved to Renault Group.
LTH Analysis
The acquisitions in Paris and California confirm investors’ continued interest in existing assets offering repositioning potential. In these cases, value creation depends more on transformation and operations than on the construction of new properties.
The Radisson project near Lyon illustrates another approach: bringing a long-dormant asset back to market. Its successful delivery will depend on the partners’ ability to complete and commercialise a complex that has remained unfinished for more than a decade.
Conversely, Anthénea’s liquidation highlights the financing difficulties that innovative accommodation concepts can face, even when they offer strong differentiation.
Finally, Breitling’s residential project in Miami demonstrates the growing interest of non-hospitality luxury brands in high-end residential real estate, a segment in which brand recognition is becoming a powerful marketing and sales driver.
