Accor Sells Timeshare Business to Travel and Leisure

Though her work on Saturday Night Live keeps her tethered to New York City, comedian Chloe Fineman can most often be found criss-crossing the country to film in Los Angeles or back to the Bay Area, where she grew up. Recently, for her campaign with Nütrl Vodka Seltzer, she got to see a new place: Mexico City. “First of all, my brain still can’t understand how it’s a three-hour flight from LA [and five hours from New York], so I could meet all my friends in the middle,” she says. “And it was the most beautiful city. We saw luchadores wrestling, and the food was unbelievable. Some of the best meals in my life were in Mexico City!”

Online travel agency Booking Holdings revealed lower expectations for the first quarter and full year of 2024 as travel demand in the United States begins to normalize following a post-pandemic surge.

Envoyage Logo. (Photo Credit: Flight Centre Travel Group)

Travel demand to Paris is increasing substantially ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will occur in the City of Light from July 26 through August 11.

Living in a rural and sometimes frigid part of Vermont, I used to worry about winter weather when I left my home empty to travel. Just before the pandemic, I went on a ski trip to the Rockies, and while I was gone, a pipe froze and burst, spewing water for days, and the end result was the total destruction of my kitchen floor down to the sub flooring, requiring more than $60,000 in repairs, not to mention very long waits for contractors and legal hassle with my sub-par insurer. Thanks to supply chain issues, it took well over a year just for my new range to arrive, cooking on an induction burner with no oven.

Alaska Airlines is making it easier to see April’s epic solar eclipse with a series of flights heading to destinations along the path of totality — and they're selling out. The specific routes, which fly to places like Mazatlán, Mexico, Texas, and Ohio, have seen a threefold increase in demand compared to previous years, Alaska Airlines shared with Travel + Leisure. And that increased demand has led to increasingly sold-out flights.

Fifteen-hour flights are becoming the norm these days now that aviation engineers have designed aircraft that can easily make those long-haul trips. Currently the longest journey is from New York City to Singapore (18.5 hours) but Qantas Airlines is set to debut a new offering next year—from Sydney to London, and Sydney to New York—flights that will come in at 20 hours. Most Qantas international flights are long-haul by definition (given Australia’s geographic situation) but their mastery of the business class experience makes them a pleasure to fly rather than an endurance test. During a recent 15 hour and 45 minute flight from Melbourne to Dallas I had the opportunity to inspect their business class offering on their 787-9 Dreamliner. Overall, the quality of the experience neutralizes the slog of 15+ hours with fine dining, great wines, comfortable seats and a great cabin crew.

Altree Developments, a Toronto-based, multi-generational, full-service development company is set to redefine luxury living in St. Maarten and today announces they have launched sales at their newest development, Vie L’Ven (life to life), a luxury resort and residences with 280 units, that is slated for completion in 2028. “Vie L’Ven seamlessly coalesces the influences of both French and Dutch cultures which are truly represented in this incomparable development through exceptional living, dining and wellness experiences,” says Zev Mandelbaum, founder of Altree. “Serving as a love letter to St. Maarten, Vie L’Ven encourages homeowners and guests to embrace living life to the fullest, while soaking in the island’s natural beauty and tranquility, where European culture blends effortlessly with Caribbean aptitude.”

Mountain lovers can experience the new must-visit winter destination as COTTON CLUB ANDERMATT throws open its doors offering guests luxurious comfort, winter sun, and an immersive experience in the clear, bright, Alpine glow – Switzerland’s coolest new location. The brainchild of Norwegian entrepreneurs Christian and Merete Marstrander, COTTON CLUB ANDERMATT brings the COTTON LIFESTYLE to life. Known for their passion for both snow and sand, the Marstranders have created a forward-thinking vision of hospitality that has now arrived in Andermatt. With world-class service, meticulous attention to detail, and a dedication to ensuring each guest feels the special effect of the Cotton Club lifestyle, they have transformed Andermatt into a winter destination like no other.

Holland America Line is elevating its award-winning Alaska Cruisetours in time for the 2024 season with room upgrades at McKinley Chalet Resort and a new, included tour in Dawson City, Yukon. Alaska Cruisetours combine an Alaska cruise with an overland tour to Denali, and Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends those tours into the Yukon. Balconies will be added to 28 river-view rooms at McKinley Chalet Resort — Holland America Line’s hotel property at Denali National Park — upgrading them to the Denali Suite category. In addition, a new Deluxe category of non-balcony rooms with suite amenities is being introduced. For the excursions, guests on select Denali and Yukon Cruisetours will have a new “Klondike Gold Tour” that expands on the region’s famed gold rush experience. The tour visits the original discovery claim site that launched the gold rush and Gold Dredge 4.

Maud Bailly is at the top of her game. Following roles at the French national rail company (SNCF) and French Prime Minister Manuel Vall’s office as head of the economic and digital department responsible for economic, budget, fiscal, industrial and digital affairs, Bailly now leads several of Accor’s premium brands like Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems.

When my husband and I started toying with the idea of taking my teenagers on a whale-watching expedition cruise, we had no idea what to expect. While we’d cruised on several major cruise lines in the past, hopping on a 100-passenger ship run by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions felt far different than anything we’d done before.