Marriott's Trojena Hotels Opening in Saudi Mountains

Multinational investment bank UBS has told its staff not to go on any work-related trips to the Middle East. The company has also hit the brakes on an event it was supposed to host in Qatar later this month, according to an internal memo that was seen by Bloomberg and confirmed by a UBS spokesman.

Saudi Arabia wants to write and uphold official “7-star standards” at its upcoming ultra-luxury Sindalah Island. The idea of ‘7-star’ anything dates back to the opening of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel, a distinction that operator Jumeirah has never liked using, nor has the emirate officiated.

Gulf countries are forming a new “bloc” dedicated to furthering the region’s tourism sector. The much-anticipated ‘GCC zone’ unified visa should be announced by December to tie together the GCC states: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

Marriott International, EcoVadis and several leading global hospitality organizations – Accor, Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotel Group, and two global hospitality group purchasing organizations, Avendra and Entegra – today announced the launch of the Hospitality Alliance for Responsible Procurement (HARP). Driven by members’ commitment to improve sustainability performance, the Alliance will work to accelerate sustainable practices by fostering close collaboration with trading partners to build transparency and scale positive impact across their value chains.

It was two nights before Qatar’s World Cup, and all across its stadiums, staffers were frantically removing beer stands – the country had reversed its decision to serve alcohol in stadiums.

For a long time, perhaps the only comparison one could draw between Monaco and Gulf capital Saudi Arabia was a lack of personal income tax. Now, Saudi is looking to become a bit more like Monaco when it comes to its lavish yachting industry.

Dubai’s tourism corporation has just signed a long-term collaboration with Spanish football club Real Madrid. The entrepreneurial emirate linked with the team the day after it was announced that Spain will be one of the joint-hosts for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Saudi Arabia will put in its bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. To win it, the kingdom must meet new hosting requirements, including a stellar track record in human rights and a commitment to sustainability.

From a spectacular lakeside retreat in Austria to a legendary train adventure through Italy, there is a wide selection of luxury hotels opening around the world. I have curated a list of all new properties opening in 2024 by individual hotel brands so travelers can visit their trusted favorites.

Marriott last Wednesday gave a multi-hour, 144-slide presentation to investment analysts, providing insights into strategy at the world’s largest hotelier. Executives outlined their financial model through 2025.

This past summer, Instagram feeds were plastered with videos of tourists in Italy. You’d see a video of the Trevi Fountain with just a few Italian models taking photos – then a more realistic video with swarms of sweaty tourists.

During a historic visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this week, Israel’s Minister of Tourism said that it is the travel industry that can thaw the frosty relations between the two countries. Haim Katz’s visit marked the most senior member of the Israeli government to visit the Gulf kingdom.