Hotels tips

I'm a travel writer, which means I'm well versed on the allure of Airbnb.

In the Barossa Valley, Seppeltsfield has several significant updates in the pipeline, most notably the property’s new six-star hotel: Oscar Seppeltsfield. Developers are planning to break ground in late 2023/early 2024; the new A$50m luxury hotel will boast 71 rooms across 12 storeys, creating what’s been referred to as ‘a Sydney Opera House for the Barossa’. In the meantime, the winery is busy transforming its historic cellars beneath the cellar door into a new tasting room, with works due for completion by end of October 2023.

Is Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky hinting at long-term rentals when he said to expect what could be “the biggest update to Airbnb ever?” 

DidaTravel – a tech-driven global travel distribution company – has warned that western hotels have missed a great window of opportunity for capturing the attention of international outbound Chinese tourists by not actively promoting their properties ahead of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival currently taking place this week.

Hotels in the Middle East are performing really well with the highest occupancy rates in the world, said a senior director of global data benchmarking firm STR.

The Maldives’ most well-kept surprise opening, Ifuru Island Maldives, celebrated its official opening on 23 September 2023 with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the owners, the resort’s All-Star team and the very excited first official guests. A lush natural island boasting a 1km long stretch of white sandy beach with spectacular sunset views, the Ifuru Island concept brings unique and engaging experiences for guests seeking social connections and everything the Maldives has to offer in one place.

As Future Hospitality Summit 2023 kicks off, Hilton has announced plans to increase its presence in the Middle East by more than 125% in the years ahead.

Hospitality and residential projects worth US$D1.9 trillion are under development in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt accounting for 90 per cent (US$1.7 trillion) of investment, according to key data released ahead of the Future Hospitality Summit, taking place this morning in Abu Dhabi, and running from 25-27 September 2023. Research by global independent real estate consultants Knight Frank reveals that KSA is top of the region’s project investment table, with US$1.2 trillion worth of developments in the pipeline, followed by the UAE (US$300 billion) and Egypt (US$200 billion), highlighting the Middle East’s continued commitment to reaching 160 million annual tourists by 2030. Turab Saleem, Partner and Head of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure – MENA at Knight Frank, said: “The Middle East was the first region globally to make a complete business recovery after the pandemic.

The concierge is the hotel world's equivalent of a genie in a bottle — except some guests make far more than three wishes.

Hyatt Regency Lisbon takes the lead as the Portuguese rising star set in the sun-soaked capital and tailored for highest demands of contemporary urbanites. The FIRST Hyatt hotel in Portugal is further elevated by district of Belém, formerly a mecca for Portuguese explorers, now redefined into cosmopolitan magnet for discerning travellers. The hotel’s location benefits from historical landmarks, and culture-filled suburban streets, all within a 15-munute ride to the westernmost capital on the European mainland.

Dubai continues to pull ahead of its pre-pandemic tourism numbers. The emirate drew in 9.8 million international travelers up to July this year, according to the latest data from Dubai Tourism. For the same period in 2019, Dubai had 9.6 million international visitors, and in 2022, welcomed 8.1 million up to that point.

A Japanese resort company is converting an iconic former prison into a 48-room luxury hotel.

Three friends said they went into "manager mode" last week after arriving at a La Quinta hotel in Nashville only to find the front desk was left unattended. 

This summer has seen a surge in the highest end of luxury across the world. Some of it is about revenge travel and increased global mobility: A lot of the Middle Eastern market parked closer to home in Covid and are now shipping their Bugattis to the streets of London and other haunts in Europe. The palaces of Paris, the best hotels in Europe, and five-stars in the U.S. did brisk business at eye-watering rates.

Labor Day is in the rearview mirror but, believe it or not, travel companies have only just finished reporting their second quarter results.

Great Wolf Lodge is a family-friendly hotel and water park with over 20 locations in the US. It operates similarly to an all-inclusive experience with on-site bars, shops, and restaurants.

IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) have launched a new program – known as IHG LIFT – which has been designed to create more hotel development support for historically under-represented groups within the hospitality industry.

Airbnb launched its latest brand campaign, “Get an Airbnb,” last week, using animation styles reminiscent of the previous “Airbnb It” campaign from last fall that targeted hosts. 

With a report from the Global Wellness Institute projecting that the wellness tourism market will be worth $1.1trillion by 2025, it is evident that travelers are beginning to prioritize wellness-oriented getaways.

Marriott, the leading hotel company in India, is set to introduce its 17th brand in the country — Moxy.

A few years ago, I introduced my children to the classic 1988 comedy "Big" starring Tom Hanks. Now they always keep their eyes out for a Zoltar machine like the one in the film when we visit carnivals or arcades.