Sands China becomes the world's first hospitality and integrated resort operator to earn ISO 14001:2026 certification, covering all properties and backed by a 61% Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction since 2018.
Minor Hotels, a leading global hotel owner and operator, announces the upcoming opening of Avani Queenstown, a premium lifestyle hotel set to welcome guests from September 2026. Marking Avani’s debut in Queenstown, its New Zealand flagship and the brand’s second property in the country after Avani Auckland Metropolis Residences, the hotel continues Avani’s growth in New Zealand and across Australasia.
One year after launch, South Palms Resort and Spa Panglao's 20,000-device IoT infrastructure has run without guest-facing failures, validating the invisible-by-design technology approach.
After more than 35 years in hotel leadership, I've seen our industry evolve through major technological shifts. I began my career as one of the youngest leaders in the hotel, and today I'm often the person with the deepest institutional knowledge and operational experience.
My first honest lesson with AI was this: the technology was never the hard part. The people were. Our earliest AI applications were practical — sentiment analysis and review response support, demand forecasting tools, and pre-arrival personalization.
As a General Manager, my biggest learning has been that AI is not a replacement for hospitality—it is an enabler of better hospitality.Our first steps with AI focused on improving productivity rather than replacing people. We have used AI to support content creation, communication, brainstorming, data analysis, guest feedback summarisation and operational planning.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has opened Canopy Bangkok Sukhumvit, marking the debut of its lifestyle brand, Canopy Hotels, in South East Asia. Set in Bangkok’s vibrant Asoke neighborhood, the hotel brings together public spaces by award-winning interior design studio AvroKO, four distinctive dining concepts and city-curated experiences that reflect Bangkok’s layered character and creative energy. The opening represents another milestone in Hilton’s expanding lifestyle portfolio across Asia Pacific.
The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok is now accepting bookings for stays from 20 December. Set along the Chao Phraya River in the Thai capital’s Bang Rak District, the highly anticipated hotel centres on the city’s storied Custom House building, which is undergoing meticulous restoration. Established in 1888 under King Rama V, the landmark was once regarded as the country’s gateway to the world.
Banyan Group ("Banyan Tree Holdings Limited" or the "Group" – SGX: B58), an independent global hospitality company, has expanded the presence of its flagship Banyan Tree brand in China with the opening of Banyan Tree Mount Emei in China's Sichuan Province. Nestled in the foothills of Mount Emei (also known as Emeishan), the resort serves as a gateway to the Mount Emei Scenic Area, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed for both its cultural and natural significance and known for its rich biodiversity.
Hotelogix, a BIR-certified cloud PMS, reports that ~75% of 3–5 star hotels in the Philippines have adopted certified systems as tax compliance becomes a deal-breaker in tech procurement.
Adina Sydney Darling Harbour is entering a new era, unveiling a multi-million-dollar refurbishment that repositions the much loved 114 room hotel back to its harbourside roots. Marking 26 years since opening ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the new-look reorientates the hotel towards the waterfront - delivering a design led guest experience where guests can move seamlessly from hotel pool to harbour’s edge.
Deals span Seoul, Hong Kong, and Macau: IGIS acquires Doosan Tower for hotel repositioning, JD.com converts hospitality assets to student housing, and Wynn Palace secures approval for a USD900M+ expansion.
The Merchant Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals, has opened in the heart of Brisbane's central business district, marking the debut of the Radisson Individuals brand in Queensland. Inspired by the trading heritage of the historic Roma Street markets, the contemporary 58-room boutique hotel combines distinctive local character, personalised service and modern comfort within easy reach of the city's corporate, government, cultural and entertainment precincts.
Lever China and Artyzen Hotel Group target 30% plant-based menu coverage across all Artyzen properties worldwide by end of 2027, starting with three Asia-Pacific locations.
Urban Rest, the Australian-founded flexible living operator, launches Urban Rest Melbourne after a multimillion-dollar renovation. Located at 23-33 Lonsdale Street, Urban Rest Melbourne offers modern, oversized apartments, a brand new residents' lounge, digital check-in, and a state-of-the-art fitness and group training centre by Conditn. The launch will also see the property become the first mixed-use asset in the country to combine co-living and short-term accommodation in one building, offering a truly flexible living model.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) , India’s largest hospitality company, today announced the signing of a Gateway hotel in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu. This is a greenfield project.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam announces the opening of its first two newly renovated Signature Three-Bedroom Pool Villas, introducing a refreshed design direction for the resort’s premium multi-bedroom accommodations.
Ascott signed nine properties totalling 3,200+ units in Vietnam in 1H 2026, growing its country portfolio by over 30% to ~12,000 units across 42 properties in 14 cities.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the opening of Hyatt Place Vithalapur, marking the Hyatt Place brand’s debut in the emerging industrial hub of Vithalapur, Gujarat in India. The 108-room property is the first globally recognized hotel brand in Vithalapur, offering a seamless blend of comfort, convenience and efficient service in a casual atmosphere for business and leisure travelers.
Sotheby's International Realty opens its 18th Asia office in Ho Chi Minh City, targeting Vietnam's growing luxury residential market amid rising domestic wealth and international investor interest.
Hilton signed three lifestyle properties in Phuket, Chiang Mai, and the Maldives, advancing its goal of surpassing 250 luxury and lifestyle properties across Asia Pacific.
Fix your data first. Compset, segmentation, rate mapping, etc. AI is only as good as the data behind it and most "AI failed" stories are really mapping stories. The bottleneck moves from analysis to decisions. When analysis takes minutes instead of days, the question becomes who decides, how fast, and which old meeting you can delete.
I think we're making the same mistake we make with every technological evolution (again, NOT revolution): we OVERestimate what AI will do in the next six months and UNDERestimate what it will do over the next six years. Today, I don't think there's a single killer application that every hotel should rush to deploy.
There's no shortage of AI noise, but most of it won’t tell you where to start. Here’s what I’d advise someone tackling it for the first time: Start with the problem, not the technology - The wrong question to start with is "how can we use AI?" The right one is "where does my team spend time on things that shouldn't need a human?” Repetitive guest messaging, manual reporting, rate updates, back-office admin.