Latest news with #hotels
Forbes
21 minutes ago
- Forbes
Hotels With Stories: Three Openings With Main Character Energy
These three new hotels and retreats give guests more than just a place to stay for the night. Immersing you in the heritage and culture of the destination, you'll leave with wonder for the world around you. Imperial Hotel, Kyoto and the restoration of Yasaka Kaikan. (Credit: Yasaka Nyokoba Gakuen) Opening in Spring 2026, Imperial Hotel, Kyoto, is the fourth property from Japan's esteemed hospitality brand, which is renowned for its hotels found in cultural landmarks. The first new Imperial Hotel to debut in three decades, it adds to the brand's portfolio of properties in Tokyo, Osaka and Kamikochi. The new hotel has been carved out of the historic Yasaka Kaikan, a 90-year-old former theater and community center, with architectural ties to Frank Lloyd Wright. A sensitive restoration has seen the heritage building reimagined for a modern day traveler with sustainable luxury at its heart. Interior design at The Imperial Hotel, Kyoto has been led by the New Material Research Laboratory. (Credit New Material Research Laboratory) Originally built in 1936, by renowned architect Tokusaburo Kimura, the Yasaka Kaikan has long served as a cultural gathering place in Kyoto's historic Gion district. Breathing new life into the building, the boutique hotel fuses historic preservation with modern elegance, whilst celebrating the cultural importance of Yasaka Kaikan. In a full-circle moment, the transformation, from cultural icon to characterful hotel, was overseen by the Obayashi Corporation, the same Japanese construction company that built the Yasaka Kaikan nearly 90 years ago in 1936. The restoration has preserved much of the building's original character, including 16,387 original exterior tiles. While traditional Japanese techniques, such as ikedori or 'live capture', where materials are carefully removed without damage for reuse, have been honored throughout the design. The meticulous restoration uses modern-day technology for accurate preservation. (Credit: Obayashi Corporation) 'Some parts retain their 88-year-old look, while others use 88-year-old preserved materials,' says Masahiro Inoue, executive manager of the Architectural Design Department at Obayashi Corporation. 'The building significantly weaves together an aesthetic integrity and preserved memories. That was our top priority.' The exterior renovation included salvaging approximately 10% of the original decorative tiles and reproducing fragile terracotta ornamentation, using 3D scanning for accurate surveying, to restore the original, enabling the hotel to maintain continuity with its cultural roots.' The hotel will offer guests a choice of 55 guestrooms and suites, with interiors designed by architect Tomoyuki Sakakida, director of New Material Research Laboratory, whose creative direction embraces the ethos of 'Old is New'. This philosophy reinterprets Japan's architectural past through a contemporary lens while honoring Kyoto's climate, materials, and traditional sensibility. The design features Japanese marble, Ōya stone, and Tamina-ishi, to give a nod to Japan's nature and the tactile elements of much of its architecture. The Kyoto Imperial Suite with views over the city. (Credit: New Material Research Laboratory) 'Kyoto cherishes old things but also embraces new culture,' said Sakakida. 'That contrast is the soul of this project. Since the Industrial Revolution, artistic and cultural shifts, such as the Arts and Crafts movement in the UK and the Mingei folk craft movement in Japan, have marked a return to hand craftsmanship,' he explained. 'Now, more than a century after the advent of Modernism, there seems to be a certain sense of stagnation in the air, and a renewed appreciation for the old is taking hold. That, I believe, is why the concept of 'Old Is New' is resonating with people.' Other design features are tied to Japanese ideas of wabi-sabi : understated beauty and impermanence—with natural Japanese tatami-mat flooring, minimalist furnishings and handcrafted textures in earth tones showcased in some of the bedrooms. Other rooms retain original beams, pillars and window frames of the Yasaka Kaikan—gently restored to show their age and patina, not conceal it. In several rooms, private balconies open onto the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo grounds, with guests able to hear the traditional melodies of shamisen and kouta music , creating an atmosphere of cinematic intimacy. These spaces are immersive by nature—giving guests the sensation of stepping into a story that began nearly a century ago. Imperial Hotel, Kyoto has retained a theater and community center. (Credit: Yasaka Nyokoba Gakuen) As well as a wellness offering, restaurants and a bar, the hotel is also committed to supporting local artisans and promoting immersive cultural experiences with its community centre and revamped theatre. It aims to contribute to Kyoto's tourism growth while mitigating environmental strain and overcrowding through sustainable practices. Penicuik House & Estate, Scotland Found on Penicuik Estate, one of Scotland's finest, rural landholdings, is Penicuik House, a historic house available for holidays and short-stays, due to open its doors next month. Just a 30-minute drive from Edinburgh, and set against the magnificent backdrop of the Pentland Hills, the estate's 400-hectare grounds were originally designed to inspire its visitors through the marriage of nature and architecture, becoming a hub of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century. Penicuik House is an exclusive-use hire home in the middle of a vast Scottish estate. (Credit: Penicuik House) The main hub of the estate is Old Penicuik House. Built in 1760, it served as the family home until it burned down in 1899. After being left in ruins for over a century, it was saved from collapse through an eight-year conservation project. Completed in 2014, it is one of the largest projects of its kind in Scotland and has become a major heritage attraction with over 150,000 visitors a year. Having been under the stewardship of the same family since 1654, the estate is now entering a new chapter with the opening of its flagship property, Penicuik House, allowing visitors to be able to stay on the estate in glorious surrounds. There is also an initial collection of restored cottages and lodges, with many more planned over the next few years. The House is ideal for group gatherings, for weddings or special occasions. (Credit: Penicuik House) Carved out of the estate's stable block, Penicuik House sleeps 32 across 16 en suite bedrooms. Its characterful interiors have been overseen by designer, Charles Orchard, and feature antiques and art sourced from Old Penicuik House. Two grand reception rooms and a formal dining room make it perfect for special occasions, such as weddings or private events. Nearby is High Pond Reserve, a waterside location where guests can go wild swimming and use the 'natural sauna' which will include a sauna, cold plunge and hot tub. Smaller cottages offer cosy interiors. (Credit: Alexander Baxter) The collection of smaller cottages have interiors designed by Edinburgh studio Fantoush. Each property includes a state-of-the-art kitchen, sitting room with a wood burner and en suite bedrooms. Outside, there are private terraces with outdoor wood burners, Big Green Egg barbecues, and secluded cedar hot tubs. On offer are hand-delivered food services, including organic breakfast and BBQ hampers, and private chefs to prepare tailor-made meals in the houses. A haven for outdoor enthusiasts, activities include 20 km of walking and cycling trails and hiking in the Pentland Hills. Colours in the cottages reflect the nature outside. (Credit: Alexander Baxter) Currently under development at the estate is also a range of nature and heritage-led experiences, including whisky and gin tasting with local distilleries, spa treatments, yoga classes, mountain biking, wild swimming, and private heritage tours around the estate, which will be available soon upon request. Ubuyu, A Banyan Tree Escape, Tanzania Opening at the end of this year is Obuyu, the first African safari park from hospitality group, Banyan Tree. Found at the heart of Tanzania's Ruaha National Park, a stay here allows guest to embrace the vast wilderness of Southern Tanzania. It is home to one of Africa's largest elephant populations, the world's highest concentration of lions, and one of the last refuges for the endangered African wild dog and more than 570 bird species. Ubuyu takes its name from the Swahili word for the fruit of the baobab tree, Africa's iconic Tree of Life, and the new outpost symbolically has baobab trees framing its entrance to greet you. Revered for its resilience and longevity, the baobab has offered shelter, nourishment and healing for generations. Ubuyu, A Banyan Tree Escape, Tanzania is the brand's frist African safari outpost. (Credit: Banyan Tree) Made up of six artisan-crafted villas, the hotel has been designed to blend into the surrounding terrain with sweeping views over the savannah. One- and two-bedroom villas draw inspiration from traditional Maasai circular dwellings, featuring open-air showers, private plunge pools and decks positioned to capture sunrise light and wildlife movement. The three-bedroom Retreat follows the organic curve of the Ruaha River and is centred around a firepit with a rooftop terrace designed for stargazing and storytelling. Each villa is solar-powered and constructed using natural materials including timber, thatch, clay and locally-carved Mninga wood furniture, crafted by local artisans. At the heart of the retreat lies the Living Room, a free-flowing communal space, while the Open Kitchen presents a plant-forward, zero-waste menu that celebrates seasonal ingredients sourced from nearby farms and villages. Above, the rooftop Mganga Bar serves elixirs infused with native botanicals, paired with sweeping views of the river and surrounding bushland. Set along the riverbank and open to the breeze, the Maji Spa invites restoration through rituals grounded in indigenous healing, using local oils and herbs to soothe, balance, and renew. Since it was founded in 1994, Banyan Group has long been a pioneer of sustainable, purpose-driven hospitality and the new opening looks set to continue that drive rooted in regenerative tourism.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Chinese woman lives 2 months for free by exploiting shop return policies, scamming men
A woman in China who took advantage of an array of businesses and managed to live in Shanghai for two months without spending a penny has been arrested by the police. The woman in her 20s, surnamed Huang, was arrested by officers in the city in April and is facing charges of picking quarrels and stirring up trouble. According to the police, Huang had been scamming hotels, restaurants and taxis in Shanghai and successfully escaped paying for anything for two months. Surveillance cameras at a hotel reception desk in Shanghai captured Huang's image as she set about trying to con the establishment. Photo: Huang stayed at different hotels and bathing centres in the city, and each time at the end of her stay, she complained about hygiene conditions in exchange for payment waivers. She also deliberately rubbed and grazed her skin to claim refunds from bathing centres on numerous occasions. Investigators also found a box of dead crickets in Huang's luggage, which she used to frame the hotels. The hospitality venues usually charged about 200 yuan (US$28) a night. She only paid three times for her stay; on each occasion, the bill was paid by men she met online.
Skift
2 days ago
- Business
- Skift
State of Travel 2025: Our 7 Favorite Charts
The future of travel is unfolding now; you just need the right data and insights to see it. Here are our favorite insights from the State of Travel 2025 report. Skift Research is back this summer with its annual State of Travel 2025 report! We present more than 300 charts and insights from every corner from the travel industry: Airlines, hotels, short-term rentals, online travels, experiences, cruises, and car rentals. It's a lot, and you should review them all. But we asked Skift Research analysts to pick their favorite charts – together they represent the most important stories in travel right now. 1: Social Media Bookings Social commerce is a booming opportunity in travel, with Skift Research estimating that social commerce bookings for hotels, airlines, and short-term rentals could be worth a huge $7 billion. Robin Gilbert-Jones in his report Social Commerce in Travel: Opportunities and Consumer Trends writes: 'Social media is no longer just inspiring travel, it's where trips are being researched, priced, and booked. As platforms evolve into powerful sales channels, creators are becoming the new travel agents, short-form video is replacing static ads, and the booking journey is evolving into a low-friction social interaction.' 2: Vacation Rentals – Airbnb's Dominance Our analysis of the vacation rental market shows that Airbnb continues to be the dominant player, with 44% of the global market as of 2024. This analysis is based off our deeper market sizing efforts across hotels and short-term rentals in our report, Global Accommodation Sector Market Estimates 2025. Author Saniya Zanpure writes: 'The global accommodation market, valued at $1.2 trillion in 2024, is projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2026. Driven by increasing travel demand, the Asia-Pacific region is forecasted to overtake Europe in accommodation revenues by 2026. Despite ongoing geopolitical and regulatory challenges, we anticipate continued moderate growth for the accommodation sector.' 3: The Problem With 'Loyalty' This chart is from our survey based report, European Travel Insights: Unveiling the Top Trends for 2025. Author Varsha Arora writes: 'Our analysis of Loyalty Stickiness, a measure of how consistently travelers engage with brands despite price fluctuations, reveals that many frequent travelers remain flexible, switching brands based on pricing and convenience. These insights provide actionable recommendations for brands to refine their loyalty strategies, focusing on more personalized, flexible, and experience-based rewards to enhance retention and reduce loyalty leakage.' 4: Where Airlines Find High Margins The chart above shows that travelers exhibit stronger loyalty to airlines than they do to hotels. Airlines generally having robust frequent flyer programs that offer valuable incentives, such as free flights, priority boarding, and lounge access. In our recent report, Airline Loyalty: The Financial Powerhouse at the Center of Airline Strategy, author Ashab Rizvi writes: 'Airline loyalty programs have become significant financial powerhouses, with some experts arguing that the value of an airline's loyalty program can even surpass that of the airline itself. This is partly because loyalty programs often demonstrate better growth and higher profit margins compared to the core airline business, while also generating steady cash flows.' Our analysis below shows the high margins of loyalty programs at airlines such as Qantas and IAG. 5: Global Hotel Performance Is Softening The Skift Travel Health Index yields a monthly score that tells us how healthy the global travel industry is. It tracks overall performance across 22 countries and 4 key sectors: airlines, hotels, vacation rentals, and car rentals. It goes beyond tracking simple demand, considering various KPIs, consumer intent, upcoming booking trends, and supply analysis. From our May 2025 Highlights, we can see that though global hotel performance grew mid- to high-single digits in 2024, year-on-year growth has softened into 2025, with May 2025 reporting a slight 2% decline versus May 2024. 6: AI Visibility For Travel Is Surging In our report, AI, Google, and the Shift from Keywords to Context in Travel, Seth Borko notes a dramatic increase in travel's AI visibility (i.e. the frequency with which consumers encounter AI when searching for travel) on Google. In November 2024, less than 3% of flight-related keywords returned an AI Overview. Over the the six months through April 2025, that visibility nearly tripled. Now nearly 9% of flight keywords triggered an AI Overview. Hotels seem to have a lower visibility baseline, but there has still been a similar exponential increase in the frequency of AI Overviews on Google, going from less than 1% of hotel search keywords six months ago to nearly 3% today. He writes: 'While AI Overviews offer faster, more contextual responses, they don't necessarily democratize access for travel companies. Instead, these summaries often favor a handful of major players, reinforcing a winner-takes-all model. And even those that feature prominently may see reduced traffic due to the rise of 'zero-click' behavior, where users read summarized content without clicking links to the original sites. 'For travel marketers, this signals the need for a fundamental change in approach. Long-standing reliance on search engine optimization and marketing strategies are being transformed. Even Google itself is at risk of falling revenue from paid advertising. As traveler behavior shifts toward AI platforms, travel businesses will need to adopt new digital strategies, adjust their content formats, and revise their marketing methods.' 7: New Competition From Banks The entrance of banks and credit card companies into travel has been a key topic in online travel in recent years. With financial institutions launching their own dedicated booking platforms, there has been a disruption of the online distribution landscape with banks now competing directly with online travel agencies and gaining market share. We cover this topic in depth in our report, The Rise of Credit Card Companies in Online Travel. Pranavi Agarwal writes: 'In 2022, at a JPMorgan Chase investor day, executives said, 'We saw an opportunity during the pandemic to own our own destiny in travel.' In a broken and dull travel loyalty ecosystem, new entrants such as banks and credit card companies are rapidly disrupting the distribution landscape: shifting from facilitating other brands' loyalty programs to launching their own competing booking platforms.' Read and download the full State of Travel 2025 report – for free! – for 300+ charts and insights on nearly every corner of the travel industry. What You'll Learn From This Report: 300+ insights defining the state of travel in 2024 Proprietary and third-party data highlighting travel industry performance Consumer insights, sector deep dives, and executive perspectives Regional overviews of travel and tourism performance, based on proprietary Skift Research surveys and data Data-driven insights on the current state of all travel sectors: airlines, hotels, short-term rentals, online travel, traditional travel agents, multi-day tour operators, tours and activities, cruise, and car rental Insights into the economic climate as well as major travel trends including the impact of AI, experiential travel, business travel, luxury travel, and sustainability
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Hong Kong Summer Viva' tourism campaign presents new discounts and offers
The Hong Kong Tourism Board has turned the heat up on its summer offers and discounts campaign, encouraging tourists and locals to spend more amid a slow economy. On Tuesday, the board unveiled new additions that increase the number of available offers and discounts to 260. These include buy-one-get-one-free offers on set dinners or à la carte dishes from renowned Cantonese restaurants, early-bird discounts for family-friendly facilities, deals from various tourist attractions and offers on popular fast-food items. More than 100 hotels will continue to provide buy-one-get-one-free buffet lunches or dinners, alongside accommodation discounts, it said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
IHCL signs agreement with Ambuja Neotia for 15 hotels in India
Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has signed agreements with the Ambuja Neotia Group to launch 15 new hotels in India. The agreements further expand the companies' existing partnership to more than 40 hotels. IHCL managing director and CEO Puneet Chhatwal said: 'IHCL's pioneering legacy of building destinations like Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa and Andaman and Lakshadweep Islands will now extend to unlocking the tourism potential of the East and North East with this agreement. 'We are delighted to extend our partnership with the Ambuja Neotia Group, known for their luxury hospitality developments showcasing the spirit of this region.' The new projects, primarily under the Taj brand, are slated to open within the next five years. It will start with four hotel operating agreements for properties including a Taj hotel in Darjeeling, a hotel under the Tree of Life brand in Lataguri, and a SeleQtions in both Kolkata and Siliguri. Comprising a mix of greenfield, brownfield, and conversion projects, the 15 new sites are located across Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Sikkim. This expansion encompasses a Taj resort in Sunderban, Shimla, Darjeeling, and Rabong, with some of the projects featuring villas under the Taj brand in Sikkim, Darjeeling, Lataguri, and Raichak. Ambuja Neotia Group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia said: 'This announcement follows closely on the heels of IHCL's strategic partnership with the Ambuja Neotia Group for Tree of Life, reflective of the strength and success of our ongoing collaboration. 'The addition of premium room inventory this fiscal to Taj Chia Kutir in Kurseong, as well as the upcoming Taj-branded luxury villas in Darjeeling, Lataguri and Gangtok, reflects the growing demand from the segment.' IHCL's portfolio has more than 400 hotels, encompassing 152 under pipeline, spanning four continents, 14 countries, and over 150 locations. In November 2023, IHCL revealed plans to open a new Taj property in West Bengal. "IHCL signs agreement with Ambuja Neotia for 15 hotels in India" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
