Aperture

🏦 Hôtel Balzac, part of Relais & Châteaux and owned by Olivier Bertrand, reopened on Champs-Élysées, Paris, where French writer Honoré de Balzac lived. This 5-star luxury hotel boasts 58 rooms and suites, some with Eiffel Tower views and large terraces. Facilities include a glass-ceilinged lobby lounge, a bar, and a Pierre Gagnaire-signed 3-star Michelin restaurant. A Japanese-inspired Ikoi Spa will open in the summer. Festen Architecture oversaw the renovation, aiming to create a unique destination blending grandeur with Parisian chic.

🏥 Hilton launches Hilton Kathmandu in Nepal, located in the valley's heart at Naxal, 4 km from Tribhuvan International Airport, near tourist attractions like Thamel and Durbar Marg. Boasting as Kathmandu's tallest hotel with a glass façade, it offers breathtaking views of the Langtang Valley. The hotel’s design incorporates local Nepalese tradition with modern aesthetics, featuring prayer flag-inspired rooms and traditional Dhaka textile patterns. It includes unique architectural features, a rooftop temperature-controlled pool, all-day dining, personalized concierge services, bespoke sherpa adventures, and tailored wellness programs at the spa. Alexandra Jaritz, Senior Vice President, Brand Management, Asia Pacific, highlights Hilton's role as a pioneer in international hospitality and the hotel's meticulous design to immerse guests in Nepal's rich history and culture.

🚢 Seabourn expands luxury exploration with two new ships, Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit, equipped with custom-built submarines and offering 132 suites each for polar expeditions and remote adventures. Personal butlers for many cabin categories, onboard naturalists, scientists, geologists, and historians enhance the luxury service. Unique experiences include less-visited Caribbean islands, Antarctica landings, Alaska fiords, wildlife sightings, and kayak excursions. Onboard dining curated by Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller. In Italy, Seabourn is marketed by Gioco Viaggi.

🚢 Snav enhances short-range maritime connections in the Gulf of Naples with the High Speed Craft (HSC) Snav Sirius. Giuseppe Langella, Snav's CEO, emphasizes the latest technology used on the vessel to minimize environmental impact, in line with MSC Group's objectives. Snav Sirius, similar in size to HSC Snav Orion but fully renovated, features 4 engines and 3 IMO III-certified generators with an SCR system, significantly reducing emissions. The vessel can also run on bio-fuel and utilizes 'Cold ironing' shore power. Currently in Naples, the Snav Sirius awaits final inspections and authorizations to commence service.

🚢 Alma Cruceros, a new cruise brand in Spain, plans to launch in summer 2025, with its inaugural trip from Las Palmas to Malaga in April. The Ocean Victory, a 186-passenger ship, will sail from Malaga, Barcelona, and Tarragona to destinations like Andalusia, North Africa, Costa Brava, Costa Azul, and the Balearic Islands, later expanding to Italy and France. Part of SunStone’s Infinity Class, it aims to blend luxury and sustainability with a strong Spanish identity.

🏨 Tivoli Hotels & Resorts opens its first hotel in Italy, the Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa in the Gulf of Trieste, specifically Portopiccolo. The resort features 58 rooms, suites, and 30 apartments, access to Purobeach Portopiccolo private beach club, Green Beach, and six pools including one for adults only. Positioned strategically, it's a 20-minute drive from Trieste airport and one hour from Venice, Treviso, and Ljubljana airports.

🏠 Terme di Saturnia Natural Destination reopened after renovation, updating the fine dining restaurant, a new winter garden, and a relaxation area overlooking the spring. La Stellata Trattoria, a country restaurant with a golf course view, relaunches on August 7th, offering traditional Tuscan cuisine with revamped interiors and a newly designed veranda and pergola. Salvatore Quarto, the executive chef, enhances the experience with an open artisanal grill and tableside dish preparation.

🏙 Saudi Arabia's promotional initiatives in Rinascente stores in Rome and Milan, running until the end of July, reveal 75% of respondents consider it a safe destination. The country issued 42,000 eVisas from January to June, a 17% increase from the same period in 2023, contributing to the total of 77,000 in 2023. Tourism is booming, with 1.4 million visitors from January to April and an expectation of 3.5 million by the end of 2024. Despite a gap between expected and actual spending (€1,500 - €3,000 versus €3,500 weekly), 8-10 day tours are popular among the over 50 demographic. New resorts are opening in the Red Sea area, including two Rixos in October and 2025, attracting honeymooners and cultural enthusiasts.

🏠 On 24 July, Terme di Saturnia Natural Destination reopened its resort, including the golf and the club, following a major renovation. The upgrades featured the 1919 Restaurant, a new winter garden, and an infinity relaxation area overlooking the spring pool. La Stellata Trattoria, a country restaurant with a golf course view, is set to relaunch on 7 August with a revamped interior and a new veranda. Since reopening on 3 September 2020 after a renovation affecting all rooms and common areas, the resort has demonstrated dynamic innovation in less than 4 years.

🚢 Victory Cruise Lines, after halting operations in February, was acquired by John Waggoner for $1.9 million. The 190-passenger vessels, previously named Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator, are now Victory I and Victory II, set to sail in Spring 2025 from Toronto on April 27 and from Chicago's Navy Pier on May 12, respectively. Bookings are open for 9 to 15-night itineraries on the Great Lakes from Chicago to Toronto or Montreal.