Aperture

🏡 Standard International launches luxury brand "The Manner" opening its first hotel in New York's Soho district in September. The hotel features 97 art-filled rooms without TVs and four dining concepts led by Chef Alex Stupak, including The Otter seafood restaurant and Sloane’s cocktail bar. The Manner joins Standard International's portfolio alongside The Standard, Bunkhouse, and The Peri Hotel brands.

🏨 Meliá Hotels International expands in Southeast Asia with two new hotels in Thailand. Meliá Pattaya City, opening in December, will have 234 rooms on the coast, catering to families and MICE. Paradisus Jomtien Resort, launching in 2028, will feature 698 rooms in a 43-story tower, including 44 rooms with an outdoor terrace pool.

📍 easyJet expands its British network with four new routes, totaling 41 new options for the winter season from the UK to Europe and North Africa. Flights to Luxor, Egypt commence on November 11 from London Gatwick, flying twice a week. From February 14, twice-weekly flights to Sharm el Sheikh will be available from Liverpool. Oslo routes open from Manchester and Liverpool on November 15 and 29, respectively, also twice a week. Other destinations include Strasbourg, France; Tromso, Norway; and City of Derry Airport, Northern Ireland.

🏡 Numa Group makes its UK debut with Numa London Bloomsbury, located between Covent Garden and the British Museum. The facility offers six categories of rooms across 87 rooms and apartments. Nearby, visitors can explore Covent Garden Market, Neal's Yard, and the Bloomsbury district, as well as a vibrant local food scene featuring restaurants like Rules, Mildred’s, Mortimer House Kitchen, and cafes such as Italian Beach Chocolate and WatchHouse Covent Garden.

🏖️ AlUla, certified by Destinations International, became the first Middle East destination to achieve such status due to its high-quality standards, authentic hospitality, and sustainable vision. The Destination Marketing Accreditation Programme requires meeting over 100 criteria, including resource and financial management, destination development, and marketing. Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer for the Royal Commission for AlUla, sees it as a milestone reinforcing the commitment to trust among visitors, community, stakeholders, and partners.

🏛 Rome to host Italy's first Nobu Hotel, managed by Castello Sgr, with a €135 million funding plan by Lithium Fund to refurbish the Grand Hotel di Via Veneto, featuring 122 rooms and suites. Opening is set for spring 2025, including a Nobu restaurant, roof-top lounge bar, meeting spaces, city spa with fitness center, and a club lounge. Rothschild & Co served as advisor for the Grand Hotel via Veneto.

🚢 Alma Cruceros, a new luxury cruise brand based in Spain, is set to launch with 'Ocean Victory' in summer 2025, with an inaugural journey in April from Las Palmas to Malaga. Main port will be in Malaga, offering routes to Andalusia and North Africa. Additional cruises will depart from Barcelona and Tarragona, exploring Costa Brava, Costa Azul, and Balearic Islands. 'Ocean Victory', part of SunStone’s Infinity Class, accommodates 186 passengers and plans future voyages to Italy and France, blending modern luxury with sustainability and Spanish identity.

🍴 The 4L Collection Hotels group, led by siblings Alessandro, Laura, and Beatrice Lazzarini, opened Ozio Parioli at Hotel degli Aranci in Rome, expanding after their successful restaurant at Orazio Palace's rooftop. The first family-owned hotel was purchased in 1980. With eight luxury hotels in Rome, the group may expand the Ozio concept to the Cristoforo Colombo and American Palace, and potentially beyond Rome to Milan, marking a new venture after 40 years.

✈ On July 12, easyJet inaugurated flights from Milan Malpensa to Salerno – Costa d’Amalfi, with regional president Vincenzo De Luca welcoming the first arrival. The company will expand connections on July 12 to Basel, Geneva, and Berlin, and on July 13 to London Gatwick. The summer season will see about 50,000 seats available for trips between Salerno and these destinations, offering three weekly frequencies to Malpensa and two to the international locations. EasyJet projects nearly 3 million seats in Campania for the season, with 50 routes to 13 countries. Over 25 years, easyJet has carried nearly 35 million passengers to and from Campania. The new Salerno airport terminal is set to open in 2026, spanning 16,000 square meters and meeting high environmental standards.

🏡 In the historic center of Nice, Hôtel du Couvent, situated in a 17th-century building and surrounded by 8,000 square meters of gardens, has launched as a new hospitality structure aiming to revolutionize the Riviera's hospitality concept. This urban refuge and cultural hub, which took 10 years to renovate under the guidance of Valéry Grégo of Gruppo Perseus and in collaboration with Studio Mumbai and Studio Méditerranée, features 88 rooms including 18 suites, some with kitchens and options for a personal chef or butler, and combines custom-made pieces with antiques. The hotel highlights include a garden, a cloister with an ancient herbalist's shop, a library, and a wellness area inspired by the Roman baths of Cimiez.