Hotel Openings

🍴 September, Lilibet’s opens at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Ross Shonhan launches this 160-cover restaurant, offering exquisite seafood in a setting inspired by British elegance. With dishes tracing an imaginary Grand Tour, the menu features creations like whole turbot pil pil and lobster bisque. Designed by Russell Sage Studio, Lilibet’s reflects a timeless charm with handcrafted elements. The venue will include an Oyster Bar, outdoor terrace, and Cocktail Bar, with bookings available online.

🌊 December 12, 2025, in Jukkasjärvi, ICEHOTEL 36 will open, with 29 artists from 9 countries crafting a 2,800-square-meter hotel using 2,000 tons of Torne River ice. New features include art suites like "Sweep Me Off My Feet" and "Spaghettification." Experience Northern Lights, ice sculptures, and ICEBAR. In mid-November, construction begins, and ICEHOTEL 365 remains open year-round. Explore dog sledding, Northern Lights safaris, and savor local cuisine.

🎨 Lough Erne Resort, 12th-14th September 2025, hosts a "Sketch & Stay" retreat with artist Eamon Colman in Fermanagh Lakelands. Guests enjoy art masterclasses, luxury breakfasts, and a visit to Hambly & Hambly at Dunbar House. Includes a two-night stay, Thai Spa access, and meals. Booking starts at £565 per person, with single occupancy rates available. Call +44(0)28 6632 3230, quoting "Hambly" to book.

🍾 August 2025, at Fairmont Windsor Park, The Library will transform into a Japanese Whisky and Sushi Bar. This space offers a curated collection of whiskies, including rare varieties from Yamazaki, Nikka, and Hakushu. Chef Giri, with experience from Moka London and Buddha Bar, crafts the sushi menu. The bar offers sake and Japanese-inspired cocktails. The setting features an ornate fireplace and a library bookcase, creating a sophisticated experience for guests.

🏨 Temple Bar Hotel in Dublin has joined The Unlimited Collection by Ascott in 2025. It features 136 rooms, three food and beverage venues, including the Toast Restaurant and Buskers Bar, and a sports bar with 24 screens. The hotel is the second in the UK and Ireland to join the collection. The U Shop offers local products and souvenirs. This addition emphasizes Ascott's focus on authentic, culturally rich experiences in key cultural hubs.

💰 Dalata Hotel Group's EBITDA fell 5% to €102.5m for the half-year ending June 30, 2025. Profit-after-tax dropped 45% to €19.6m. Despite a 2% dip in RevPAR and a slight decrease in occupancy, revenues rose 1% to €306.5m, aided by four new hotels in Berlin, Madrid, Edinburgh, and Dublin, adding over 1,000 rooms. On July 15, the board recommended a €6.45 per share offer from the Pandox Consortium, a 49.7% premium.

🏨 Whitbread will open a second Premier Inn in Bath city centre on Lower Bristol Road, replacing the vacant Beazer House office block. The 152-bedroom, six-storey hotel, with a restaurant and bar, will begin construction in early 2026 and open in 2028. It will achieve a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating and run on renewable electricity. Bath attracts six million visitors annually, and Whitbread plans to expand to 125,000 rooms from its current 85,000 across 850 hotels in the UK and Ireland.

🏖 Tivoli Estela Golf & Lodges, located next to Estela Golf Club and the Atlantic Ocean, offers 80 lodges with suites, family lodges, and standard rooms featuring outdoor terraces. Guests enjoy Portuguese cuisine at Green’s Restaurant, Dunas Bar, and the Pool Bar. Facilities include a wellness center with a hydrotherapy pool and gym, a 125 sqm meeting room, and activities like golf, surfing, and yoga. It's Tivoli's ninth hotel in Portugal and enhances their expansion strategy.

🍴 Shii, a Japanese restaurant in Helsinki designed by Joanna Laajisto, opened in summer 2025. It features an 11-course tasting menu and seats 22 diners. The interior, crafted from a 300-year-old oak wine press and sourced from Tori, includes an eight-meter bar and a private dining room. The space, a former bakery, combines Nordic and Japanese influences, using soft lighting and handmade elements, such as a Kyoto washi-paper lantern, to create a warm atmosphere.

📍 Tbilisi-based 10:10 Interiors, led by Sandro Lominashvili and Nanka Dolidze, renovated 84 rooms at Lopota Lake Resort & Spa in Georgia's Kakheti wine region, reflecting local landscapes and traditions. The 60-hectare estate features private balconies, felt wall hangings by Mariana Chkonia, and custom furniture from 100-year-old timber. Established in 2008, the resort includes design elements such as terracotta walls and black-and-white tiles, embodying the Kakheti spirit.