Market Trends

🙂 Red Sea Global (RSG) launches Red Sea Residences, a luxury residential subsidiary offering homes along the Saudi Red Sea coast. Shura Residences, the first development, is on Shura Island with handovers by end 2025, featuring 11 resorts, an 18-hole golf course, and access to beaches and marinas. Properties include SLS Residences (15 units from 130-423 sqm) and Four Seasons Signature Residences (75 villas from 414-534 sqm). Shura Marina Residences offers 36 apartments (190-364 sqm). The Red Sea opened to guests in 2023, with five hotels and Red Sea International Airport, which started domestic flights in September 2023 and international flights in April 2024. RSG aims to complete 16 hotels by 2025 and open 25 resorts with nearly 450 luxury residences by end 2025.

🍴 Livia Gueissaz, a Fashion Analyst and Influencer, recommends curated dining experiences for Valentine's Day, highlighting the world’s top restaurants for their unique tastes and cultural offerings. Paris's Table by Bruno Verjus, ranked third globally, is known for 'The Ultimate Egg'. Italy's Lido 84, near Verona, is famous for 'Cacio e Pepe en Vessie', a pasta dish slow-cooked in a pig’s bladder. L.A.'s Kato blends Taiwanese with Californian cuisine, featuring 'Abalone with Fermented Black Bean Sauce'. New York's sixth-ranked Atomix offers a Korean heritage menu with dishes like 'Jangajji'. Rome's two Michelin-starred Il Pagliaccio fuses Italian flavors, featuring 'Duck Three Ways'. Barcelona's Disfrutar, named World's Best Restaurant in 2024, is known for avant-garde Mediterranean dishes like 'Panchino'. São Paulo's Tangará Jean-Georges offers a Chef’s Table experience with French, Asian, and Brazilian influences. Zurich's two Michelin-starred Pavillon serves 'Lobster Medallions with Truffle Sauce'. Reservations are advised for Valentine's Day due to exclusivity.

🎿 Interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon revamped the 113-room Experimental Chalet Val d'Isère hotel, infusing interiors with playful ski-inspired elements. Located in Val d'Isère, France, the design features giant ski bed heads, fox door-knockers, and furnishings echoing local Savoyard craft traditions. The design aims to contrast traditional materials with contemporary details, offering a fresh take on alpine decor while maintaining a ski resort atmosphere.

🏩 Michiel Bakker, President and CEO of the Culinary Institute of America, highlighted the future of culinary and hospitality education on Jan. 30, 2025. The episode is supported by Shiji Group, a global hospitality technology leader. Bakker's discussion is aimed at hotel brands worldwide, focusing on streamlining operations and enhancing guest experiences. Music for the episode was produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound, a company specializing in music identity design for hospitality brands.

🏡 Bunkhouse Hotels opens its first property in Houston, the 71-room Hotel Saint Augustine, featuring the flagship restaurant Perseid, led by Chef Aaron Bludorn, who previously helmed Café Boulud in NYC. Perseid opened on January 16 and offers a 118-seat bistro with Texas Gulf Coast and French-inspired cuisine, serving meals throughout the day and adding brunch on weekends. The group also plans to open Hotel Daphne in Houston's Museum District in fall, with 49 rooms and a new Jo's Coffee location targeted for winter 2025.

🍻 The James Beard Foundation announced three new categories for the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards focused on beverages. New awards include Best New Bar for establishments opened between Oct 1, 2023 - Sept 30, 2024, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. The Outstanding Bar category, introduced in 2012, and the Outstanding Wine Program, dating back to the awards' start in 1991, were joined by these new categories. Bars opened in Q3 of 2024 are eligible for the 2026 Best New Bar award. Previously existing Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional category was discontinued after a hiatus in 2020-2021. The foundation seeks to honor excellence in the beverage sector, reflecting industry trends and consumer interests. Awards criteria have been updated to align with the foundation's values and include a requirement for nominees' sustainability and equity statements.

🛠 Craft in hospitality emphasizes care, transforming ordinary experiences into extraordinary ones by not scaling but focusing on thoughtful details. It reshapes both guest and host, fostering human connections and spreading care. Hospitality, seen as a craft, creates impactful stories in guests' lives. The challenge posed is to infuse more care into crafted experiences, elevating details to resonate on a deep, human level. —Isaac.

📢 Judith Cartwright, founder and managing director of Black Coral Consulting, discussed revenue challenges and profitability strategies for hotels on a podcast recorded at the end of January 2025. Cartwright, previously SVP at Kertzner International, emphasized the importance of optimizing peak seasons, which for some hotels account for 70% of profits within three to four months. The conversation touched on innovation, staying competitive, and the impact of events like Taylor Swift concerts on hotel demand. She highlighted the significance of experience creation, social media's evolving role, and the need for hotels to innovate in areas such as fitness and wellness. Operational profitability was also discussed, stressing cost awareness and strategic planning involving various departments. Cartwright recommended early expert involvement in projects and provided insights into technology and culture that support effective revenue and profit strategies.

💖 Pink was the second most popular porcelain color in U.S. homes built from 1946-1966, with a 25% prevalence. The 21st-century interior design revival includes traditional porcelain and modern materials like resin and concrete. Notable projects featuring pink basins include Casa di Fantasia in Italy by David/Nicolas, T7.2 dental clinic in Germany by Batek Architekten, Oddsson Ho(s)tel in Iceland by Döðlur, Annabel's in the UK by Martin Brudnizki, Univers Uchronia in France by Uchronia, a North London house by The Mint List, Harbour Early Learning in Australia by Danielle Brustman, and Breadway in Ukraine by Lera Brumina and Artem Trigubchak.