Miscellaneous

🚗 Monterey Car Week 2026 concluded on August 16 with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, seeing $755.6 million in sales. A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe fetched $42.905 million, and the first Ferrari Luce sold for $40 million, setting a record for new cars. Cadillac showcased its electric Escalade IQ, offering 1 million customization options. Lamborghini unveiled the Revuelto SV, capable of 345 km/h, and Audi debuted the Nuvolari, reaching 349 km/h. Best in Show was awarded to a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster.

🏠 April 12, 2026, Brickell Key: The 23-story Mandarin Oriental Miami was imploded at 8:30 AM. Four months later, momondo lists rooms from $415, while TripAdvisor mistakenly ranks it #23 of 154 Miami hotels, noting it as "temporarily closed." The site will remain unused until 2030. Despite demolition, some sites, like trivago, inaccurately describe amenities. The hotel's outdated web presence highlights flaws in how the industry manages hotel listings.

📹 Orlando, FL – August 20 – Travel Media Group (TMG) celebrates generating over 30,000 hours of video watch time and more than 500,000 engagements for hotel partners. This equates to 3.5 years of continuous video watching. TMG achieves this through strategic content creation and short-form videos, emphasizing social media as a vital hotel marketing tool. Nicole Osvath and Jason Lee highlight social media's role in traveler engagement and relationship-building before arrival.

💬 Ten years ago, a humorous article highlighted poor customer service with sarcastic mottos like “We’re not happy until you’re not happy.” Companies’ reputations hinge on customer interactions, not advertising slogans. While companies spend millions crafting slogans, it’s customer experiences that truly shape opinions. Negative experiences lead to critical mottos, but consistent positive service can inspire comments like “They always appreciate me.” Customer interactions, big or small, reinforce or rewrite companies' promises.

📍 The Luxury Collection launches "The Luxury Collection Expeditions," with journeys across 40 countries. Key trips include Japan's 10-day Imperial Journey and Italy's 6-night Grand Italia Rally. Greece's 9-day Aegean Odyssey connects Mykonos, Paros, and Santorini. "Day Discoveries" offer single-day cultural experiences like Kyoto's Farm to Fermentation. "Residencies & Collaborations" involve marine conservation in South Caicos. Inaugural Expeditions span North America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, with more to come this fall.

💻 Bangkok tops the 2026 Workcation Index, beating Tokyo, Barcelona, and others. IWG reports 90% of workers find work-from-anywhere (WFA) policies improve work-life balance, with 80% noting productivity gains. 51% of workers have WFA options; 48% plan to extend holidays by working remotely in 2026. Bangkok stands out for affordability and connectivity, attributed partly to the success of HBO's "The White Lotus" Season 3. Singapore ranks 17th globally, noted for its digital infrastructure.

📖 Pertlink Limited began operations on October 23, 2000, specializing in IT consulting for the hospitality sector. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong and is globally recognized for its expansive network of hotel and IT expertise. A notable historical tidbit involves the Hong Kong Government printing one-cent notes for circulation, which a local hotel repurposed as souvenirs with its logo. Terence Ronson reminisces about an abacus gift from fifty years ago, still on his desk.

🏪 Anna Castelli Ferrieri (1918–2006), co-founder of Kartell with Giulio Castelli, revolutionized furniture design by popularizing plastic. She won the Compasso d'Oro three times and taught design in her later years. Her notable work includes the 'Componibili' storage system, introduced in 1967. Kartell was founded in 1949, and her first product debuted in 1964. She served as Kartell’s art director (1976–1987), and her designs are featured in MoMA. Kartell was sold in 1988 to her son-in-law, Claudio Luti.

🏖 Liverpool's visitor economy hit a record £6.834 billion in 2025, driven by a 9.3% rise in visitor spending and a 7.8% increase in visitor numbers to over 61.5 million. Day visits reached 55.55 million, up 8.7%. Tourism supports 57,591 jobs. Major events in 2027-2028, like UEFA Euro 2028 and the Tour de France, aim to boost tourism further. In 2023, hotels funded a £6.7 million Accommodation BID, contributing £2 per night per occupied room to promote events.

🍾 Founded by David Begg in 2017, REAL slow fermented sparkling tea is crafted at the Waddesdon Estate, Buckinghamshire. This alcohol-free beverage uses four natural ingredients, fermented like wine, creating a complex, layered flavor. The process takes several weeks, ensuring quality without additives. REAL has earned accolades, including Gold at the World Alcohol Free Awards, London Wine Competition, and Great British Food Awards. Each batch is personally tested by Begg, ensuring its premium taste and quality.