Miscellaneous

📰 AHLA has expanded its Premier Partner program by adding 11 new companies. Silver Partners include Deloitte, PwC, and Quore, while Associate Partners consist of Amazon Web Services, ConnexPay, and others. These partners support AHLA’s mission to protect, unite, and promote the hotel industry by providing insights and trends. Deloitte focuses on strategy and resilience, PwC on efficiency and sustainability, and Quore on operational streamlining to enhance guest experiences.

💰 AHLA, March 2026, announced 11 new companies joining its Premier Partner program. Silver Partners include Deloitte, PwC, and Quore. Associate Partners are Amazon Web Services, ConnexPay, EDS Service Solutions, Enseo, Hapi, MindClick, PepsiCo, Purchasing Management International, and Signal Restoration. These partners provide strategic insights and trends to AHLA members, enhancing guest experiences and operational efficiency. Rosanna Maietta, AHLA CEO, emphasized the importance of these partnerships in meeting evolving hotel guest expectations.

🍷 Lewis Cellars, a Napa Valley winery with over 30 years of acclaim for its bold wines, unveils a new tasting room. Designed by Lynda Resnick and Bernard Jazzar, the space features 19th-century European-inspired decor, custom floors, and views of the Mayacamas Mountains. With 15 artworks by Zachary Scott, the experience blurs reality and fantasy. The Salon Privé offers a private lounge for two, complete with personalized service and access to the estate’s private cellar.

🏌️ Hand Picked Hotels partners with Basingstoke Golf Club to offer a 'Golf and Stay' package, including golf, overnight stay, dinner, and breakfast. Basingstoke Golf Club members receive discounts at Audleys Wood Hotel, with 25% off afternoon tea and 15% off select food and drinks for up to 12 guests. The hotel, a Grade-II listed 1880s Victorian building, and the golf club, transformed in 2021 with a £20m investment, aim to enhance leisure experiences in Hampshire.

🍴 March 19, 2026, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong celebrates its continued recognition in the Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau. Caprice holds three Michelin stars, and Lung King Heen retains two. Floriane Hureau, Senior Sommelier at Caprice, wins the 2026 Michelin Sommelier Award. Caprice's beverage program features over 1,200 wine labels. Charles Fisher, General Manager, praises their team’s dedication in maintaining the hotel's seven Michelin stars.

📈 In 2025, a fast-growing software company held a leadership retreat at a scenic resort, measuring outcomes like engagement, collaboration, and satisfaction. Employee satisfaction scores rose by nearly 20%, proving retreats as strategic investments. Using the Corporate Retreat ROI Model (CRRM), companies see 30% higher engagement and reduced turnover. CRRM focuses on engagement, financial correlation, performance, and retention, turning retreats into measurable successes. A luxury hotel chain using CRRM saw increased corporate bookings.

🌲 Crafted wooden key cards, designed by GCSTIMES for a mountain resort, echo the silhouette of surrounding peaks. Made from responsibly-sourced materials, these cards feature a precision-contoured profile and a hollow-out section that aligns harmoniously with the alpine landscape. Inspired by the ascent experience, this memento captures the journey's essence, reminding guests of the road traveled. The card embodies a connection between the guest and the high-altitude environment, echoing poetic sentiments from Walt Whitman and John Muir.

🏨 Vicky Irwin, Creative Director at Mews, shared insights on successful hospitality branding on Matt Talks Hospitality podcast. She emphasizes starting with a brand's emotional territory, not visuals. For Mews, this reflection took months to refine. Regardless of size, hotels must define their unique emotional appeal. Visual work should follow clear strategy, avoiding design by committee. Inconsistent experience results if branding isn't well communicated and understood across all touchpoints, like service, website, and staff interaction.

👟 French footwear brand VEJA opened its first West Coast store on Los Angeles’ Abbot Kinney Boulevard, marking its third North American location. The historic building, dating back to 1923, was redesigned by local studio OWIU. The design incorporates organic shapes and sculptural concrete pieces, echoing Los Angeles’ landscape. A unique feature, the cobbler station, supports VEJA's Clean, Repair, Collect program. The store combines original industrial elements with modern design aesthetics.