Miscellaneous

📈 Highgate Hotels and Eternam acquired the 191-key Zafolia Hotel Athens, marking Highgate’s first investment in Greece. Situated in downtown Athens, the hotel features a seasonal rooftop pool, garden, and Green Key certification. Highgate plans to expand in Southern Europe, leveraging its 35+ years of expertise. Eternam's Alcyon Hospitality Europe Fund aims to invest €60 million over 18 months in European hospitality, following a previous investment in Hilton Garden Inn Rome Claridge in July.

✈ Tripadvisor Group, which includes tours and activities platform Viator, is drawing questions from the travel industry about its next steps. The excerpt provides no dates, locations, numbers, statistics, or confirmed future plans.

📈 In August 2026, Britain's hospitality sector marked its fourth consecutive month of growth, with like-for-like sales at leading managed groups rising by 0.8% compared to August 2025, according to the NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker. This performance ranks as the third-best monthly result of 2026, though it reflects a decline from July's 1.4% growth.

👑 New York Fashion Week S/S 2027 featured strong showings from Calvin Klein, Tory Burch, and Coach. Coach celebrated its 85th anniversary at Pier 36, while Tory Burch's collection, shown at the Isamu Noguchi Sunken Garden, emphasized "more is more." Michael Kors' show took place at MoMA, focusing on modernist influences. Controversy arose at COS’s runway with PETA protests, leading to CFDA's Steven Kolb being put on leave. Conner Ives debuted in New York, marking a homecoming with his showcase at The Grill.

🏟 Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu (€1.76 billion renovation from 2019-2024) and Manchester City's Etihad Stadium expansion (2023-2026, 61,000+ seats) demonstrate stadiums as year-round destinations. PSG's "Ici C'est Paris La Maison" tour visited cities like London and Tokyo, drawing 33,000 visitors, with a new season in January 2027. Accor's partnership with PSG, renewed until 2030, exemplifies hospitality and sports convergence, aligning with sports tourism's $111.2 billion impact in 2025.

📈 Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, will be honored with the 2027 ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2027 Shatterproof Hospitality Hero Award. The awards ceremony will take place on January 25, 2027, in Los Angeles during ALIS. Sternlicht's firm manages approximately $130 billion in assets, with past investments surpassing $280 billion. Known for founding Starwood Hotels & Resorts and creating brands like W Hotels, Sternlicht's influence on the hospitality industry is profound and celebrated.

🚗 Waymo, by Q2 2026, operates 76% of the 5,574 robotaxis in the US. California leads with 2,153 vehicles, followed by Texas at 1,896, reflecting a 13% gap. Texas requires TxDMV authorization under SB 2807 for vehicle registration. Data consolidates from TX DMV and CA CPUC alongside news contributions to maintain accuracy, despite possible test and undeployed vehicle inclusions. An auto-crawler updates fleet counts with AV-related news.

📚 On September 8, 2026, Café Royal Grill in London debuted the Literary Afternoon Tea to honor International Literacy Day. This £85 per person event, or £95 with champagne, celebrates literary icons like Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, and John le Carré. Head Pastry Chef Maxence Blondelle crafts pastries inspired by their works. Collaborating with Hatchards, guests explore rare first editions, blending literature and gastronomy. The experience concludes with "The Final Chapter," a dark chocolate mousse creation.