Miscellaneous

🚀 Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air announced a strategic partnership with Blacklane at the 2025 Paris Airshow. Guests in Business Elite or Business Class enjoy complimentary chauffeur services within 50 km of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Blacklane operates in 50+ countries and 500+ cities, employing 400 people globally. The collaboration integrates with Riyadh Air’s booking platform, enhancing the premium travel experience and setting new service standards globally. Blacklane emphasizes innovation in electrification and sustainable technology in the mobility sector.

💳 TBC Bank Group partners with Turkish Airlines and Visa to launch Georgia's first co-branded premium debit card. Signed on June 12, 2025, in Istanbul, this exclusive card allows TBC Concept 360 and Wealth Management clients to earn miles on their travel expenses. Benefits include 10 airport lounge passes and fast-track security access. TBC has issued over 260,000 flagship debit cards by Q1 2025. This collaboration aims to enhance customer travel experiences and loyalty.

✈️ XCF Global appointed a Board of Directors after completing its business combination and Nasdaq listing (ticker: SAFX). The initial six directors are Mihir Dange (Chair), Anne Anderson, Sanford Cockrell, Si-Yeon Kim, Carter McCain, and Wray Thorn, all with diverse expertise in energy, aviation, finance, and law. The Board aims to decarbonize the aviation industry using Synthetic Aviation Fuel (SAF) and plans to expand to nine members, subject to Nasdaq rules.

✈️ DerbySoft, in collaboration with Ryanair Holdings PLC, enters the aviation tech sector with a new flight technology solution. This initiative, led by Jason Sui, aims to connect flight content between airlines and OTAs. DerbySoft acquired PKFare in 2024, enhancing their capabilities. In early 2023, DerbySoft restructured its executive team and acquired Arise, an AI platform. This solution expands their portfolio, focusing on innovation and seamless travel distribution.

🌍 In June 2025, anti-tourism protests erupted across Spain, notably in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. Locals, frustrated with overcrowding, rising rents, and housing shortages, targeted tourists using water guns, flares, and chants like “tourism is terrorism.” The backlash highlights issues like Airbnb's impact on housing affordability and threatens the region's tourism-dependent jobs and revenue. Spain's global tourism image risks damage, pushing the industry towards sustainable solutions to balance visitor impact and local quality of life.

📰 Joanna Fantozzi, with over 7 years in the restaurant industry, is the Senior Editor at Informa's Restaurant & Food Group since August 2021. From 2018-2021, she progressed from Assistant to Associate Editor. Her education includes a BA from The College of New Jersey and an MA from CUNY. Joanna has written for The New York Times, Forbes, and more, and moderates industry events like MUFSO. Her expertise covers restaurant news and cultural issues.

🍴 Chef Evgeny Vikentev, from June 26-29, 2025, at ZIMA Notting Hill, London, will present a six-course tasting menu, available throughout July. Notable dishes include mackerel with pistachio and sturgeon with caviar, paired with fine wines and Nastoyka. The menu is priced at £125. Vikentev, a celebrated chef from St. Petersburg, has earned accolades including a Michelin star in 2021 and "Chef of the Year" at Russia’s national Palm Awards.

🍳 Il Visibilio in Chianti Classico is hosting exclusive Four-Hands Dinners starting June 18, 2025, at 7 PM. The first dinner features Chef Daniele Canella and two-Michelin-starred Chef Giuseppe Iannotti, limited to 16 guests at €190 per person, plus €110 for wine pairing. Upcoming events on August 12 and October 7 feature chefs Davide Canella and Federico Zanasi. Located in Castelnuovo Berardenga, this series showcases culinary innovation and expertise.

📚 In this episode, Hospitality Daily hosts and Hertelier founders Emily Goldfischer and Nancy Mendelson discuss ambition with Jennifer Fox, former President of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, and Nicki Dehler, SVP of Product at Stayntouch. They explore women’s challenges in balancing ambition, redefining success beyond burnout, and integrating purpose and well-being. Consider sharing this insightful episode with your team to inspire action and growth. 🎧 Produced by Clay Bassford at Bespoke Sound.

🍽 Bret Thorn has been the senior food & beverage editor for Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. He won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and served as president of IFEC in 2005. Thorn studied at Tufts University, Le Cordon Bleu, and universities in China. He worked for ABC News during the Tiananmen Square events in 1989. Thorn is known for expertise in restaurant trends and French and Asian cuisines.