voco Quang Binh Resort By IHG, Vietnam
voco Quang Binh Resort by IHG has opened in Dong Hoi, Vietnam, offering 68 suites and beachfront villas with direct access to Bao Ninh beach. The suites and villas range from 43m² to 300m², blending Indochine-inspired design with natural light and locally crafted details.

The resort features a spa with treatment rooms, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, salon and foot spa, alongside indoor and outdoor pools. Guests can dine at Flamingo Restaurant, which serves Vietnamese specialities and international dishes, or enjoy cocktails at Oasis Pool Bar overlooking the sunset.

Located in Quang Binh, known as the “Kingdom of Caves,” the resort provides easy access to Son Doong Cave, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Mooc spring, and the region’s beaches including Nhat Le and Da Nhay. Guests can also experience activities such as kayaking, ziplining and mud bathing, or visit cultural sites like the Lieu Hanh Mother Temple.

Tantawan Tented Camp, Thailand
Dusit International has begun managing Tantawan Tented Camp, a sustainable retreat in the mountains of Chiang Rai, Thailand, featuring 10 safari-style tents with modern amenities and handcrafted teak furnishings. The tents include two-bedroom family options and a one-bedroom suite, each with a private bathroom.

Located 40 minutes from Chiang Rai International Airport, the camp offers valley views and experiences connecting guests with local culture and the environment, including trekking, cooking classes, meditation sessions, and tree-planting programmes.

The on-site farm supplies fresh produce, herbs, and free-range eggs to the camp’s restaurant, where northern Thai and international dishes are prepared with locally sourced ingredients.

Facilities include a central swimming pool with mountain views, an outdoor amphitheatre with a bonfire, and two covered, lighted pickleball courts. Guests can also visit nearby hill tribes and an elephant sanctuary, participate in archery, or book private forest and field picnics. Families can join creative workshops such as pottery, glass painting, and the making of Tung banners, traditional Lanna decorations with cultural significance.

Gurney Bay Hotel, A Parkroyal Hotel, Malaysia
Gurney Bay Hotel, A Parkroyal Hotel, has opened with 368 rooms, located 10 minutes from George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its shophouses, town houses, and cultural landmarks.

The hotel is part of the Gurney Bay lifestyle precinct, developed under the Penang2030 Vision, and offers unblocked views of the Penang coastline, George Town, and the Penang Hills.

Facilities include a 220-seat all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge and bar, a ballroom for up to 550 guests, four meeting rooms, kids’ club, gym, health club, outdoor tennis court, two swimming pools including a children’s pool, steam and sauna rooms.

Tui Blue Angkor Grace, Cambodia
Tui Blue Angkor Grace has opened in Siem Reap, Cambodia, close to the Angkor Wat temple complex and Tonlé Sap Lake.

It offers hydrotherapy facilities including a magnesium-rich pool, onsen and ice baths, along with traditional healing therapies. The hotel also features a gym with certified instructors, the Aum Yoga Studio with daily classes, and the Amazing Grace Sound Healing Temple for sound therapy sessions. A kids wellness centre caters to children aged six months to 12 years.

The hotel works closely with the local community, sourcing ingredients from nearby farmers for its culinary offerings.

MML
acquires in NYC. Austin-based MML Hospitality has acquired the luxury Nine Orchard hotel in the former
Jarmulowsky Bank Building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City
from DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners for $92 million. New York City-based DLJ
purchased the property and a neighboring building back in 2012 for $41 million
and made extensive renovations on both properties.

State of
Texas buys two hotels. The Texas General Land Office, the Columbus, Ohio-based investment firm
Rockbridge and the Alamo Trust purchased the Menger and
Crockett hotels in San Antonio. The Alamo Trust stated that the transactions
are intended to help protect the Alamo’s historic grounds in downtown San
Antonio, as the hotels are being incorporated into the makeover of Alamo Plaza,
which has a new visitor center and museum opening in 2027. The hotels stand on
land that once formed part of the agricultural fields of Mission San Antonio de
Valero, the 18th-century Spanish mission now known as the Alamo.

$79.3M Miami
refi. A joint
venture between MetLife Investment Management and MDM Group has secured a $79.3
million refinancing for the 357-key JW Marriott Marquis Miami. JLL facilitated the
transaction and the loan was provided by Madison Realty Capital and Newbond
Holdings’ institutional lending platform, Madison Newbond. The 41-story downtown
Miami property recently a $16 million renovation in 2023.

Q2
business travel price hikes. Overall business travel cost increases accelerated in the
second quarter, with hotel rates in major cities for business travel expected
to rise further in 2026, according to American Express Global Business Travel’s
Business Travel Pulse report. The Pulse’s business travel price index—based on
data from Amex GBT’s data lake combined with analysis by its consulting
team—shows that business travel prices were up 2.6% year-over-year in the
second quarter, up from a 0.6% year-over-year increase in the first quarter.
The report also highlighted the cities that are projected to see the largest
increases in hotel prices in 2026, using its data along with inflation and GDP
forecasts from the International Monetary Fund and modeled with open-source
software Prophet. In North America, Amex GBT projects the largest increases
will be in Toronto (5.8%) and New York (4%). In Europe, Amex GBT projects hotel
prices will increase 4.8% year-over-year in Madrid, 4.2% in London, 3.7% in
Berlin and 2.4% in Paris.

Accor
names CEO for South Asia. Accor has appointed Ranju Alex as its CEO for South Asia (covering
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). Ranju was most recently the
regional vice president for South Asia for Marriott International and began her
career with The Oberoi Group in 1993. She has been in several leadership
positions with Marriott.

Alyvate
partners with Bay Street. Singapore-based Alyvate Hospitality is partnering with Fremont,
California-based Bay Street Hospitality VCC as asset manager for select
hospitality assets across Southeast Asia. Bay Street Hospitality operates a
variable capital company (VCC) structure and targets joint ventures with
leading operators and developers worldwide

Miiro
adds in Europe. Miiro, the new lifestyle boutique hotel brand from Haryana, India-based
InterGlobe Enterprises, is further expanding in Europe with the project December opening of the
64-key Miiro Palais Rudolf in Vienna, Austria. This will be
Miiro’s debut in Vienna and the fifth launch in just 16 months. Miiro has
hotels in Paris, Barcelona, London and Gstaad, Switzerland and has more in the
pipeline for 2026. In addition to Miiro, InterGlobe has hotel properties in
Amsterdam, Munich, Prague, Budapest, Hamburg and Melbourne.

Several hotels in the UAE are expecting near full levels of occupancy next weekend, which will be a long weekend. Most families looking for staycations prefer to take all-inclusive packages for their short breaks.

“City hotels are expected to maintain occupancies of around 85–90 per cent, while beachfront, waterfront, and resort properties are likely to be almost sold out, reaching 98–100 per cent occupancy,” said Anura Mathai, Director of New Initiatives at Flora Hospitality UAE and India. 

UAE announced a paid holiday for public and private sector employees on Friday, September 5, on the occasion of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, which means most employees and students will get a three-day long weekend. 

Other industry experts also said they are seeing a positive response to the long break. “The interest is continuing to build as the long weekend approaches,” said Cameron McNeillie, General Manager, InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort & Spa.

“Many guests are looking to take advantage of the holiday to enjoy a quick escape by the sea, and bookings are showing healthy momentum compared to regular weekends.”

How trends differ

According to Anura, long weekends traditionally see higher demand for beach, waterfront, and resort properties, while city hotels are usually quieter. “However, this time city hotels are also enjoying healthy bookings, driven mainly by strong movements from the Africa and India markets,” he said. 

He added that the trends differed according to the location of the hotel. “At our city hotels, guests are opting for simple room-and-breakfast packages,” he said. “On the other hand, at beach, waterfront, and resort properties, the demand is largely for all-inclusive packages covering stay, meals and beverages.”

Cameron agreed. “Our all-inclusive and half-board packages are seeing strong interest, especially from families who appreciate the ease of having everything taken care of,” he said. “At the same time, couples and smaller groups are opting for more personalised chilling experiences, such as villa stays with private pools or curated dining journeys.” 

He added that they are expecting to be “running at a very high capacity” throughout the holiday, driven by both “stay-cationers from across the UAE and international visitors” seeking a resort-style getaway. 

Onam festival

While many families are flocking to hotels for staycations, others are choosing to stay at home. For those hailing from the southern Indian state of Kerala, the long weekend will be a time to celebrate the state’s harvest festival Onam, which will fall on Friday, September 5. Dubai resident Manju Sreekumar said she is looking forward to celebrating the festival with her entire family after many years.

“Both my sons are working, and they don’t get a day off on Onam,” she said. “This year, because it is a public holiday, we will be able to celebrate together after more than five years. I will be inviting my friends as well as some relatives who are here in Dubai looking for a job for lunch to my house.”

One of the highlights of the festival is a fully vegetarian fest, called the Onasadhya, which serves over 30 curries on a banana leaf along with rice. Many families cook these meals at home, while others choose to eat out at restaurants.