M/s Anuprit Solutions Private Limited, a prominent hospitality company in Ayodhya, announced a strategic partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, to develop a new upscale hotel, the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Ayodhya Masodha.

This greenfield development will feature 120 guest rooms and offer a comprehensive range of amenities including an all-day dining restaurant, expansive banquet and meeting spaces, a spa, swimming pool, and other premium facilities. Currently in the advanced planning stage, the hotel is expected to open in 2028, said a release issued by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

Aqeel Ahmed, director, M/s Anuprit Solutions Pvt. Ltd., said, “It is a privilege to bring the globally respected Ramada Plaza brand to Ayodhya in partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. With Ayodhya evolving into a major religious and cultural destination, we aim to provide world-class accommodation and service that reflects both the city’s deep heritage and its modern growth story.”

Rahool Macarius, market managing director, Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, added, “With Ayodhya emerging as a sought-after pilgrimage and cultural hub, this new signing represents our continued investment in high-potential markets. This marks our second hotel signing in the city – a reflection of our belief in Ayodhya’s growth trajectory and our intent to deliver exceptional stays where tradition and hospitality meet.”

This project further strengthens Wyndham’s commitment to expanding in India’s tier-2 and tier-3 cities, especially in fast-evolving religious and leisure markets.

There was an outpouring of grief in Haiti when the Hotel Oloffson, a cultural and architectural landmark in Port-au-Prince, was set ablaze on the night of 5 July, in what local media described as retaliation by armed gangs after a police operation in its vicinity.

For many, its ruins are a stark and sobering symbol of the state of a capital city on the verge of collapse, and a sign that a once vibrant culture may be fading as violent criminal armed groups continue their reign of terror.

The 19th-century mansion, built in 1887 in the ornate “gingerbread” style, once welcomed celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger and Graham Greene. A magnet for the world’s rich and famous in the 1960s and 70s, it was reborn in the 80s as a hub for vodou musicians and a refuge for foreign correspondents.

Watching the white wooden fretwork – often likened to lace – that once adorned the balconies reduced to ashes, has been tough for former patrons, who were once enchanted by its dreamlike, otherworldly charm.

“It was an extraordinary place, beyond time and space,” said Haitian historian and legal scholar Georges Michel, who would stop by, in the evenings on his way home. “After two or three beers, I’d sometimes have dinner. I’d meet people. It was Haitian. It was home.”

Some have already started dreaming of rebuilding the Oloffson, when the embattled city returns to some level of normality. But they are unable to make solid plans to do so as the Caribbean nation teeters dangerously toward a “point of no return” – a warning that UN officials have expressed as the body count continues to climb into the thousands.

The anti-government groups have been terrorising Port-au-Prince for the past four years, setting homes ablaze one neighbourhood after another and tightening their grip on the capital, cutting it off from the rest of the country. On 1 June 2021, a gang seized control of a stretch of the only national road leading south out of the city, in the name of a coalition of criminal groups.

The next month Jovenel Moïse, the then president, was assassinated, triggering a political crisis that has prevented elected governance. Last year a transitional presidential council was established to prepare the country for elections after a fresh wave of attacks enabled gangs to take control of much of downtown Port-au-Prince.

According to UN figures in January more than a million people were displaced and more than 5,600 were killed by gangs in 2024.

Armed groups began occupying an area near the Oloffson in January, displacing residents and forcing staff to flee and the hotel to close. Universities on the same street have since shut down or relocated.

Residents say there was a police operation in the area on the day the hotel was destroyed, but the cause of the blaze remains unknown, with clashes making it dangerous for officials or journalists to investigate.

Haitian architect Daniel Elie said the torching of the hotel is “part of a succession of losses”, which has seen aspects of Haiti’s culture “going up in smoke”.

“The Oloffson was one of those rare spaces where two worlds tried to meet,” he said, adding that it was a part of the literary and artistic “Indigenist movement” in Haiti between 1915 and 1945, which sought to reclaim African heritage and elevate the voices, traditions and lived realities of Haiti’s rural population.

“All of that unfolded in venues such as the Oloffson. So beyond the architecture, its cultural legacy is even more significant,” he said.

The hotel was one of the finest examples of gingerbread architecture – a popular style in Port-au-Prince in the latter half of the 19th century. The grand wooden houses, a blend of neoclassical and neo-gothic elements, were inspired by architectural trends in Europe at that time.

“A European bourgeoisie, strengthened by the Industrial Revolution, appropriated ancient styles and reinvented them” said Elie, a leading expert in heritage conservation. “Haitian families were sending their children to Europe to study in universities and architecture schools, and they brought back all these ideas.”

Some houses were even imported piece by piece from Europe. The hotel was designed by a French architect known only as Mr Lefèvre and assembled in Haiti by a French builder.

Unlike many modern buildings, gingerbread houses like the Oloffson survived the 2010 earthquake, thanks to their flexible wooden frames. But many were lost to rapid urbanisation.

Today, just a few dozen exist, local experts said – but scarcely any carry the historical weight of the Oloffson. Over the years it hosted Haitian presidents from Vilbrun Guillaume Sam in 1915 to René Préval in the 2000s, as well as musicians, film stars and renowned authors. Greene even set his 1966 novel, The Comedians, at the hotel and later co-wrote the screenplay for its 1967 film adaptation starring Taylor and Richard Burton.

As portrayed in Green’s novel, Oloffson was also a hotspot for foreign elites in search of exotic adventures during the 1960s and the 1970s.

“It was a kind of jet-set moment when Vogue would send photographers to shoot models in the lush gardens with glistening, shirtless paddlers in the background,” recalled French photographer and documentarian Chantal Regnault, who said she was struck by the colonial overtones when she first stayed there in 1979.

“You used to see a photo of the Oloffson on the cover of the city’s tourism brochures,” recalled Théodore “Lòlò” Beaubrun Jr of legendary Haitian band Boukman Eksperyans. As a child in the late 1960s, he would accompany his father, a renowned Haitian theatre artist, through the hotel’s vast white-painted gallery, mingling with local artists. “I learned so much, it was a school,” he said.

“When we started, it was all about catering to journalists,” said Richard Morse, who took over management of the Oloffson in 1987 with the help of his girlfriend. He later bought the property with his family. Speaking to the Guardian from Maine, he described the guilt and sense of helplessness as the hotel destruction came amid the rising tide of violence, murder and rape.

Born in Puerto Rico to a Haitian mother and an American father, Morse had been a new wave rock musician in the US before moving to Haiti in search of traditional drum rhythms. In 1988, he launched Thursday night vodou music concerts at the hotel. This would later be a key moment in the rise of his vodou-rock band RAM, and a new era of cultural crossover for the venue, which he described as a fantastic “Alice in Wonderland” experience.

“The gangs were the last clients – and they didn’t pay,” he said. “I need to go there and decide what to do. People keep telling me I can’t go, but what I really want is just to stand in the yard. That’s my home.”

Haiti’s stability was a significant concern for Caribbean leaders when they met earlier this month at the Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders summit.

Opening the meeting, the outgoing chair of Caricom and the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, appealed for more global support for Haiti.

“The world really needs a check on itself when it comes to Haiti. If ever we doubted that there were first class and second class citizens in the eyes of the world, don’t doubt it any more,” the Mottley said.

She added that, in spite of the staggering loss of life, and the displacement of people and food insecurity, “the world … has been unable to move beyond the promises and the platitudes that would bring help to the people of Haiti”.

Mottley said the Caribbean’s capacity to address the escalating situation is limited, and called for a “truth talk, both within the context of what is possible from Haiti’s perspective, but equally what is possible from the international community”.

If you’ve been letting your Skywards Miles gather dust, now’s your chance to rack them up like never before. Emirates Skywards is back with a summer bonanza that’s as irresistible as a karak after iftar. From flights and hotels to shopping and dining, the rewards game is dialled all the way up.

Emirates Skywards Is Dishing Out Massive Bonus Miles This Summer, And You Don’t Want To Miss It

We’re pleased to announce that Emirates Skywards members can now redeem Skywards Miles for Classic Rewards on all @flydubai flights, across all cabins, starting from 5,000 Miles. https://t.co/qRPJqXNYIB pic.twitter.com/zEDBaSLnVs

— Emirates (@emirates) April 29, 2025

Dubai folks, this one’s a no-brainer. Until 31 August, you’ll earn 25% bonus Miles every time you spend with Skywards Everyday partners. So that coffee run or shopping spree at Dubai Summer Surprises just got a whole lot sweeter. Drop AED 100 or more and you’ll be automatically entered into a raffle where ten lucky winners will walk away with 100,000 Skywards Miles each.

New to the Skywards Everyday app? Download it, pay with your Visa card on your first purchase, and boom, you get 4x the bonus Miles. It’s the kind of maths we like.

Book Hotels, Earn Big

Planning a staycation or booking a hotel for that long-overdue break? Lock it in by 3 August and earn 50% bonus Miles at Emirates Skywards Hotels. The deal’s valid for stays all the way through 30 September 2025. Members can earn up to 10,000 Miles per night. That’s enough to plan the next escape before you even unpack.

Fly Around And Let The Miles Fly In Too

Booked a September getaway? Make it count. Until 3 August 2025, you’ll earn 50% bonus Miles when flying with any of Emirates Skywards’ 16 airline partners. Swim with sea turtles in Curaçao with United or Azul. Chase waterfalls in Newfoundland with Air Canada. Explore Portugal’s wild Azores with TAP. Just fly between 1 and 30 September 2025 and those bonus Miles are all yours.

Shop Smart, Earn Faster

Emirates Skywards is back with unbeatable bonus Miles offers this summer. Members can earn bonus Miles with airline partners, Emirates Skywards Hotels, Skywards Everyday, Skywards Miles Mall, The Bicester Collection and more. https://t.co/HdZiXjiFWP pic.twitter.com/3jyRypstan

— Emirates (@emirates) July 18, 2025

On the Skywards Miles Mall, you’ll earn 25% bonus Miles when shopping with over 3,500 brands. Prefer local? Amazon UAE’s got your back. Until 31 July 2025, you’ll earn up to 100 Miles for every AED 50 you spend. First-time shoppers on the platform can score 2,000 bonus Miles just for showing up and checking out.

Heading to Europe? Don’t skip The Bicester Collection. From now till 31 August 2025, spend from EUR 500 and you’ll earn double Miles. Spend from EUR 1,500 and those Miles triple. Think of it as travel, shopping, and rewards all in one stylish package.

Also Read: Dubai: Frequent Flyer With Emirates? Pay For Your Next Concert With Skyward Miles At Coca-Cola Arena!

Loyalty That Actually Pays Off

Skywards isn’t just another points scheme. Voted the Best Global Airline Loyalty Program in 2025, it’s giving its 35 million members more ways to earn and spend than ever before. Recent upgrades let members earn Classic Rewards on all flydubai flights from just 5,000 Miles. Plus, members can now swap points and Miles across major hotel programmes like Marriott Bonvoy and ALL,  it’s now easier to keep rewards flowing both ways.

Whether you’re Blue, Silver, Gold or Platinum, every tier opens up a fresh level of perks. From flights and upgrades to hotel stays and exclusive gigs at Coca-Cola Arena, those Miles do more than just sit pretty in your account.

So, what are you waiting for? Go on,  spend better, earn bigger, and let Emirates Skywards turn your everyday plans into sky-high rewards.

Cover Image Courtesy: Emirates/Website

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First Published: July 18, 2025 6:55 PM