Hospitality, Travel & Events

Belgrade – November 09, 2026 -- More than 19,000 candidates from Serbia and 153 other countries have applied to the Expo Playmakers volunteer programme for Expo 2027 Belgrade, just over six months before the Specialised Expo opens.

International applicants make up over one-third of the pool

More than 7,100 applications come from abroad, over a third of the total. Submissions arrived from Russia, China, Germany and Italy, among other countries.

The most sought-after assignments are support roles for the digital team and the pavilions of international participants, followed by positions in protocol and the sports programme.

Selected volunteers receive tailored training and a certificate

Chosen volunteers get training matched to their assignment and hands-on experience at an international large-scale event. After completing their service, they receive an internationally recognised volunteer certificate.

SHENZHEN – November 08, 2026 -- Rongbaozhai and CICG Asia-Pacific opened the special exhibition Contour of the Time: Classics, Heritage and Convergence in Shenzhen on the afternoon of November 4, 2026, ahead of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. The event opened with a performance by Wing Chun heritage inheritor Dong Chonghua alongside AGIBOT humanoid robots.

Rongbaozhai Outlines Dual-Headquarters Plan for Asia-Pacific Art Trade

Zhao Dong, Party Committee Secretary and Director of Rongbaozhai Co., Ltd., said the company draws on more than 350 years of cultural work. Rongbaozhai runs headquarters in Beijing and in the Greater Bay Area, where it is developing its full range of cultural and artistic operations.

CHICAGO – November 07, 2026 -- Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) has added Impression Isla Mujeres, a 123-suite, adults-only, all-inclusive resort on the southern tip of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, to The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. The addition comes as the collection marks its 10th anniversary in 2026.

Resort keeps adults-only, all-inclusive model under Hyatt's Endless Privileges

Impression Isla Mujeres will continue to operate as an adults-only, all-inclusive property. Guests will receive Endless Privileges, one of Hyatt's signature sets of luxury inclusions, available at select all-inclusive resorts.

The resort opened in May 2023 under the Impression by Secrets brand. It received the AAA Five Diamond designation in 2026 and was named to AAA's 2026 Top 10 Hotels list. Luxury Travel Advisor named it the "Most Instagrammable Hotel in the World" in 2024 and 2025.

Lafayette – November 07, 2026 -- The Louisiana First Horizon Foundation has committed funding to the Louisiana Music Museum's capital campaign, securing naming recognition for the Walk of Legends Plaza at the planned Downtown Lafayette attraction. The museum is a program of the Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA).

Foundation Takes Naming Recognition for Walk of Legends Plaza

The plaza is an outdoor entrance space along South Buchanan Street, designed to honor Louisiana's musical legends. The Foundation's support goes toward the ongoing capital campaign. The announcement did not disclose the amount.

The Foundation is the private charitable arm of First Horizon National Corporation. It was founded in 2020 and has donated more than $15 million to community needs. Arts & Culture is one of its five impact areas, alongside Education & Leadership, Environment, Financial Literacy and Health & Human Services.

Paris – November 07, 2026 -- AMTD Digital transferred controlling interests in four hotel assets to The Generation Essentials Group (TGE) for an aggregate US$209,766,000, with TGE paying entirely in newly issued shares, according to a joint announcement by AMTD IDEA Group, AMTD Digital and TGE.

TGE issues 198,630,381 Class A shares to complete the transfer on November 2

AMTD Digital and TGE signed the Asset Transfer and Share Issuance Agreement on October 21, 2026. The transfer closed on November 2, 2026. The price also takes the assets' underlying debts into account.

TGE settled the full price with 198,630,381 new Class A ordinary shares issued to AMTD Digital. The share count was set using the 30-day volume-weighted average price of TGE stock on the New York Stock Exchange for the thirty trading days ending May 29, 2026.

Four hotels across New York, Perth, London and Kuala Lumpur move under TGE

The target assets are:

Westerly – November 07, 2026 -- The Washington Trust Company has provided $8.5 million in financing to VVO Real Estate Holding, LLC for the reconstruction of the Harborside Inn, a hotel and retail property at 41 Water Street in New Shoreham, Rhode Island.

Fire in August 2023 destroyed the property opposite the Block Island Ferry terminal

The building stands directly across from the Block Island Ferry terminal. VVO Real Estate Holding is redeveloping the site, and the finished project will include a 33-room full-service hotel, a leased restaurant space and 10 leased retail spaces.

The Haynes Group targets May 2027 completion

The Haynes Group of West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, is managing construction. The project is expected to restore a prominent hospitality and commercial asset to New Shoreham's waterfront district.

LONDON – November 06, 2026 -- VidantaWorld, the luxury tourism and entertainment platform of Grupo Vidanta, has unveiled BON (Beauty of Nature), a theme park backed by an investment of approximately USD 1.5 billion, to the international travel trade at World Travel Market London 2026. The company bills BON as the world's first luxury theme park. It is located at VidantaWorld Vallarta in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico, and opens to the public in 2027.

BON began a guest-only soft opening on October 24

The phased Private Soft Opening is restricted to guests staying at VidantaWorld, who can buy tickets during their stay. The park operates from 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, at intentionally limited capacity. New themed worlds and attractions will be added gradually before the general public is admitted.

Aliso Viejo – November 06, 2026 -- Sunstone Hotel Investors (NYSE: SHO) reported third-quarter 2026 net income attributable to common stockholders of $38.7 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, against a net loss of $2.9 million, or $(0.02) per share, a year earlier. The lodging REIT again raised its full-year 2026 outlook after revenue and earnings exceeded its expectations.

RevPAR rises 11.4% to $235.22 as Adjusted FFO per share climbs 17.6%

RevPAR across the portfolio increased 11.4% to $235.22, with an average daily rate of $323.55 and occupancy of 72.7%. Excluding Andaz Miami Beach, RevPAR rose 10.3%. Total RevPAR grew 10.5% to $394.97, or 9.6% excluding the Miami Beach property.

Adjusted EBITDAre increased 8.8% to $54.5 million. Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders rose 17.6% to $0.20 per diluted share.

Montville, Conn. – November 06, 2026 -- Mohegan Sun is investing $30 million in a multi-phase renovation of its 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena, replacing all seating and rebuilding food and beverage, concourse and entrance areas after 25 years of operation.

The project is being developed with SCI Architects. Most construction will run alongside the Arena's active event schedule, but the venue will close for two months starting December 15. It is set to reopen on Sunday, February 28, with a concert by Breaking Benjamin, supported by Starset, P.O.D. and Filter. Tickets go on sale November 6 via Ticketmaster, with Box Office sales starting at noon the following day.

Arena operator targets concessions and entrances in first phase

Phase one is already under way while the Arena remains open through early winter. Work during the closure includes:

EVERETT, Mass. – November 06, 2026 -- More than 1,300 workers at Encore Boston Harbor ratified a five-and-a-half-year collective bargaining agreement after a 62-day strike that cut the casino's September gross gaming revenue by about 22% year-over-year to $46.06 million.

Teamsters Local 25 and UNITE HERE Local 26 secure wage and benefit gains

The workers are represented by Teamsters Local 25 and UNITE HERE Local 26. The contract includes significant wage increases, enhanced benefits and improved working conditions. The source does not disclose specific wage figures.

The bargaining unit includes 211 Teamsters in the warehouse, horticulture, call center, cage cashier, limousine, dispatch, traffic, valet and guest experience departments.