Hilton’s Lifestyle portfolio continues to expand globally, with Curio Collection by Hilton and Testry Collection by Hilton surpassing 200 open hotels each. This momentum reflects sustained growth as travelers increasingly seek locally grounded, experience-led stays, a demand underscored by Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, which found that 86% of travelers value experiences over material gifts.

Owner interest in Hilton’s Collections brands continues to grow, driven by both new build and flexible conversion opportunities that allow hotels to retain their individual story and character while tping into the benefits of Hilton. One of those benefits is Hilton’s industry-leading technology platform that connects customer, inventory, pricing and property systems through a cloud-based architecture that is built for scale. For brands like Curio Collection and Testry Collection, this means owners can deliver the boutique hotel style stays guests expect more efficiently, helping to deepen loyalty and create stronger, long-term value for owners.

Guest interest in Curio Collection and Testry Collection is also driven by the benefits of Hilton, especially Hilton Honors. The award-winning loyalty program offers members the ability to earn and redeem Points, access member discounts and contactless technology, including Digital Check-In/Check-Out and the flexibility to choose and access their room using Digital Key, exclusively through the Hilton Honors p.

Curio Collection by Hilton Surpasses 200 Hotels Worldwide
Curio Collection by Hilton, a global portfolio of individually remarkable hotels, has grown to more than 200 open properties across 47 countries and territories. With a pipeline of over 120 hotels, the brand is continuing to expand into new destinations, proaching a footprint of 50 markets worldwide.

Recent Openings:

The Monarch San Antonio, Curio Collection by Hilton marked the brand’s debut in San Antonio, Texas, opening in the reimagined Hemisfair District near The Alamo and River Walk, with standout culinary offerings, a rooftop restaurant and expansive event space.
New U.S. openings include Hotel Valorian Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton, a reimagined Sunset Strip hotel where bold design reflects West Hollywood’s cultural energy, and Hotel Heron Alexandria Old Town, Curio Collection by Hilton, a property rooted in the historic charm and creative spirit of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
Elika Cave Suites Cpadocia, Curio Collection by Hilton, introduced Hilton’s first cave hotel, offering guests a one-of-a-kind stay carved into the region’s iconic rock formations and inspired by Cpadocia’s heritage.

Upcoming Openings:

The Sunny Miami Sunny Isles Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton, an oceanfront resort set along one of South Florida’s most desirable stretches of beach, is slated to open later this year.
Hotel Palacio Bellas Artes San Sebastián, Curio Collection by Hilton signals Hilton’s arrival in the Spanish coastal city, transforming the historic Fine Arts Theatre into a boutique hotel that blends heritage architecture with modern design.
Slohh by Roach Bengaluru, Curio Collection by Hilton represents Hilton’s first lifestyle hotel in India, bringing design-forward hospitality to one of the country’s fastest-growing urban hubs.
Hale Hōkūala Kauaʻi, Curio Collection by Hilton, marks the brand’s debut in Hawaii and is designed to reflect the natural beauty and heritage of the island of Kauaʻi.

Reaching 200 hotels marks an important moment for Curio Collection by Hilton as we continue to expand into new markets and bring more individually remarkable stays to travelers around the world, said Brooke Thomas, brand leader, Curio Collection by Hilton. While every property in the portfolio tells its own story, what unites each is the ability to cture the essence of its surroundings. Through locally inspired design, food and beverage and curated moments that satisfy travelers’ curiosity to explore, our hotels create stays that immerse guests in the unique culture and spirit of the destination.

Testry Collection by Hilton Reaches 200-Hotel Milestone
Testry Collection by Hilton, a gathering of independent hotels each with an original, vibrant personality and designed to reflect the identity of their local communities, is also celebrating 200 open hotels.

The momentum for Testry Collection by Hilton is fueled by high conversion demand and a flexible model that allows independent hotels to join the Hilton system while preserving their local character. With almost 150 hotels in development, Testry Collection by Hilton continues to expand across new destinations worldwide.

Recent Openings:

Zaria Court Kigali, Testry Collection by Hilton marks the brand’s debut in Sub-Saharan Africa and Hilton’s first property in Rwanda in the heart of Kigali Sports City. The hotel is inspired by Masai Ujiri, founder of Zaria Group, who shed the hotel’s creation through his commitment to African excellence.
The Green Leaf Niseko Village, Testry Collection by Hilton, introduces Testry Collection to Jan, offering a winter-focused mountain retreat in Hokkaido shed by local art and design.
Rosetta Hotel Perugia, Testry Collection by Hilton represents Hilton’s first hotel in Italy’s Umbria region, located in the heart of Perugia with historic design elements dating back to the 15th century.
The George Manhattan, Testry Collection by Hilton and Hotel 38 New York City, Testry Collection by Hilton, continue to strengthen the brand’s presence in New York City, with each property reflecting the character of the neighborhood, from Harlem to Midtown Manhattan.

Upcoming Openings:

In Latin America, Perla La Paz, Testry Collection by Hilton marks the brand’s debut in Baja California Sur and Hilton’s first hotel in La Paz, Mexico, reimagining the historic Hotel Perla with mid-century design and rooftop views of the Gulf of California.
Ava Hotel Nairobi, Testry Collection by Hilton, signals entry into Kenya, bringing a lifestyle hotel to Nairobi’s upscale Lavington suburb with bold design inspired by Kenyan heritage and a rooftop bar, pool and flexible gathering spaces.
NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An, Testry Collection by Hilton, marking the brand’s debut in Vietnam. Nestled in Cam Thanh Village near the De Vong River, the resort will feature a rooftop spa, health club and pool.

Testry Collection by Hilton’s continued growth reflects the strong peal of independent hotels with original, vibrant personalities and deep ties to their communities, said Elizabeth Scruggs, brand leader, Testry Collection by Hilton. As we surpass 200 hotels, we are expanding into even more destinations worth exploring. We’re creating spaces that have a unique identity and origin story through elevated culinary offerings, design and authentic experiences that facilitate local exploration and adventure for our guests.

Expanding Hilton’s Lifestyle Portfolio
This momentum reflects sustained growth as travelers increasingly seek locally grounded stays rooted in culture and discovery. Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report found that 35% of travelers are booking trips around a specific cultural experience. Driven by demand for hotels with distinct identities and strong connections to their destinations, Hilton’s Lifestyle portfolio continues to grow as one of the company’s most dynamic areas of expansion, as guests seek brands that align with their beliefs, values and desire to connect with likeminded people. Curio Collection by Hilton and Testry Collection by Hilton are continuing to expand across gateway cities, resort markets and off-the-beaten-path locales around the world. Both brands create the experiential stays guests crave and foster an authentic connection to their destination, offering travelers more ways to discover the local culture through design, food and beverage and the stories that define each hotel.

Valiant Lady has returned to service following a two-week dry dock, with a series of onboard updates including new dining, refreshed venues and more than 20 new Hpenings events (onboard programming).

The ship is sailing in the Mediterranean this summer before repositioning to San Juan in the autumn.

Updates include the launch of Ariya by Razzle Dazzle, a new modern Indian restaurant, as well as redesigned spaces across The Athletic Club, The Roundabout, Grounds Club Too, The Manor, On the Rocks, The Dock and retail areas. All 1,300+ crew have also completed a Virgin Way culture booster as part of the ship’s return to service.

What’s new onboard Valiant Lady

* Ariya by Razzle Dazzle – A new modern Indian restaurant developed with Indie Culinaire and chef Maneet Chauhan. The venue seats 220 Sailors (guests), with a menu inspired by regional Indian cuisine, including dishes such as Lamb Shank Biryani and Puffed Rice and Avocado Chaat. The restaurant is named after Sir Richard Branson’s great-great-grandmother, Ariya, who was from Tamil Nadu.

* The Athletic Club – New shaded daybeds and updated lounge seating have been added to this outdoor social space which also contains a sports court and hot tubs.

* The Roundabout – The central onboard space has been refreshed in Valiant Lady’s signature plum colouring, with new furniture groupings.

* Grounds Club Too – The venue will continue serving Intelligentsia Coffee during the day, and will now evolve into a full bar from late afternoon.

* The Manor – Raised platforms have been removed to open up the dance floor and create more space for late-night entertainment.

* On the Rocks – The stage has been relocated to improve sightlines, with additional seating also introduced.

* The Dock – A new stage setup and windscreen have been added to make outdoor performances more comfortable in changing weather conditions.

* Retail – Luxury watch and jewellery brands TAG and Pandora have joined the onboard retail line-up, while the Virgin Voyages brand shop has moved into a larger space.

New onboard entertainment

Valiant Lady’s refreshed entertainment programme includes more than 20 new Hpenings events across venues including the Red Room, The Manor, The Roundabout, The Perch, dining venues and late-night social spaces.

New additions in the Red Room include Sink Oar Swim, a participatory game show which turns the theatre into a high-stakes game show where every decision pushes Sailors closer to reward or disaster, while Sports Smarts combines sports trivia with physical challenges. In The Manor, new concepts include Pay Attent!on, inspired by vintage TV game shows, and Nice Box!, a retail-themed entertainment experience.

The late-night programme has also been expanded, with new social formats including Dirty Laundry and Off the Record, designed to bring Sailors together through character-led, interactive experiences.

Food and drink-led Hpenings include:

Extra Virgin: eritivo Club offers classic spritzes, premium olive oils and the art and science behind pasta pairings.
Trust Your Tongue tests unconventional culinary combos while rating and ranking these unusual flavours at The Test Kitchen with ‘The Foodie’.
Espresso Yourself create three espresso martinis, live music and coffee-inspired art.
Sweet Aft Matcha invites guests to sample the rich history and flavour pairings of matcha.
The programme also includes wellness, fitness and creative sessions such as Silent Sweat, a headphone led fitness class, VHS Volume 2: The Great British Burn Off, a Britpop inspired group session, while Upcycle Club, Knot Today and Hooked work with reclaimed materials, ropework and crochet to create souvenirs.

Additional new formats include Extra! Extra!, a newsroom-based stage show; Check Please, a social chess tournament; and Knees Up, a pub quiz at sea.

Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages, said: Valiant Lady was already one of the most compelling ships at sea, but we kept asking ourselves how to make her even more worth coming back for. The best transformations don’t come from smooth sailing but from listening, pushing further and creating something truly special. From Ariya to The Manor to a completely reimagined lineup of Hpenings, Valiant Lady returns with a new energy our Sailors will feel immediately. Every one of our 1,300+ Crew has been through The Virgin Way, and that reignited culture is the linchpin to the service Sailors keep coming back for.

Where she’s sailing

Valiant Lady’s upcoming deployment includes the Italian Grand Tour, French Riviera and Ibiza itineraries, followed by Northern Explorer sailings from Amsterdam to Iceland. Prices start from £783pp for a seven-night sailing departing July 4, 2026.

The ship will also operate a Total Eclipse of the Med itinerary, offering Sailors the opportunity to experience the solar eclipse from the water.

In October, Valiant Lady will reposition to San Juan for a series of six- to eight-night Caribbean sailings, operating through ril 2027.

Qantas’ Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR has completed its maiden test flight, marking a significant milestone ahead of the launch of commercial flights that will connect Australia’s east coast to London and New York, non-stop, for the first time ever.

Operated by two Airbus Flight Test Pilots, three Flight Test Engineers and one Ground Test Engineer, Qantas’ ultra long range A350 took off for the first time from Toulouse yesterday afternoon local time and flew for three hours 43 minutes over France and the French Atlantic Coast.

The flight was focused on testing the aircraft’s primary systems including the jet’s specialised fuel system, which includes an additional 20,000 litre rear centre fuel tank that will enable commercial flights of up to 22 hours non-stop.

The successful first flight marks the beginning of a two-month testing campaign, with the aircraft to complete around 80 hours of flight testing and undergo extensive on-ground checks and certification of new and redesigned components that will enable the A350 to fly ultra long haul sectors. This includes certifying a new galley air cooling system which features lighter and more efficient refrigeration units, which will be rolled out across all future Airbus A350 aircraft.

Alongside the extensive testing and certification campaign, a second Project Sunrise aircraft is progressing through Airbus’ final assembly line, having its four-class interior fitted and being painted in Qantas livery. This aircraft will be delivered to Qantas in ril next year.

Qantas will announce the first Project Sunrise route and timing of its inaugural commercial services later this month.

In the misty uplands of Southwest China, Anantara Guiyang Resort’s wine insider Jason is engaged in a delicate tightrope act. In a region where the fiery Moutai liquor has dominated social functions for millennia, his mission is to show how tradition can open itself to new expressions – in this case, through wine. As Anantara Hotels & Resorts marks its 25th anniversary with the ‘People Who Inspire’ series, Jason ctures the brand’s stewardship of authentic local experiences and the confident rise of China’s wine culture.

Guizhou’s proud Miao and Dong culinary heritage has shed a fermentation-driven cuisine defined by spiciness, numbing heat and, above all, sourness, often layered with perfumed notes from indigenous plants like the citrusy Litsea cubeba. Balancing these volatile flavours takes skill, not only for chefs but also for sommeliers.

Jason’s instincts are as sharp as the flavours of his home province. His UK-based WSET training and experience in the high-pressure China Young Sommelier Team Competition give him both the technique and the confidence to get the balance right. His wine list reflects this precision: Chinese and international labels with gentle tannins, cool-fermentation profiles and lighter alcohol levels allow the wine to support rather than compete with dishes perfected over generations.

Miao cuisine is central to the region’s identity, and the right wine can turn a casual tasting experience into a moment of real discovery.

During his tasting salon sessions, Jason embraces wine’s social dimension, inviting guests to slow down, taste with intention and connect with one another through the experience. By bringing in wine educators and enthusiasts, he helps nurture a local wine culture that is steadily gaining confidence. He also trains the next generation of hospitality professionals, encouraging them to balance technical skill with the hallmark of great service: attentiveness and confidence grounded in humility.

p>True confidence comes not from knowing everything, but from respecting the wine, the guest and the story behind every bottle.

I teach my team to proach each pour not as a performance but as a dialogue.

Sometimes, the surest footing comes from listening to the land and letting it tell the story.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) invites governments, development banks, tourism authorities, regional institutions and private sector leaders to adopt a new, broader framework for evaluating tourism’s contribution to the Caribbean. The proposed proach looks past visitor spending alone to measure three things that she the region’s future: the economic value retained within Caribbean economies, the investment tourism makes in Caribbean people, and the industry’s impact on the natural environment.

CHTA’s proposal grew out of the 2026 Caribbean Travel Forum in Antigua, where public and private sector leaders agreed that the region needs better measures of tourism’s long-term value. As a starting point, CHTA recommends the Domestic Cture Rate, the share of tourism spending that stays and circulates within the host economy. The figure shows how much of every visitor dollar works for the region’s businesses and the people they employ.

For decades the Caribbean has talked about tourism leakage, said Nicola Madden-Greig, immediate past president of CHTA and chair of the Association’s Linkages Task Force. That conversation taught us a great deal, and now we need a way to measure the progress we make. Domestic Cture Rate gives us a practical tool to track the value we keep and grow at home.

A Broader Definition of Value
Economic retention tells only part of the story. CHTA wants the region to also weigh two measures long missing from the conversation.

Human cital is one of them. Tourism is the Caribbean’s largest employer, yet the region rarely tracks how well the industry develops its people. Measuring investment in training, fair wages, career pathways and local leadership would tie tourism growth to stronger livelihoods for Caribbean nationals, a priority now central to the new CTO Tourism Supply-Side Ministerial Committee.

Environmental stewardship is the other. The beaches, reefs and natural beauty that draw guests are the foundation of Caribbean tourism, yet the industry does almost nothing to measure its own footprint. CHTA wants that to change. Consistent measurement of energy use, water, waste and the condition of natural assets would help destinations protect the resources visitors come to enjoy.

We want a fuller measure of what tourism delivers, said CHTA CEO Vanessa Ledesma. It includes the careers we create for Caribbean nationals and the care we take of the environment our guests come to enjoy. Measuring those things will make the whole industry stronger.

Building on a Growing Linkages Agenda
This work builds on CHTA’s Linkages Task Force, which connects tourism with agriculture, manufacturing, creative industries, professional services and small businesses across the region. Over the past two years CHTA has hosted three Tourism Linkages Trade Shows alongside Caribbean Travel Marketplace and CHIEF, giving Caribbean small and medium sized businesses direct access to tourism buyers and procurement teams. The Association is now launching a regional Tourism Linkages Demand Study to m procurement needs, open new doors for Caribbean businesses within tourism value chains and tackle the obstacles that hold them back.

Why Better Measurement Matters
Caribbean leaders have discussed tourism leakage for more than half a century, held back by the absence of consistent, comparable measures of tourism’s net contribution. Tourism Satellite Accounts remain incomplete or unpublished in many destinations. Incentives often encourage growth without local participation. Data on workforce and environmental performance is scarcer still. A practical set of measures anchored by Domestic Cture Rate would close these gs for policymakers, investors and industry leaders.

An Action Agenda
To move the discussion forward, CHTA proposes four steps:
Develop a standardized methodology that measures value across three dimensions: economic retention through Domestic Cture Rate, investment in Caribbean people and the industry’s environmental footprint, drawing on data destinations can use today.
Strengthen Caribbean supplier cacity and SME participation in tourism supply chains, with expanded access to training, certification, financing, market intelligence and procurement opportunities. Greater local cture calls for investment in the businesses able to deliver it.
Establish shared standards for workforce development and environmental measurement, giving destinations a consistent way to track the careers tourism builds and the resources it relies on.
Open a regional dialogue on tourism policies and investment incentives that rewards local sourcing, broader local participation and responsible use of natural resources.
The next chter of Caribbean tourism is about the value we create for Caribbean people, the businesses they run and the places they call home, said CHTA President Sanovnik Destang. Good measurement shows us where the opportunities are. Real progress comes from stronger local supply chains, a skilled Caribbean workforce and a well-protected environment.

CHTA plans to engage governments, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, CARICOM, the Caribbean Development Bank, academic institutions and private sector partners to refine the concept and build a practical framework for regional use.

For more information on the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, visit