The resort report: what's new in the hotel world
ANN RUPPENSTEIN
Checking out the latest hotel and resort news from fresh renovations to brand new or upcoming properties to entice your clients.
Luxury experiential and conservation company &Beyond is extending its lodge circuit in Kenya with an exclusive tourism concession over the 44,000 acre Suyian Conservancy.
As the sole luxury lodge and tented camp operator on the conservancy in partnership with global conservation charity Space for Giants, the lease enables &Beyond to build a lodge, tented camp, sky beds and mobile camping experience.
&Beyond Suyian Lodge is expected to open July 1, 2025, with a 14-suite lodge, including a family suite.
RIU has opened its seventh hotel in Jamaica with the newly launched Riu Palace Aquarelle, located in Falmouth, roughly 35 minutes from the Montego Bay airport. With a total of 753 rooms, this 24-hour all-inclusive hotel is the first to offer swim-up suites on the first floor across its chain. Ideal for families and group travellers, the new resort has 180 triple rooms and 26 family suites.
In the restaurant area, the six restaurants offer a wide range of dining options: the main buffet “White Bay”, the gourmet restaurant “Krystal”, the Italian restaurant “Napoli”, the Asian restaurant “Kyoto”, the grill “Steakhouse” and the jerk style grill “Pepe’s food.” The hotel also has five bars: the lobby bar “Daiquiri” that serves the cocktails, the patisserie and ice cream parlour “Capuchino,” the pool bar “Marley,” the swim-up bar “Kingston,” the lounge bar “Ska” and and the new Sports bar ‘American country’, featuring the new ‘All-American favourites’ menu available 24 hours a day. journey.
Kempinski Hotels has announced plans to launch its first property in Vietnam. Set to welcome guests in 2025/2026, Kempinski Saigon River will offer 100 rooms and suites.
The property will be part of a broader 55-hectare development that will also be home to homes, schools and retail areas along 700 metres of riverfront. The luxury escape will be connected to Ho Chi Minh City via a scenic 45-minute speedboat ride. There will also be an onsite Resense Spa where local remedies and ingredients are incorporated into immersive wellness journeys.
In celebration of its third anniversary, Alaia Belize, Autograph Collection, on the island of Ambergris Caye in San Pedro Town, Belize, has unveiled a significant renovation and expansion to its signature K’In Spa & Wellness Centre with a refreshed design aesthetic, as well as an all-new Sea Grape Hall Conference Centre.
Alaia Belize spans over 20 acres, with 155 guestrooms and suites, and operates as the first true four diamond luxury resort on Ambergris Caye. The 2,070-square-foot K’In Spa & Wellness Center includes three new treatment rooms, a sauna, a boutique and an expanded fitness center featuring state-of-the-art weightlifting equipment.
Connecting guests with modern conference capabilities is the newly constructed Sea Grape Hall Event Centre. Suitable for hosting both intimate and large gatherings, the 3,100-square-foot venue can accommodate meetings and conferences, as well as weddings and social events up to 200 people. Sea Grape Hall will complement the resorts ample outdoor meeting and event space including Vista Rooftop Lounge, Belize’s only rooftop suspended pool and lounge with 360-degree views. On-site event planners and Alaia’s own on-property destination marketing company, Destination Services by Alaia Belize, delivers exceptional event coordination services.
The resort experience will continue to be enhanced following the construction of a new sea wall slated to be unveiled in winter 2024. The sea wall will create an expanded pristine beach with 1,000 feet of ocean frontage.
