The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. (LHW) has kicked off its highly sought-after 2025 Leading Famils program with two trips having recently travelled, one to Scotland and Ireland and another to Northern Italy and Tuscany.

The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) hosted its 2024 Annual Convention from 21-23 November in the coastal town of Marbella, Spain. Under the theme ‘The Pursuit of Excellence,’ the event brought together General Managers, hotel owners, and industry leaders from LHW’s collection of over 400 independent luxury hotels.

The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. kicked off its 2024 Leading Famils program with an eight night itinerary earlier this month through Switzerland and France.

The Leading Hotels of the World has unveiled a list of some 50 member properties within its newly launched Sustainability Leaders collection. From modern metropolitan towers to tented jungle sanctuaries, the collection was created to recognise Leading Hotels that are committed to preserving the environment and the values and cultural heritage of their destinations.

The Leading Hotels of the World has welcomed four new member hotels to its portfolio. The latest additions are properties that are new openings of have undergone significant renovations, and include Leading’s first Qatar-based offering, a stylish London townhouse, a holistic wellbeing retreat in Chiang Mai and an arty, Art Deco hotel in Vancouver.

The Leading Hotels of the World officially relaunched its Australian & New Zealand ‘Leading Famils’ program this past week, with their first of two fam trips in 2022, to Northern Italy.

Car lovers, prick up your ears. Last Saturday, 21st May, an Aston Martin Bulldog V8 Engine, 5300cc, 1979, was deemed Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este in the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. It’s a one-off vehicle, built for an enthusiast who wanted to achieve 200 m.p.h. Currently being tweaked for owner Philip Sarofin, 35, a venture capital founder, it could once again speed up ‘next year’, though presumably Sarifin’s local Beverly Hills police won’t be happy.

Six new members have joined The Leading Hotels of the World portfolio in its latest “Spring Collection” which now boasts 400+ hotels in over 80 countries.

The Setai Miami Beach has a volunteer Ambassador, Bob Fetty. He lives in one of the hotel’s residences and every morning he posts the real-time view from his balcony (see above). Over the last few years the affable sculptor has amassed a following of over 2.5 million worldwide.

Australia claims third largest percentage of citizens with Irish roots (top slot is the USA, followed by Canada). At last count, 10% of Australians said ancestors came from the Emerald Isle. Many know Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, home ground of Six Nations and many other prestigious sports events.

Staying in Cannes at Hôtel Majestic Barrière, a Leading Hotel of the World, gives the best insider’s view of ILTM, the definitive gathering of nearly 5,000 luxury travel suppliers and buyers that was so adequately covered in last week’s LATTE. Just after ILTM, by the way, the two most influential new-gen, New York-based buyers, said ‘best week of my career’ (Jack Ezon, EMBARK Beyond) and ‘best LTM ever, for serious business as well a fun’ (Michael Holtz, SmartFlyer).

Honestly, overnighting at the heart of the USA, the White House, is not usually an option. To stay as close to the Pres as you can, however, choose The Hay-Adams, a distinguished Leading Hotel of the World a mere 300 metres north of the White House, across leafy Lafayette Park.