While LATTE U.S. has a few individual meetings with advisors and suppliers scheduled for later this week, all of the official media content at ILTM North America has come to a conclusion. Here’s everything you need to know from this year’s event:

Baha Mar’s expansion

Since opening in 2017, the owners of Baha Mar have invested $5 billion into updating and expanding the property. Next up, is a new, 30-story hotel tower west of the water park on what was once the site of the all-inclusive Meliá Nassau Beach Resort. The hotel will comprise over 300 rooms and suites, plus 65 residences.

Graeme Davis, president of Baha Mar, said the brand for the new property will be announced within the month but hinted that its price point will fall between the SLS and Rosewood. It will also be an international brand that’s new to the Bahamas. Overall, the project will represent a $700 million investment.

Earlier this year, the property opened Jon Batiste’s Jazz Club in the casino of the Grand Hyatt, as well as the John McEnroe Tennis Center.

Switzerland looks to draw fall visitors

Switzerland Tourism last month debuted a new campaign, “Beautiful Autumn” with native Roger Federer and American actor Halle Berry. The campaign highlights the tourism potential of the colorful fall season and its growing significance for the travel industry.

The country first started this campaign in 2018 and has since seen a 12% increase in overnight hotel stays during the fall months. The U.S. market, however, has represented a 48.5% increase in hotel stays since 2018, with a 93.4% increase in stays in mountain regions.

According to Oliver Weibel, head of trade relations, North America for Switzerland Tourism, autumn travel offers fewer crowds, rich culture and spectacular natural colors across the country.

For those who would still prefer to visit in winter for ski season, Americans can take advantage of the Epic, Ikon and Indy Passes, which give them access to a myriad of resorts in Switzerland.

On the hotel front:

• Cresta Palace Celerina has 20 newly renovated rooms
• Ultima Promenade Gstaad will open this December with just eight rooms
• Belvedere Hotel Grindelwald recently refurbished some rooms including the Eigor Suite
• Villa Florhof will open in spring 2026 after a renovation and rebrand of a previous hotel property

New flights, digital entry improves Thailand arrivals

Buoyed by “The White Lotus” Effect, Thailand will likely surpass its pre-pandemic levels of visitation this year.

New gateways for American travelers include Salt Lake City on Delta, Dallas-Fort Worth via Eva Air and Cathay Pacific (who will also launch a new route from Seattle in March 2026), Phoenix via Starlux and China Airlines, and Seattle on Alaska Airlines.

In April, Thailand also launched its new Digital Arrival Card which has expedited the arrival experience for foreign travelers. This card must be completed three days prior to travel to Thailand.

Belmond puts bow in busy year

Belmond is set to put on a bow on what’s been a very busy year—across hotels, trains and boats—in 2025, all inspired by its “Slow Luxury” ethos. Among the highlights shared by Carolina Mogames, Divisional Director of Leisure Sales – The Americas, LVMH, are:

• Villa Beatrice’s reopening in reopened in June, joining the nearby hotels of Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, and Splendido Mare, creating a triumvirate of properties in Portofino.
• Hotel Splendido also unveiled a new this year look following a three-year. As part of the reopening, it became home to the first permanent Dior Spa in Italy.
• Hotel Cipriani, Belmond’s “first born,” just unveiled the first phase of a renovation, which includes its arrival experience and 13 new suites.
• Villa San Michele in Florence will remain closed this season as it undergoes a major renovation. The former monastery will reopen in June 2026 with fewer rooms and more space.
• Copacabana Palace celebrated 100 years two years ago and just closed one of its buildings for a renovation. It will reopen in November 2026 with fewer rooms, new signature suites, a three-story LVMH-branded spa and more.
• Hotel Das Cataratas, the only hotel inside Iguazu National Park, last year opened a new restaurant (named Y) by Luiz Filipe Souza, a Michelin-starred chef from São Paolo. This year, the hotel added a terrace to the restaurant.

Preferred Travel Group expands signature brands

Building on what it already touts as the world’s largest independent hotel collection, Preferred Hotels & Resorts this year saw a slew of new openings. According to Stephanie Dowling, SVP, Public Relations and Corporate Communications for Preferred Travel Group, the new additions to the L.V.X. Collection (defined as “exceptional hotels and resorts in the world’s most desired locations”) included:

• Royal Hideaway Corales Suites (Tenerife, Spain)
• OROS Luxury Beach Resort (Rethymno, Greece)
• Romègas Hotel (Valletta, Malta)
• The Newman Hotel (London, U.K.)
• The Cooper (Charleston, SC)

When looking at the Legend Collection—”the ultimate collection of exceptional properties in the most remarkable destinations of the world”—there were several notable additions, too. Among them were:

• Armani Hotel Milano (Italy)
• Das Edelweiss Salzburg Mountain Resort (Grossarl, Austria)
• Al Habtoor Palace Budapest (Hungary)
• Keswick Hall (Keswick, VA)
• Andronis Luxury Suites (Santorini, Greece)
• Salamander Washington DC (United States)

Dowling also reported that Preferred is always on a journey to a more sustainable future. Through its eco-friendly Beyond Green, it saw substantial growth in 2024, adding over 30 properties to the collection. This year, the growth continued with nine new properties.

Croatia plays “hard to get” with luxury brands

Speaking to media this week, Leila Kresic-Juric, Director North America for the Croatian National Tourist Board, joked that the country is playing “hard to get” when it comes to major international luxury hotel brands.

While most openings this year—which include an Autograph Collection property and a Hyatt Regency—are smaller or locally owned hotels and brands, there could be some movement in the future on the international brand side. One long-reported brand that could finally be making its debut in Croatia is Four Seasons. But other than some hints and whispers, there is no other official information about the potential property.

ILTM Portfolio Director to launch new event

Alison Gilmore, portfolio director for ILTM, announced that she plans to launch a new event next year comprising the entirely of the luxury lifestyle segment.

Called The Luxe Convergence, the event will take place April 14-16, 2026, in Cannes. It will intend to bring together all segments of the luxury space—from travel to fashion, beauty, art, tech and more. The consumers of all these experiences and items, Gilmore said, are all the same person.

The conference itself, according to its website, is for C-suite executives, senior sales and marketing managers, product development leaders, brand owners, creative directors and agencies of all sorts. Attendees can expect “Visionary keynotes, interactive sessions and closed-door roundtables” as part of the programming.