Minor Hotels Pushes Deeper Into Experiential Luxury With Private Jet Journeys

Marriott International has expanded its Greek luxury footprint with the opening of Amoh, a Luxury Collection Resort, Rhodes, marking the brand’s debut on the island. Set above the Mediterranean on Kavos Beach in Pefki, near Lindos, the resort enters Rhodes at a moment when high-end hospitality in Greece continues to spread beyond the best-known islands and into destinations with deeper year-round cultural weight.

For Marriott, the opening is less about adding another beach resort and more about extending The Luxury Collection’s “sense of place” formula into one of the eastern Aegean’s most storied landscapes.

That positioning is central to the project. Amoh is built beside a Hellenistic-Roman limestone quarry, and the resort’s design leans heavily on that archaeological context. London-based Studio Lost used stonework, mineral tones, sculptural surfaces, and locally rooted material references to create a resort that feels intentionally tied to Rhodes rather than transplanted onto it. The result is a softer, more restrained interpretation of Greek island luxury, one that emphasizes tactile design and heritage over spectacle.

A New Luxury Base Near Lindos

The resort includes 197 rooms and suites, with a mix of sea-view accommodations, private-pool options, and higher-end suite categories. At the top of the range is the Rhoda Presidential Suite, which includes a separate living room and bedroom, a large private terrace, and direct access to a private pool. The broader accommodation design follows the same philosophy as the public spaces: contemporary, quietly refined, and rooted in the natural palette of the island.

Location is a major part of the appeal. Pefki sits close to Lindos, one of Rhodes’ strongest tourism draws, but offers a more secluded coastal environment than the island’s busier resort zones. The property also has access to two sandy beaches, Kavos Beach and Kymata Beach, both within walking distance from the core of the resort.

That combination of relative privacy and proximity to a major cultural landmark gives Amoh an advantage in a Greek market where travelers increasingly want both beach access and a stronger destination story.

Dining and Wellness as Core Pillars

Marriott is also using food and wellness to define the resort’s identity. Amoh opens with eight restaurants and bars, ranging from the Mediterranean-led Lithos Main Restaurant to Cava di Pietra for Italian dining, Glaze Meat Restaurant, Kymata Seafood Restaurant, and more relaxed options such as The AMOH Lounge, Isle Pool Bar, and AMOHNITE Beach Bar. There is also Oniro Patisserie, which adds a more local, craft-driven pastry layer to the culinary offer.

The resort is trying to go beyond straightforward dining with immersive touches such as a daily Olive Grove Experience, where guests sample six infused olive varieties, and a weekly Sunset Aperitivo centered on Greek small plates served around a firepit. These are small details, but they support the wider idea that Amoh is selling Rhodes through curated experiences as much as through room categories.

On the wellness side, the signature Elispa spa uses natural Greek ingredients such as olive oil, orange extracts, Cretan raki, mineral salts, and herbs. Facilities include six treatment rooms, a steam bath, sauna, and hair and nail salon, alongside a 220-square-meter Technogym fitness center, reformer Pilates with virtual training, tennis courts, and indoor and outdoor pools.

Why This Opening Matters for Rhodes

Amoh’s launch also says something broader about Rhodes. For years, the island has had strong tourism infrastructure but a less distinct position in the ultra-luxury conversation than Santorini, Mykonos, or even Crete. Marriott’s entry through The Luxury Collection helps shift that perception. It presents Rhodes not just as a mass-market summer island, but as a destination where heritage, landscape, and premium hospitality can work together at a different level.

For Marriott, Amoh strengthens an already growing Greece portfolio. For Rhodes, it adds a new kind of luxury resort – one that is trying to feel more archaeological, more grounded, and more quietly sophisticated than the usual island formula.

Ryanair is planning a major retrenchment in Berlin, announcing that it intends to close its seven-aircraft base there on October 24, 2026, and reduce its flight schedule to and from the German capital by 50 percent.

The move would cut Ryanair’s Berlin traffic from around 4.5 million passengers to roughly 2.2 million in 2027 and remove more than 2 million seats a year from the market. For one of Europe’s biggest low-cost carriers, it is a sharp statement about what it sees as Germany’s growing lack of competitiveness in aviation.

The airline says the decision is a direct response to rising costs at Berlin Airport and in the German aviation market more broadly. According to Ryanair, Berlin’s airport fees have risen by 50 percent since the pandemic, with another 10 percent increase scheduled between 2027 and 2029.

At the same time, the airline argues that Germany’s aviation tax, security fees, and air traffic control charges have all moved sharply higher. In Ryanair’s telling, that combination has made Berlin structurally unattractive compared with other European airports and countries that are lowering costs or abolishing aviation taxes entirely.

Berlin Flights Cut, Aircraft Reassigned Elsewhere

Ryanair says all seven aircraft currently based in Berlin will be reallocated to lower-cost airports in other European markets, including countries such as Sweden, Slovakia, Albania, and Italy. The carrier will still serve Berlin, but with aircraft based outside Germany. That means Berlin will remain on the map, just with far less capacity and weaker frequency than before.

The cuts are expected to affect UK links as well, including routes involving London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh. For travelers, the practical effect will likely be fewer options, less schedule flexibility, and potentially firmer fares on remaining services. For Berlin, the move is more symbolic. Ryanair has called the airport one of Europe’s weakest performers, pointing to traffic that remains well below pre-pandemic levels.

The airline also says staff consultations are beginning, though it added that Berlin-based pilots and cabin crew would be offered opportunities elsewhere in its network. That softens the labor message somewhat, but the commercial point remains clear: Ryanair no longer sees Berlin as a place where it can profitably base aircraft under the current cost structure.

A Wider Warning About Germany’s Aviation Model

The Berlin decision also fits a bigger Ryanair narrative about Germany. The airline says it has already closed bases in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, and Stuttgart since 2019, while also ending flights to Dresden, Leipzig, and Dortmund. In its view, Germany has failed to reform a high-tax, high-cost aviation model that is costing the country traffic, jobs, connectivity, and investment.

Whether one agrees with Ryanair’s rhetoric or not, the move highlights a real tension in the European airline market. Low-cost carriers are highly mobile and increasingly willing to shift aircraft to airports and countries offering better economics. Berlin, despite its size and political importance, is not immune to that logic.

For Ryanair, the base closure is framed as network discipline: aircraft will go where costs are lower and growth prospects are better. For Berlin, it is a reminder that in today’s aviation market, airport relevance depends not just on demand, but on whether airlines believe the math still works.

Connect Barbados 2026 is set to return this June as the island’s flagship tourism trade event, bringing together international buyers, travel advisors, tour operators, airlines, cruise partners, media, and local tourism businesses for several days of meetings, networking, and destination experiences. Organized by Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., the event will take place at the Hilton Barbados Resort from June 23 to 26, with arrivals and welcome activities beginning on June 22.

This year’s theme, Rooted in Culture, Powered by Partnership, gives the event a clear identity. Connect Barbados is designed not only as a business marketplace, but also as an immersive introduction to the island itself. Delegates can expect a schedule that mixes formal appointments and industry sessions with beachfront receptions, local music, culinary showcases, and curated site visits.

The event is being positioned as a place where international partners can meet local stakeholders while also gaining a stronger sense of Barbados as a destination.

Meetings, Networking, and Awards

The event begins with arrival days over the weekend, followed by registration at the Hilton Barbados Resort on June 22 and a welcome reception that evening. The beachfront event, themed Rooted in Culture, will introduce delegates to Barbados through live performances, local artisans, Bajan cuisine, and sunset networking by the sea. It sets the tone for an event that wants to feel both commercially useful and distinctly local.

The formal business program starts on June 23 with breakfast and an opening session featuring remarks from tourism leaders and policymakers, along with presentations and discussions on the future of Barbados tourism. From there, the conference moves into one of its core elements: pre-scheduled B2B meetings between international buyers and local tourism suppliers.

These one-on-one appointments are meant to drive real business outcomes, helping overseas partners connect directly with hotels, attractions, villa operators, and other tourism businesses on the island.

Those meetings continue into June 24, giving the event a strong trade focus across two full days. That evening, delegates will head to Harbour Lights for the Connect Barbados Media and Trade Awards, which will recognize tourism storytelling, photography, and strong partner performance. The awards night is designed as both a celebration and a networking opportunity, pairing recognition with entertainment and a more social atmosphere.

Culture and Product Experience Beyond the Ballroom

The final day of the event shifts the focus from meetings to the destination itself. On June 25, delegates will take part in a Villa and Attractions Day, leaving the Hilton for a curated program of site visits that showcases the wider tourism product. These tours are intended to help attendees experience Barbados beyond the conference venue and understand the island’s appeal in a more direct, practical way.

That balance between business and immersion is what makes Connect Barbados more than a standard conference. It is a trade event, but it is also structured as a hosted destination experience. Delegates are not only being asked to sit through presentations and scheduled meetings. They are being shown the island through food, music, settings, and product visits that give more depth to the commercial conversations.

For attendees, the value lies in how much can be covered in a few days: networking, structured business appointments, policy insight, cultural events, and on-the-ground product exposure. For Barbados, the event is a concentrated way to present its tourism offer to the people most likely to sell, market, or shape demand for the destination in the months ahead.

Air China is set to launch a new nonstop route between Beijing and Venice this summer, adding another major China-Europe link at a time when Chinese carriers continue to expand aggressively across the continent. The new service will begin on July 2, 2026, and operate four times a week between Beijing Capital International Airport and Venice Marco Polo Airport using Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

For Venice, the route is significant because it becomes the city’s second direct mainland China connection, following China Eastern’s Shanghai-Venice service, which launched in 2024.

The new route also gives Air China a unique position on the Beijing-Venice sector, where it will be the sole operator. That matters because Venice is not just a leisure destination. It is one of Italy’s strongest internationally recognized gateways, combining tourism demand with broader commercial and cultural appeal.

For Chinese travelers, it offers direct access to one of Europe’s best-known cities. For Venice and the surrounding region, it opens another high-value long-haul link into a market that remains strategically important for inbound travel.

Venice Is Part of a Much Bigger Europe Push

Air China’s Venice launch is only one part of a much broader summer expansion across Europe. The airline is expected to serve 22 European destinations across 42 nonstop routes during peak summer 2026, with additional growth also planned in Brussels, Frankfurt, London Gatwick, and Milan Malpensa. That wider buildout reflects how strongly Chinese airlines have recovered and expanded in the Europe-China market compared with many of their European counterparts.

By summer 2026, Air China is expected to offer 4.53 million two-way seats between mainland China and Europe, up from 3.63 million in summer 2025 and well above the 2.86 million seats offered in 2019. Those numbers underline not just recovery, but expansion beyond pre-pandemic levels. Air China is on track to become the largest airline in the Europe-mainland China market this summer, holding the biggest share of capacity among all carriers.

The competitive backdrop is important. Chinese airlines continue to hold structural advantages on Europe-Asia flying because they have been able to operate more direct routings than European carriers, many of which still face restrictions and longer detours linked to Russian airspace. That difference lowers operating costs and helps Chinese airlines restore and grow routes faster, especially in secondary European markets where marginal economics matter more.

Italy is one of the clearest examples of that growth. China-Italy capacity is projected to rise 13% year over year this summer, supported not only by the new Venice route but also by wider expansion in Milan and Rome. Venice, in this context, is not an isolated addition. It is part of a broader reshaping of China-Europe air service in which Chinese airlines are becoming more dominant, more visible, and more willing to invest in direct links beyond the largest primary gateways.

For Venice Airport operator SAVE Group, the route is being framed as a new bridge between Italy and China and as another step in building out Marco Polo Airport’s long-haul network. That is likely the real long-term significance of the launch. It gives Venice another direct intercontinental connection, strengthens the airport’s strategic relevance, and reinforces the idea that secondary European destinations are playing a larger role in the next phase of China-Europe aviation growth.

AmaWaterways is adding a more intimate cultural element to its France program with the launch of Cooking with Mamie, a new culinary experience built around hands-on sessions with French grandmothers. The new offering will be available on the AmaDante and AmaLyra as part of the line’s Paris and Normandy itinerary, giving guests a chance to connect with French food traditions in a way that feels more personal than a standard cooking demo or tasting.

The program was developed in partnership with Atelier des Mamies, a Paris-based culinary school where grandmothers teach classes rooted in home cooking, pastry, and intergenerational storytelling. That partnership is central to the concept. AmaWaterways is not positioning the experience as a polished chef-led masterclass, but as something warmer and more human, built around the idea that some of the strongest food memories come from family kitchens and passed-down recipes rather than restaurant theatrics.

On board, a French grandmother will join the ship in Paris to lead small-group workshops for up to 10 guests at a time. During those sessions, travelers will prepare classic French desserts such as tarte Tatin and madeleines, while also hearing the stories, traditions, and techniques that come with them. The workshops are included in the cruise experience, which makes them less of a premium add-on and more of a signature cultural layer inside the itinerary.

AmaWaterways appears to be responding to a broader shift in river cruising, where guests increasingly want experiences that feel rooted in place and a little less interchangeable. Food has become one of the easiest and most effective ways to deliver that. But instead of focusing only on local dining or vineyard visits, the company is moving into a more participatory format, where travelers can learn, make, and share rather than simply consume.

The experience also extends beyond the ship. Guests who book a pre- or post-cruise land program in Paris can take part in an optional workshop called Le Macaron: A Parisian Patisserie Experience at Atelier des Mamies in Montmartre. There, guests will learn to make macarons alongside a French grandmother in a setting meant to feel local and authentic rather than staged purely for tourists.

That dual format, with both onboard and onshore versions, helps AmaWaterways turn the concept into more than a one-off novelty. It becomes part of the wider journey, linking the shipboard experience with time in Paris and giving guests another reason to extend their trip beyond the cruise itself.

For AmaWaterways, the move is also brand-consistent. The line has spent years emphasizing destination immersion, and Cooking with Mamie fits neatly into that approach. It is small-scale, story-driven, and distinctly tied to local culture. For travelers, it offers something simple but effective: the chance to step into a French culinary tradition that feels lived-in, generous, and memorable rather than overly curated.