Hyatt opening an Andaz hotel in Hong Kong
https://hotelsmag.com/news/andaz-hong-kong-central/?
Hyatt Hotels Corp. has announced plans to open an Andaz hotel in Hong Kong. The property, Andaz Hong Kong Central, is expected to debut in 2027 as part of Central Crossing, a mixed-use development at 118 Wellington Street in Central. The project will include commercial offices, open green spaces,and the preservation of heritage architecture.
The hotel will feature 125 guestrooms and suites, including premium options suitable for intimate events. Culinary offerings will include an all-day restaurant and a social Living Room space. Wellness amenities will include a fitness center and additional wellness offerings. Andaz Hong Kong Central will also debut Andaz Village, a bespoke retail hub designed to combine wellbeing experiences with curated gourmet offerings.
“We are honored to be part of this landmark project with Wing Tai Properties and CSI Properties in the heart of Central, building on our deep roots in Hong Kong since the opening of Hyatt’s first hotel outside the United States here in 1969,” said David Udell, Group President, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. “The continued growth of the Andaz brand reflects our focus on intentional expansion in key locations and distinctive experiences for discerning travelers.”
“I have always loved Hong Kong. There are so many hidden sides waiting to be discovered that often go unexplored,” said Amar Lalvani, president & creative director of the Lifestyle Group, Hyatt. “At Andaz hotels, we want to draw out those creative currents to give our guests an enriching exploration of this remarkable city.”
“This collaboration is of great value, and we are proud to come together with Hyatt to introduce Hong Kong’s first ever Andaz hotel at Central Crossing. This underscores our determination and commitment to create a new lifestyle landmark in Central,” said Edward Cheng, deputy chairman and chief executive, Wing Tai Properties Limited. “With the arrival of Andaz Hong Kong Central and the first Andaz Village, alongside the area’s distinctive historical and cultural ambiance, Central Crossing is set to become a destination where luxury meets culture. The development will offer a fresh, unparalleled leisure and entertainment experience for the community and visitors from around the world—leveraging the Andaz brand’s dedication to honoring local culture and showcasing this neighborhood in fascinating new perspectives.”
“We are excited about the unveiling of this first Andaz hotel and the debut of Andaz Village,” said Mico Chung, chairman and executive director of CSI Properties. “Together with the project’s premium office space, green leisure areas, and the surrounding district’s rich history and culture, Central Crossing will inject fresh vitality into the Central community. Leveraging the Andaz brand’s unique strength in weaving local culture into the guest experience, we believe Andaz Hong Kong Central will blend world class amenities with the warmth of best-in-class hospitality and become a must-visit destination for locals and international travelers from all over.”
“My goal is to establish Andaz Hong Kong Central as the vibrant soul of Central Crossing,” said Hervé Mazella, general manager of Andaz Hong Kong Central. “Rooted in its local surroundings and infused with the spirit of Hong Kong, the one-of-a-kind lifestyle hotel will reflect the city’s rich blend of business, art, culture and heritage, and serve as a creative, energetic hub that celebrates authenticity and connection. I look forward to bringing the Andaz brand’s signature lifestyle experiences to Hong Kong to deliver elevated experiences for our guests.”
The hotel will be located in Central, Hong Kong’s business and financial district, near restaurants, bars, and three historic cultural complexes—Tai Kwun, PMQ, and Central Market. The site will have direct connections to transport hubs, including MTR and Airport Express stations.
Andaz Hong Kong Central is part of Hyatt’s broader expansion in Asia Pacific, alongside upcoming openings including Andaz Shanghai ITC, Andaz One Bangkok, and Andaz Gold Coast in Australia and the Pacific.
How broken payment processes are costing hotels corporate business
https://hotelsmag.com/news/how-broken-payment-processes-are-costing-hotels-corporate-business/?
We’ve seen a lot of progress in the way hotels are marketed, booked and experienced. But there’s still one major part of the journey where too many properties are relying on patchwork fixes and manual workarounds: the payment.
Corporate hotel bookings are only as strong as the payment behind them, and front desk staff will tell you what happens when that fails. For years, corporate travel bookings have relied on emailed authorization forms, phone confirmations and assumptions that everything will be “sorted” by the time a guest arrives. Often, it isn’t.
Ask any front desk team what happens when the payment isn’t recognized. The guest, usually tired from travel, is asked to front the cost and “sort it later.” Finance teams on both sides then spend hours trying to reconcile what went wrong.
These aren’t rare events. They’re daily ones. And they’re why some travel managers now avoid booking certain properties altogether.
The real issue here isn’t the staff, the rate or even the technology but the process itself, which wasn’t designed for today’s expectations. And when a system doesn’t match the pace of the people using it, things fall through the cracks.
Hotel teams are already juggling peak occupancy, staffing gaps and rising guest expectations; they don’t have time to chase payment authorizations or reprocess failed cards. Yet despite business travel trending toward $1.57 trillion globally, the industry continues to rely on payment processes that are slow, manual and risky.
More than half of all credit card fraud occurs in the hotel sector. The average cost of a hospitality data breach has risen to $3.86 million. And despite growing investment in digital infrastructure, fax still accounts for 4% of virtual card communications. Any form of manual handling, whether it’s keying in card numbers, printing forms or emailing authorizations, creates friction, limits automation and exposes both guests and operators to avoidable risk.
At the same time, large corporate clients are increasing the pressure. They expect seamless, secure payment integration as standard. But many properties still struggle with reconciliation of errors and systems that can’t keep pace with the shift to virtual transactions.
The industry has a choice: close the payment gap or keep losing business at the front desk.
Virtual cards offer a way to pay suppliers directly at the point of booking. They remove the need for employees to cover costs themselves and remove the guesswork at check-in. More importantly, they create a clear audit trail and reduce exposure to fraud, both significant issues in the hospitality sector.
But for virtual cards to work properly, hotels need the infrastructure in place to accept them. Not just in theory, but in practice. That means to secure API connections into property management or central reservation systems. It means having the right data at the right time, so the front desk doesn’t need to call around for confirmation. And it means treating payment as part of the guest experience, not a back-office task.
And it’s not just guests who are being let down by outdated processes: it’s hotel teams too. When payment is an unresolved question on arrival, it creates tension before the guest even reaches their room. It puts pressure on staff, introduces financial risk and adds cost to every booking in the form of time spent fixing things that should already be right.
What we’re seeing through direct conversations with travel management companies (TMCs), booking platforms and hotels is a recognition that these systems can’t stretch much further. Manual authorization processes may have worked when travel was simpler. Today, they’re a barrier to efficiency, trust and scale.
The shift we’re witnessing isn’t about expense management; it’s about payment architecture. That’s where the real opportunity lies.
For hotels, making payment easy and secure is now a route to competitive advantage. TMCs route bookings where processes are trusted. Corporate buyers prefer suppliers that protect their travelers from out-of-pocket spending. And guests expect not to be asked for their own card when they’ve already booked through an approved channel.
The question now for hoteliers is straightforward: can your property process virtual card payments in a way that removes friction or is it still relying on stopgaps?
Because in the end, it won’t be the technology that decides whether your hotel wins corporate business. It’ll be the experience. And that includes payment.
Sorry Denver, This Is America’s Best Mountain City
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/utah/experiences/news/photos/salt-lake-city-is-americas-best-mountain-city
Loads of adventure await visitors to this fast-growing mountain town.
With easy access to epic adventure and growing cultural attractions,
Salt Lake City makes a strong case for being the best mountain city in the United States.
With its relative affordability, easy access to mountains and beautiful seasons year-round, Salt Lake City is the best mountain city in the United States. Time is the ultimate currency when traveling, and a 10-minute ride from the airport to your hotel, then 40 minutes to ski resorts is priceless. The snow here is some of the best powder you can find and there’s usually plenty of it. Salt Lake City’s unique geographic position between the Great Salt Lake and
Wasatch Mountains enhance large storms, dumping copious amounts of fluffy lake effect snow over the region’s mountain ranges. Once you’re back in the city, the food and drink scene and bustling neighborhoods offer plenty more to explore. The city even has a full-time symphony, ballet, and opera programming for a sophisticated dose of performing arts.
PHOTO: Utah Office of Tourism
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Clean and Convenient Airport
The new Salt Lake City International Airport opened ahead of schedule and on budget (when does that ever happen?) during the COVID-19 pandemic and currently flies nonstop to 100 different destinations. Plus, the airport was
#1 in on-time departures among U.S. airports in 2024 according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The baggage claim is among the fastest in the country, security lines move swiftly, and the modern design is efficient. You can even see the Wasatch mountains from the concourse while waiting to board your flight.
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Mountains Are So Close...
Salt Lake County has four world-class ski resorts within 45 minutes of downtown Salt Lake City. There’s
Alta and
Snowbird in
Little Cottonwood Canyon and Brighton and Solitude in
Big Cottonwood Canyon, all of which receive more than 500 inches of pristine powder annually. You can ski in the morning, then hit the city for drinks and dinner by afternoon. Park City, the largest ski resort in the United States, is less than an hour away by car, too.
Insider Tip: Even if you don’t ski or snowboard, Solitude has a great Nordic center with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and an amazing yurt dinner. Snowbird has the Cliff Spa rooftop pool and hot tub, and you can ride the scenic tram to the peak and down.
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….and Beautiful Year-Round
While skiing and snowboarding are the region’s biggest winter draw, the mountains have so much to offer during spring, summer, and autumn too, including accessible hiking and biking for all ages and abilities.
Silver Lake Boardwalk is handicap accessible and less than a mile long at Big Cottonwood Canyon, and
Donut Falls and
Cecret Lake are a couple more easy hikes that everyone can enjoy. From the
Wasatch Wildflower Festival in the Cottonwood Canyons each July to Snowbird’s iconic
Oktoberfest, there are plenty of chances to celebrate the beauty of the mountains all year long.
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Hotels Are Relatively Affordable
Salt Lake’s average daily rate for hotels is around $160, much less than Park City, Aspen, or Vail. Travelers can stay downtown and experience different resorts each day, since it’s only 45 minutes to the slopes, so there’s no need to move lodging. All four local ski resorts – Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude – are on the IKON pass and the
Salt Lake Ski Super Pass, which includes free public transportation, rental discounts and no blackout dates. Pet-friendly
Kimpton Hotel Monaco’s central downtown location and excellent food and beverage makes it a good home base. The hotel even offers
packages to encourage outdoor adventure, including gas gift cards and national park passes, or a ski super pass.
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Great New Restaurants and Bars
With the mountains so close, you can easily make it back to the city for dinner, and restaurants like
Urban Hill,
Oquirrh, and
Table X have impressed
James Beard judges in recent years. Natural wine bar and Italian diner
Cosmica was named one of the New York Times’ best restaurants of 2025 for its excellent pizza, pasta, and elk carpaccio. Although Utah has strict state liquor laws, you’ll find great cocktails at 2025 James Beard finalist for outstanding bar
Water Witch and subterranean speakeasy
The Rest.
Insider Tip: Stock up on one of the largest selections of bean-to-bar chocolate and gourmet cheese in the country at
Caputo’s.
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Walkable Neighborhoods to Explore
9th and 9th at the intersection of 900 East & 900 South is a charming neighborhood with tree-lined streets full of boutiques, vintage stores, cafes, bakeries, and a famous
humpback whale sculpture. The Granary District has transformed from an industrial warehouse zone to one of the city’s most dynamic hubs for creativity and culture, with storage buildings retrofitted into restaurants, breweries, artist spaces and food halls, along with colorful public murals.
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Women Entrepreneurs Are Thriving
While Salt Lake City has historically been male-dominated, women entrepreneurs take center stage the
Maven District, a curated collective of women-owned small businesses including romance bookstore
Lovebound Library, refillable personal care at
Pantry Products and Mexican-Indian fusion at
Tandoori Taqueria. Founders Tessa Arneson and Rocky Donati have built a welcoming community for first-time business owners, and the camaraderie is inspiring. Take a Pilates class, shop for locally made souvenirs, get your hair done and eat some great food, all within a few blocks.
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Health and Wellness Is a Priority
Salt Lake attracts friendly residents who value spending time in nature and living a healthy lifestyle. Along with easy access to the mountains, urban trail projects like
Parley’s Trail,
Jordan River Parkway, and
Liberty Park loop bring green spaces into the city. Bathhouses are becoming a popular new wellness-focused social hub too, with new urban saunas
Plunj and
Glow offering cold plunge, soaking pools, and meditation classes.
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Everyone Is Welcome
Salt Lake City is becoming more diverse in recent years, and events like
Utah Pride Festival,
Utah Asian Festival and
Afro Utah Festival celebrate that growth. LGBTQ+ businesses like
The Sun Trapp gay bar,
Laziz Kitchen Lebanese restaurant,
Maven Strong fitness studio and
Under the Umbrella queer bookstore are flourishing. “Having served on the Salt Lake City Council and in the Utah Senate, I’ve watched firsthand as our city has become more diverse, more dynamic, and more openhearted,” says Laziz Kitchen owner Derek Kitchen. “Our restaurant thrives because Salt Lake has embraced it as more than just a place to eat—it’s a space where LGBTQ+ people and the broader community come together.”
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Live an Olympic Fantasy
Salt Lake City will once again host the
Winter Olympics in 2034 using much of the same infrastructure as the 2002 Olympic Games, with all Olympic venues located within an hour of Salt Lake City. That means travelers can race around the
Olympic Oval, known as the fastest ice on earth, where indoor Olympic speed skating champions were crowned. Or visit
Utah Olympic Park, where you can bobsled down the Olympic track and watch Olympic hopefuls practicing ski jumps.
America’s Most Luxurious Tasting Menus That Cost Under $100
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/the-most-affordable-and-delicious-tasting-menus-under-100-across-the-u-s
Here are some of the most impressive and delicious tasting menus you'll find in the United States, from Milwaukee to San Francisco.
Tasting menus elevate cooking to an art form, and the chefs behind them are doing more than just making great food—they’re telling personal stories through each plate and crafting an immersive dining experience for guests. While some tasting menus can cost upwards of $500 per person, there are plenty of incredible less steep tasting menus all across the country. Here are our favorites for under $100.
PHOTO: Kevin J. Miyazaki
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Birch Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Chef and owner Kyle Knall keeps things flexible at Birch, allowing diners to order a la carte or enjoy a seven-course tasting menu for $86. Get the tasting, and try to snag one of six seats at the chef’s counter with front row views of the open hearth kitchen. Knall’s food is distinctly Midwestern, elevating ingredients like Lake Superior walleye with classic French sauces, and using locally milled heirloom grains for fresh pasta and bread. Knall has a deep respect for the farmers the restaurant works with, shouting them out on the menu, including Stone Bank Farm, where he serves as culinary director.
PHOTO: Rachel Paraoan
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Moon Rabbit. Washington, D.C.
Chef Kevin Tien’s modern Vietnamese restaurant has a Cajun flair, inspired by his childhood growing up in Louisiana. You can’t go wrong with any of the a la carte dishes at Moon Rabbit, but if you’re feeling indecisive, the “chef’s visit to Vietnam” five-course tasting menu is the best value dealer’s choice selection of the restaurant’s greatest hits including amberjack crudo with turmeric coconut mousse, wagyu beef stuffed perilla leaves and lemongrass Berkshire pork chop with sticky rice. Typically, diners are treated to some extra off-menu surprises.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Sifr
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Sifr Chicago, Illinois
Chef Sahil Sethi blends Middle Eastern and Indian flavors at this lively restaurant, reflecting his career in the Middle East and Indian heritage. The $60 four-course tasting menu at Sifr begins with charred green chickpea hummus, tangy house pickles, and warm sesame nigella pita to snack on, with choices for all the following courses. Kebabs are all excellent, and the maitake mushroom kebab boldly seasoned with za’atar is a sleeper hit, and meaty enough to satisfy carnivores. Iranian chicken fasenjan stew is a sweet and sour delight and vegetarians will enjoy the perfectly charred hearth-roasted cauliflower.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Taste of Beauty
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Taste of Beauty, Orange County and West Hollywood
This vegetarian Chinese restaurant offers an eight-course tasting menu for $99 rooted in Zen Buddhist tradition, with both vegetarian and fully vegan menus plated so beautifully it feels like you’ve been invited to dine at the imperial royal court. Each course at Taste of Beauty is inspired by a different landscape, like fried elm ear mushroom with cumin and crispy chili pepper representing the desert or layers of sea asparagus, sea grapes, red coral moss and konjac representing the ocean. Expect to try lots of different mushrooms, including varieties like snow fungus that you may have never tasted before. There’s also an abbreviated five-course menu for $69.
PHOTO: Liza Johnson
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7 Adams, San Francisco
This husband-and-wife restaurant by David Fisher and Serena Chow Fisher is among the most affordable
Michelin-starred restaurants in the Bay Area. There are three menus at
7 Adams, all well under $200, and the 5-course tasting menu is just $87, with choices for pasta, main course, and dessert. If you’re dining with a companion, ordering all the options and sharing is the best move. The menu changes all the time, but recent highlights include Snake River Farm pork loin with black garlic sausage and fermented plum mustard and plankton cavatelli.
PHOTO: Rey Lopez
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Bresca, Washington, D.C.
Bresca is one of the best value Michelin-starred restaurants in Washington D.C., offering a $95 four-course menu, while leaning into nostalgic flavors like a Nutter Butter-inspired foie gras PB&J and an irreverent rendition of McDonald’s “Filet O’ Fish” sandwich reinterpreted with smoked trout roe and tartar sauce. Guest favorite dry-aged duck with foie gras sausage is back on the menu for autumn too. A flurry of complimentary snacks from the kitchen welcome guests before the first course arrives, and there are a few extra sweet surprises at the end too.
PHOTO: Carter Hiyama
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Birdie's. Austin, Texas
Birdie’s describes its food as “fine casual,” and the counter service restaurant recently switched from a la carte to an $82 prix fixe tasting menu to give chef and co-owner Tracy Malechek Ezekiel more creative freedom to explore new ingredients and techniques in the tiny kitchen. The menu changes daily, so it’s always a surprise, but the team will happily accommodate pescatarian and vegetarian diets. The first four courses are typically served family-style and then diners can choose their main course and dessert.
PHOTO: Two Feathers Collaboration
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The Lodge, Big Sur, California
Chef Kyle Walker is passionate about sourcing hyperlocal ingredients at
The Lodge at Treebones Resort, and even grows many of the vegetables and herbs on the $95 four-course chef’s menu at the woodland resort’s on-site organic garden. Walker estimates that around 70% of the ingredients he uses are from within a 100-mile radius, including mushrooms from local foragers and halibut, rockfish, tuna, black cod and crab from local fishermen, whose boats you can often see in the ocean in front of Treebones. There are choices for each course, and while you might not associate pizza with tasting menus, the wood-fired sourdough pies here are to die for, topped with local cheese from Stepladder Creamery in Cambria.
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Mr. Kim's, Tulsa, Oklahoma
James Beard Semifinalist Ben Alexander was adopted from Korea as a toddler and grew up in the United States, so his Asian-inspired steakhouse
Mr. Kim’s in downtown Tulsa is an amalgamation of his ethnic heritage and taste memories. The $75 chef’s choice menu includes a selection of appetizers, like quail egg sake shooters and sweet spot prawn ceviche, followed by a selection of meats to be grilled at the table in the style of
Korean barbecue, served alongside ssamjang (a spicy Korean fermented bean paste sauce), lettuce and shiso mint for wraps, cabbage salad, and a selection of banchan, or small side dishes. Full and happy is how you’ll feel after a meal here.
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