The Best Caribbean Food and Wine Festival Is Happening on This Island
The Best Caribbean Food and Wine Festival Is Happening on This Island
Nils Huenerfuerst on social or copy the text below to attribute. Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst/Unsplash
https://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/puerto-rico/experiences/news/a-look-inside-puerto-ricos-wine-food-festival
What it’s like to attend the beachfront culinary weekend taking over San Juan.
Puerto Rico’s food scene is one of the most exciting in the Caribbean right now, fueled by incredible restaurants, strong local culture, and yes, probably a bit of Reggaeton in the background. And there may be no better place to throw yourself directly into the magic than La Concha Resort, the iconic Condado Beach property that hosted the second annual Puerto Rico Wine & Food Festival.
Heavy hitters like chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Esther Choi, Michael White, Mario Pagán, and Monti Carlo descended for four days of walk-around tastings, curated dinners, wine seminars, and the kind of immersive culinary experiences that genuinely make you question why you ever bother cooking at home. But honestly, the whole thing felt less like a traditional food festival and more like one giant beachfront dinner party where someone was constantly materializing out of nowhere with a passed tray of incredible bites or a ridiculously good nightcap to hand off.
By day, La Concha leans fully into vacation mode with poolside sips, ocean views, and the kind of beach naps where you wake up, and suddenly it’s sunset. Days drift between coastal Mediterranean plates at Levant, hand rolls at Tekka Bar, fresh catches at AQA Oceanfront, and blended drinks at Marena that are nearly impossible to stop ordering. By night, the property completely flips into party mode with DJs, stilt performers, dancing under the stars, and wine being poured basically everywhere you look.
Beyond the resort, Old San Juan is all about candy-colored historic streets, classic local restaurants like Deaverdura, Juanes, La Casita Blanca, and Sato Fino, plus all the mofongo, piragua, and tostones your heart desires. You may book the trip for the beach, but somewhere between the frozen cocktails and the late-night festival bites, the food becomes the entire point, and you’ll start plotting your return before you’ve even left. And keep your eyes open: this is Bad Bunny’s island after all, and a man has to eat somewhere.
NYC Officials Want to Ban Popular Tourist Attraction
Photo by Bee on Unsplash
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/new-york/new-york-city/experiences/news/nyc-horse-carriage-tragedy-renews-calls-to-ban-central-park-rides
An 18-year-old tourist died after a horse-drawn carriage accident in Central Park, renewing calls to ban the popular New York City attraction.
In a tragic accident last week, an 18-year-old lost his life after a horse bolted during a horse-drawn carriage ride in New York City. Romanch Mahajan was visiting the U.S. with his mother, father, and younger brother when the incident occurred. The accident has renewed calls to ban horse-drawn carriage rides in the city, a popular tourist attraction.
The Mahajan family came to the U.S. to celebrate Romanch’s high school graduation and admission to college. They visited the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the 9/11 Memorial, and were enjoying a horse-drawn carriage ride in Central Park on Wednesday, the third day of their trip. Near the end of the ride, the driver got down to take a picture of the family, and that’s when the horse became spooked and bolted. Romanch’s mother, Priya, fell out, and Romanch jumped to help her. But he hit his head on the pavement and died in the hospital that night.
The carriage toppled over after hitting another carriage, and his father, Deepak, brother Maanik, and mother Priya suffered minor injuries.
The Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents carriage drivers, said that the driver was at least “an arm’s length away from the horse.” Vice President Alexander Kemp said, “This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos — ever. We support a full investigation.”
The incident comes at a time when the industry is facing increased scrutiny after a series of mishaps. Earlier this month, a horse ate a plant poisonous to horses and died in the park. Last month, a horse collided with another carriage, and in January, a spooked horse ran into traffic and struck cars.
Horse-drawn carriage rides were briefly suspended following the death and resumed on Tuesday. The owner of the carriage suspended the driver, and the horse was retired.
Deepak Mahajan, the teenager’s father, said that the incident should be taken seriously. “It took my son’s dream away,” the New York Times reported.
Possible End of an Era
For years, animal rights groups have advocated for the activity to be suspended. They argue that keeping horses on busy city streets amounts to animal abuse because they can be startled by people and cars, potentially causing harm to both animals and humans. They also contend that city traffic is stressful for the animals and forces them to work in inhumane conditions.
Romanch was the first person to die in such an accident since the carriages were introduced 150 years ago. The Central Park Conservancy, which manages the park, has also called for a ban on the industry, citing eight horse-related incidents in the park since May 2025. Horses cannot safely share space with pedestrians, joggers, and cyclists, it says. The conservancy called Romanch’s death an “unacceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also stated that the council would work with animal welfare advocates and the industry to “deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all.”
A proposal called Ryder’s Law to ban horse-drawn carriages was already under review before the fatal incident. Council member Christopher Marte said that the legislation will be renamed Romanch’s Law in memory of the teenager. Marte said when the bill was introduced, “It takes one second of a horse losing its concentration to run off and injure a driver, a passenger, or just a pedestrian. We have to end it, not only for the horses, because they’re in extreme conditions, but also for the people around them.”
The council will take up the bill in July.
Meanwhile, separate legislation introduced to the council proposes, among other things, improved working conditions and the installation of hitching posts. The carriage industry supports the measure and has been calling for hitching posts so drivers can safely secure horses and prevent them from bolting unexpectedly. The labor union argues that horse-drawn carriage rides are a beloved New York tradition and that eliminating them entirely would lead to job losses and hurt small business owners.
Virgin Hotels Collection seeks synergies with the parent company's other businesses
Chief development officer says markets such as Orlando and Miami are targets
https://www.costar.com/article/1935580458/virgin-hotels-collection-seeks-synergies-with-parent-companys-other-businesses?
NEW YORK — There are four factors that Virgin Hotels Collection Chief Development Officer Greg Doman considers when deciding whether to add a new hotel to the company's portfolio.
"I call it the four-legged stool. If you don't have one of the legs, the stool is going to fall down," he said in a video interview with CoStar News Hotels at the 2026 NYU International Hotel Investment Forum.
Those four factors include having the right product, the right market, the right partner and the right terms that work for Virgin Hotels Collection.
This strategy led Virgin Hotels Collection to the Atlanta and Denver markets, where the company will open new-build hotels next year with its Virgin Hotels brand.
The hospitality industry has shifted more toward converting existing hotels rather than ground-up development. This makes conversion opportunities more competitive, however, Doman said.
"When ground-up development slows, it's supply and demand. Where are the opportunities going to be? It's going to be repurposing existing real estate or reflagging hotels," he said. "And that's quite competitive when you're going up against some of the bigger publicly traded companies."
It can also be difficult to find an existing building that fits the mold of a heavily curated brand such as Virgin Hotels, Doman said. But the company has done that as well, including the Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch, which the brand took over in 2024.
Future markets that the company is targeting for hotels include Orlando and Miami, where there would be a lot of synergy with other Virgin Group companies.
"The fact that we fly there, the fact we sail there, that's a key strategic market," he said.
To hear more from Virgin Hotels Collection's Greg Doman, watch the video above or listen to the podcast below.
Portman announces $540 million financing package for Cincinnati convention center Marriott development
700-room property part of $828 million convention district redevelopment
This is a rendering of the planned 700-room Cincinnati Downtown Marriott Hotel, which will open connected to the recently renovated First Financial Center in 2028. (Portman Holdings)
https://www.costar.com/article/893359661/portman-announces-540-million-financing-package-for-cincinnati-convention-center-marriott-development?
National real estate development firm Portman Holdings has announced a $540 financing package for the planned Cincinnati Downtown Marriott Hotel.
The 700-room property is part of the larger $828 million Convention District Revitalization plan in Cincinnati, which also features $264 million in renovations to the city's convention center, the First Financial Center.
According to a news release from Portman, the now finalized financing package includes "approximately $249 million in public support, including a $50 million [Ohio] state capital grant, a $112 million public bond issuance relying primarily on tax increment financing, a $50 million loan from the city and $37 million in proceeds from a state tax credit award."
The hotel will feature 60,000 square feet of meeting space, a 17,000-square-foot events terrace and a sky bridge that will connect to the convention center. A groundbreaking is slated for late July, and construction manager Skanska notes the hotel is expected to open by late 2028.
The full project was initially announced in late 2022, with renderings released in early 2024.
Aimbridge Hospitality has been tapped to manage the hotel and will also be an equity partner in the property, according to a statement from Aimbridge's Chief Global Growth Officer Eric Jacobs.
“The Cincinnati Downtown Marriott will serve as an anchor for a thriving convention center district, and we look forward to leveraging our track record of operational excellence to unlock the hotel’s full potential,” he said.
Portman noted the project is a public-private partnership involving several government entities, including the city of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the state of Ohio. The Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., which took control of the convention center garage in 2023. The Port of Greater Cincinnati and Visit Cincy are also involved.
Lenders on the project include Bank OZK and Huntington National Bank, and Piper Sandler Hospitality Finance Group worked as placement agent and senior manager for financing. DiPerna & Company is a financial adviser, and architectural work is done by Cooper Carry and Moody Nolan.
“This milestone is the result of the vision and collaborative effort from the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, the Port of Greater Cincinnati, and the State of Ohio to advance the transformation of the Convention Center District," Portman Chairman and CEO Ambrish Baisiwala said in a news release. "We are also pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with Marriott on a project that represents one of the largest and most significant hotel developments in the region and will help support downtown Cincinnati’s continued growth.”
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