Miscellaneous

🍷 Murrayshall's restaurant, Eòlas, in Perthshire, received the Notable Wine List Award at the AA Hospitality Awards 2025 after being nominated for the AA Wine Award for Scotland. This accolade honors the skill and passion of the sommelier and culinary teams. Hotel Manager Fiona Pugh praised the team for their dedication to excellence, merging Scottish heritage with modern culinary innovation. This award highlights Eòlas as a top dining destination, offering an exceptional wine experience in Scotland.

🏨 James Thomson, a Scottish hotelier, received the AA Lifetime Achievement Award at the AA Hospitality Awards in London on September 22. Thomson, known for revitalizing historic properties, opened The Witchery in Edinburgh in 1979. He later acquired Prestonfield House in 2003. His charitable efforts, including “Lunch with an Old Bag,” have raised £9 million. The Witchery was named Scotland's AA Best Restaurant with Rooms and the world's “most romantic hotel” by Big 7 Travel.

🏝️ MJ Holidays partners with Influence Society to expand internationally. Founded in 2017, MJ Holidays offers luxury villa rentals in Mauritius, focusing on bespoke experiences, with properties in Rivière Noire, Grand-Gaube, and Tamarin. The collaboration aims to enhance digital presence and brand messaging across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Initial steps include a digital audit and tailored campaigns. MJ Holidays highlights comfort and personalized service, hosting up to 10 guests per villa.

🚢 Riverside Luxury Cruises on the Danube, Mozart ship, offers flexible travel with embarkation at any port in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. Guests can choose 3/4-night trips or 2/3-week journeys, appealing to diverse nationalities. With a 2:1 guest-staff ratio, operations remain smooth despite variable schedules. Debuting in 2023, the ship features opulent interiors and a collapsible top deck. Experiences include small-group excursions with local partners, emphasizing exclusivity.

🛅 Check-in processes at hotels can be frustrating. Guests often face lengthy waits without clear reasons and are required to provide information that the hotel already has. Repeated requests for credit card details for deposits create distrust. The initial experience becomes overwhelming with excessive information delivered at once. Ideal check-ins should take under 60 seconds, using pre-filled forms and digital keys when possible, enhancing the feeling of being welcomed rather than processed.

🏠 A few days ago, Texas: After a dozen work trips this year, the writer returns home to his family. He shares a heartfelt moment with his children, Lucas and Ezra, emphasizing "home" as a sense of belonging rather than a place. The article discusses the superficial connections in modern life and the importance of building genuine relationships. Through mutual understanding and kindness, true hospitality can be achieved, spreading the feeling of belonging to others.

🔍 In today's digital era, traditional criticism faces challenges. Economic constraints have dulled professional critics, with legacy media losing prestige and budgets. Example: New York's Le Chêne restaurant received glowing reviews despite mediocre food. Online reviews suffer manipulations like extortion and biased rankings. Influencers prioritize algorithm-driven content over genuine critique, offering free meals in exchange for coverage. Ultimately, reliable recommendations might come from trusted friends rather than critics or algorithms.

📅 Direct Travel Inc has acquired ATPI, creating one of the world's largest travel management companies with over $6 billion in annual revenue. This merger aims to enhance international rollout of Avenir Travel Edition, a real-time intelligence platform. Direct Travel CEO Christal Bemont highlights the strategic fit, enhancing service delivery at scale. ATPI CEO Ian Sinderson emphasizes the shared vision for innovative global travel management, combining specialized services and technology to rival mega-agencies.

🎧 DJ booth designs are captivating audiences worldwide. "Unveiled" in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, features a metallic booth in a VIP area. Sydney's "JAM Record Bar" boasts 15,000 vinyls. Valencia's "Oven" uses red and black wood for an oven-like feel. Brooklyn's "Nursery at Public Records" incorporates a shipping container booth. Kyiv's "Bursa Bar" uses dark wood for acoustics. Seattle's "Supernova" centers around an 8-ft disco ball booth. Tokyo's "Koganeyu" converts a bathhouse into an event space. San Francisco's "Side A" combines design and music in a hub.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor, is renowned for his expertise in food trends, particularly in French and Asian cuisines. He joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999, after five years in Thailand. His notable accolades include winning the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and serving as IFEC president in 2005. A Tufts University graduate, Thorn studied at Le Cordon Bleu and in China. He wrote entries for the Oxford Encyclopedia in 2012 and the Oxford Companion in 2015.