Bonvoy Reopens, Shangri-La Digs Into Kyoto, Accor Widens Its Net

Marriott's St. Regis Dubai, The Palm reopens November 1 after a six-month refurbishment, holding its footprint at 264 rooms and 26 suites while rebuilding the property's dining draw around six restaurants on one rooftop, headlined by Trèsind Studio — the world's only three-Michelin-star Indian restaurant. The date is the actionable detail: it lands right ahead of Dubai's peak winter season, giving advisors a fixed rebooking window on Palm Jumeirah and a genuine culinary hook to sell alongside beach and pool access. Expect the property to resume normal Bonvoy award and elite-benefit availability at reopening, making it a candidate for status-driven upgrades and points redemptions once booking windows open. Advisors building Q4/Q1 Gulf itineraries should flag it now, before winter inventory on the Palm tightens further.

Shangri-La is moving to convert a historic site near Kyoto's Nijo Castle into an ultra-luxury hotel, its latest bet on Japan's inbound demand. Details are thin so far — no confirmed opening date or room count — but the choice of a heritage property beside a UNESCO World Heritage landmark points to a slow-build, limited-inventory project rather than a standard new-build rollout. For advisors, heritage conversions like this typically carry multi-year lead times and draw outsized client interest once renderings and rates land, so it's worth flagging to Japan-bound luxury clients early even without a bookable date yet. The move also underscores how crowded Kyoto's ultra-luxury tier has become, with Shangri-La now competing directly with Aman, Four Seasons and other flagship names for the city's remaining heritage sites.

Accor is expanding its paid Accor+ Explorer subscription tier into ten additional countries from October 1 — nine more Middle East markets plus Pakistan — building on its recent UAE launch and new Japan office. The subscription bundles discounts and perks across Accor's portfolio; this is a widening of who can buy in, not a devaluation or an availability shift, but it gives advisors serving clients based in or transiting the Gulf and South Asia another loyalty product to weigh against ALL's standard tiers when recommending Accor stays. Worth a mention to frequent-stay clients in the region who could benefit from subscription pricing on rooms and dining. Expect Accor to keep rolling Explorer into new markets as it builds out its Gulf and Asia-Pacific footprint.