Anantara signs Morocco and India, both small and years away
Minor Hotels is taking Anantara into two new countries at once. The brand's first Moroccan hotel is a 38-room boutique retreat in Rabat, targeted for 2030. Anantara Retreats also enters India with a Darjeeling signing, which has no opening date yet.
Neither property is bookable soon, so this is a tracking item, not a selling one. Advisors with luxury clients looking at North Africa or the Himalayas can add both to a watch list. The two deals also suggest Minor will grow Anantara through small, intimate properties instead of large resorts.
Kempinski readies a Prague monastery hotel and pitches against soft collections
Kempinski acquired the 101-room Augustine in Prague in 2026 and plans to reopen it as a Kempinski in early 2027. It occupies a former monastery roughly 800 years old, which gives advisors a new luxury option in a major European city.
Kempinski's chief product officer also framed the brand as an alternative to "soft collections" that are united mainly by distribution. That is a pointed contrast with Autograph- and Curio-style programs. For advisors, the practical takeaway is that Kempinski is selling owned-and-operated character over network reach.
Mandarin Oriental Desaru Coast earns a MICHELIN Key
The Desaru Coast resort in Malaysia, converted to Mandarin Oriental on Jan. 30 from the former One&Only/Sirēya, now holds its first MICHELIN Key. The award arrives eight months after the conversion and gives advisors a third-party endorsement to cite.
The all-pool-suite resort sits about an hour from Singapore, which makes it a credible luxury beach add-on to a city stay. Resident rates are around RM2,480 a night. The Lumare beach club opens Nov. 21.
IHG trims Hertz earning, while Garner gets a 3X promotion
IHG One Rewards members now reportedly earn fewer points on Hertz rentals. The report comes from a single reader comment, so confirm it with IHG before relaying it to clients. It is a small devaluation of an ancillary perk.
Separately, IHG is running 3X points at Garner midscale hotels from Oct. 6 to Dec. 6, with registration required. The offer is a way to build awareness of the newer brand, and advisors booking domestic leisure or group travel can use it as a client incentive.
ALL Accor to IndiGo transfers carry a 100% bonus through Oct. 21
Accor is offering a 100% bonus on ALL points converted to IndiGo BluChips, valid for transfers made Oct. 15–21. The window closes in two days, so clients holding ALL points who fly IndiGo should act soon.
The promotion fits Accor's growing India presence, and it arrives in the same week that Anantara, an Accor-affiliated brand through its partnership with Minor, signed its Darjeeling retreat. It matters mainly to clients with ALL balances.