Cover story · Travel
The Hotel Is the New Flagship
While fashion houses brace for a hard winter, the luxury money is moving into rooms with a view. Europe’s hotel pipeline has never been this upscale.
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Caucasus & Central Asia
ÉPURE is edited in Baku. From Tbilisi’s riverfront to the slopes above Almaty, this is where the map of luxury hospitality is being redrawn fastest.
Tbilisi’s New Riverfront
Two prime ministers opened a $68 million five-star hotel on the Kura. It is the clearest sign yet of Azerbaijani capital shaping Georgia’s luxury map.
Almaty’s Luxury Gap
Samarkand, Slowly
Season of Openings
Spaces
The Mediterranean’s Class of 2026
A private island off Provence, Mandarin Oriental’s first Mallorca address and a new Rhodes resort: the season’s openings, in one place.
Baku Looks to the Shore
A Caspian resort, 238 more branded residences and a Le Méridien in Tbilisi: what the new PASHA–Marriott agreement means for the region.
A Second Act for Ebel
An independent watchmaker, a couture house and a veteran CEO have bought a 1911 Swiss maison for $66.5 million. The people involved explain the bet.
The long view · Travel
The Hotel Is the New Flagship
While fashion houses brace for a hard winter, the luxury money is moving into rooms with a view. Europe’s hotel pipeline has never been this upscale.
An address you can sleep in, rather than one you simply shop at.Read the analysis
The Brief
Five things worth knowing this week, each linked to its original reporting.
- Rolex raises gold prices againReuters via MarketScreener
Gold models rose by about 5% on average in June — a rare second increase in one year, as the metal hovered near $4,200 an ounce.
- Estée Lauder lifts its outlookCPP-Luxury
First-quarter sales rose 7% to $3.72 billion, and the group raised its annual forecasts on demand for premium skincare and fragrance.
- The top ten lose valueMerca2.0 on Kantar BrandZ
Kantar BrandZ puts the combined value of the ten most valuable luxury brands at $321.2 billion in 2026, down 8% on the year.
- Mandarin Oriental heads to CortinaRus Tourism News
Mandarin Oriental Cristallo is planned for 2027 — the group’s first Alpine resort.
- Georgia joins The Leading Hotels of the WorldLuxury Travel Magazine
The Telegraph Hotel in Tbilisi, a former Soviet post office redesigned by Neri&Hu, is the country’s first member.
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