PRCO Group

Our global teams have been busy. To round off the week, here are a few of their recent highlights. Italy: Having organised journalist laura fiengo's stay aboard Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts' expedition vessel in Palau, our Milan team was delighted to see her detailed feature appear in Vanity Fair Italia in print and online. Remote Palau is one of the world's most isolated nations and home to one of the world's most pristine ecosystems. Laura's beautiful story documented how the country's nuanced approach to tourism, and Four Seasons' role within it, are at the vanguard of world-leading best sustainability practices. Another Italy highlight was the KOL press trip our team hosted to SIRO Hotels flagship Dubai property, with guests including the Olympic swimming champion Filippo Magnini and TV star Giorgia Palmas. Our wellness-minded guests had ample opportunity to experience SIRO's signature fitness, recovery and wellbeing experiences before continuing their experience at the idyllic Bab Al Shams Desert Resort. France: Our Paris team continues to support The Macallan with its ongoing series of sophisticated dining experiences across France. This month, esteemed guests gathered at the Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant Bellefeuille for a four-hands dinner with chefs Grégory Garimbay and Tom Meyer - dishes were, of course, paired with the exemplary Scottish whisky. UAE: Representatives from the residential division of our Dubai office let a press trip to Banyan Group Residences' new developments within Laguna Phuket. Staying at Banyan Tree Phuket, our guests included journalists from Design Middle East, Gulf Property Middle East, Durrah Magazine and Construction Business News Middle East. UK Our London team has been busy attending the various industry events taking place throughout the city at this time of year. Among them was the 10th-issue party for JRNY Magazine, which launched during the pandemic and has gone from strength to strength since then. The publication's 2025 travel awards took place on the same evening.

One of the world's most consequential gatherings for hotel owners, operators and developers, the 2025 Future Hospitality Summit drew to a close in Riyadh today. Three of our colleagues, Saher Munawar Kachalia, Dina Osman and John O'Ceallaigh, were among the 1,000 or so attendees. The event focuses primarily on the incomparably dynamic Saudi market, and with 80-plus panel discussions, workshops and fireside chats in place there were plenty of revelations and insights that stood out. Below are just a small selection of the talking points our team noted during their three-day attendance. Saudi Arabia's popularity as a tourist destination is growing at breakneck speed: the country broke its 2030 target to welcome 100 million travellers per annum seven years early. Those visitors delivered 256 billion riyals of direct spend, or about $68 billion. That expenditure is calculated to have grown by a further 14% in 2024. The Kingdom has revised its visitor targets and now aims to attract 150 million visitors per annum by 2030. It is also expected that 1 million more people in Saudi will work in tourism by the end of the decade. Saudi Arabia is projected to be the world's eighth most-visited country by 2040, sitting squarely between Turkey and Thailand in terms of overall numbers. New Saudi airline Riyadh Air | طيران الرياض is on track to launch later this year, and is projected to serve 100 international destinations by 2030. Saudi Arabia is expected to have 362,000 hotel keys in place by 2030 - more than double the inventory (of about 168,000 keys) that's in place today. Of course, with an office in Riyadh PRCO Group is deeply invested in the Saudi market, and has seen the progress being made in the country firsthand. Our clients Red Sea Global's The Red Sea and AMAALA - shown in the picture and rendering below - are unquestionably two of the most ambitious, trailblazing tourism projects in the world right now (and ever). The news we'll soon be sharing from both destinations will only add to the evidence that the country's ambitions for the future of its tourism industry are being backed by an unparalleled level of investment, commitment and imagination.

Years after its launch, our Dubai team members are still constantly asked to bring 'Dubai Chocolate' with them when visiting friends and family abroad. Now it transpires the product's popularity has precipitated a global shortage of pistachios - a key ingredient - while Dubai Duty Free has revealed that 4% of its entire April sales were for this one product. Prompted by the news, our associate director of consultancy John O'Ceallaigh has created a complimentary report for our clients on some of the ways hospitality businesses are capitalising on consumers' interests in decadent dessert experiences. Below are a few of the insights and highlights: An emerging 'bakery tourism' trend is seeing travellers crisscross cities and the world to try famous bakeries, cake shops and patisseries. In Korea, the trend is described by the word 'bbangjisullae' - the term is derived from the words 'bbang', meaning 'bread', and 'seongjisullae', meaning 'pilgrimage'. Pastry chefs are emerging as bona-fide social media superstars and their presence in partner hotels can be hugely effective in securing custom. At Hôtel Le Meurice in Paris, the public queues up to try sweet treats from CEDRIC GROLET, who has 12.4 million Instagram followers. PRCO Group client The Peninsula Hotels has long served the city's most storied afternoon tea at its gilded lobby at The Peninsula Hong Kong. More recently, they've commenced serving a floating afternoon tea aboard a customised version of one of the city's Star Ferries. It's a marriage of two genuine Hong Kong icons, and means guests can take in shifting, spectacular views of the city's skyline and the South China Sea as they dine. With London another of the world's quintessential afternoon tea capitals, hotels there are also going all out to stand out from the competition. Interestingly, The Savoy has launched a new walk-in venue Scoff (pictured below) that will serve gourmet scones each day, elevating this humble product with jazzy new flavour combinations, frostings and toppings (think tiramisu or popcorn). Of course, all of these innovations in desserts are emerging at a time when consumers are drinking less alcohol and looking beyond bars for social opportunities. We're mindful too that so many of us want to live healthily, but everyone deserves an indulgence occasionally.

Our teams in the GCC wrapped up a successful week at Arabian Travel Market 2025, supporting regional and international clients with a full programme of events, interviews, and press meetings. We hosted two well-attended media events for Ultima Collection and The Lux Collective, bringing together over 20 top-tier titles, including Harper's Bazaar Arabia , The National News, Gulf News' The Kurator, Robb Report Arabia, Savoir Flair, and Near+Far Magazine, amongst others. For Waldorf Astoria Kuwait, we facilitated interviews and meetings with AL SHABIBA, Hotelier Middle East, and Durrah Magazine. Thought leaders at One&Only Resorts connected with The National News and Condé Nast Traveller Middle East, aligning on future storytelling opportunities. At Red Sea Global we presented The Red Sea and AMAALA destinations where our teams led a series of productive conversations with Afar, Travel and Tourism News Magazine, Asharq Alawsat Newspaper, Arrajol - الرَّجل, and Kul Ul Usra, discussing the evolving luxury landscape in the Kingdom. Thank you to our team, clients, and media partners for a fantastic ATM 2025 season. #PRCOGroup #ArabianTravelMarket

Maddalena Fossati, Editor-in-Chief of Condé Nast Italia and La Cucina Italiana - Italia, shares a personal editorial and in-depth feature on Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, following a visit arranged by our team in Italy. The result: a one-page editorial and three-page feature highlighting the resort’s the resort’s self-sustaining garden, Chef Nino Di Costanzo’s Italian culinary programme and GM Armando Kraenzlin’s thoughtful leadership and community-driven approach. #FourSeasonsResortMaldives #PRCOGroup

Travel + Leisure Italia explores the pioneering concept behind SIRO Hotels in One Za’abeel. In a feature by Anna Gentili, the article highlights how SIRO is redefining luxury hospitality—where performance, recovery and well-being sit at the heart of the guest experience. Secured by our team in Milan following an individual media visit, the article reinforces SIRO’s position as an innovator in the hospitality landscape. #PRCOGroup #SIRO

Hotelier Middle East exclusively unveils the new brand identity of Chedi Hospitality, under the leadership of CEO Stephan Schupbach. This marks an exciting new chapter for the brand as it evolves while staying true to its legacy of understated luxury and timeless design. Read the full feature below. #PRCOGroup #ChediHospitality

Robb Report Italy spotlights The Wilde, Milan’s newest cultural hub, in a six-page feature by Penelope Vaglini. Since its debut in November 2024, The Wilde has become a meeting point for leaders in finance, technology, art, fashion, music, and theatre. Housed in the former residence of Santo Versace at 16 Via dei Giardini, the space is redefining Brera as a destination for a global creative community. #PRCOGroup #TheWilde

Our UK team led a winter press trip to The Capra, a five-star luxury wellness hotel in Saas-Fee, showcasing the resort’s exceptional skiing, wellness, and culinary experiences. Joined by Escapism magazine, The Spectator, Beau Monde Traveler, and INTHESNOW LTD., the trip offered snow-sure glacier skiing and open tree-lined slopes, followed by Alpine herb-infused massages, an outdoor heated pool, and spa treatments at Peak Health Spa. Dining highlights included a Tour du Valais tasting in The Wine Cellar, seasonal dishes at Brasserie 1809, and mountain-side breakfasts and lunches at Spielboden Restaurant. #PRCOGroup #TheCapra #SaasFee

Our team in Dubai secured an exclusive first look inside ExecuJet Aviation Group Middle East’s state-of-the-art facilities, featured by Condé Nast Traveller Middle East. One of the most luxurious private jet terminals in the region, the space at Al Maktoum Airport offers a five-star-worthy suite, a bespoke spa menu to combat jet lag, an oud-scented majlis designed by Nada Debs, and curated artwork from Opera Gallery Group—redefining the private aviation experience. https://lnkd.in/dFnzKSnk