Royal Air Maroc will launch a new nonstop service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Casablanca (CMN) on June 7, 2026. The route marks the first direct air link between Africa and the U.S. Pacific Coast, offering a 11-hour connection and representing a major step forward in the expansion of the airline’s long-haul network.

Ethara, the organisers of the Formula 1® Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, announced that the 2025 race week broke attendance records with a combined total of 339,000 fans across events. The 2025 season finale featured a three-way title battle between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, contributing to the record 203,000 attendance at Yas Marina Circuit – a near 6% jump from 192,000 in 2024.

In this special Breaking Travel News feature, we got to sit down with HSMAI Middle East’s three newly crowned Rockstars, Nawfal Mbamba, Kuda Mukonoweshuro, and Hasan Khan. Each brings a distinctive approach to innovation, from elevating product storytelling and unlocking demand in tertiary markets to reshaping F and B performance through real time intelligence. Together they represent a new generation of commercial leaders whose ideas are already influencing how hotels think, operate, and grow. Their insights reveal the challenges they set out to solve, the inspiration behind their winning concepts, and the impact their work is making across the region’s hospitality landscape. Read on as they take us inside their award winning pitches and share the lessons, breakthroughs, and ambitions shaping their journey.

Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, and Sotheby’s, the global destination for art and luxury announce a strategic partnership which will see Etihad become the Presenting Partner for Sotheby’s once-in-a-lifetime two-part exhibition, Icons: Back to Madison. The exhibition brings together some of the most iconic works ever sold under Sotheby’s banner, offering a rare opportunity to experience masterpieces spanning multiple centuries and collecting categories.

Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles, a 173-room contemporary retreat at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, is officially open, expanding Hilton’s footprint in Southern California and masterfully hosting guests with expertise and care. Located steps from Santa Anita Park and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and minutes from the Rose Bowl and Pasadena’s cultural attractions, the hotel debuts contemporary guest rooms and suites, multiple world-class dining venues—including Arcadia’s only rooftop bar—and a robust collection of energizing amenities and iconic gathering spaces. The property is managed by Azul Hospitality Group, a San Diego-based hospitality management platform that provides an innovative approach to maximizing performance.

Hilton announces the opening of York Medellin, Curio Collection by Hilton, marking the lifestyle brand’s debut in Colombia’s vibrant second-largest city. The hotel is the 27th Hilton property in Colombia and the third Curio Collection by Hilton in the country, following Cartagena and Bogota. Hilton’s lifestyle brands are expecting unstoppable growth in the Caribbean and Latin America with nearly 40 open hotels and plans to welcome nearly 40 properties, offering travelers immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences in some of the world’s most sought-after destinations.