Alpine Retreats, Uber Choppers & Jamaica’s Game-Changing Hotelier

Welcome to this week’s issue of Happenings. From a game-changing hotelier in Jamaica to the new book trend to know, let’s get you caught up, courtesy of HAP editor Luke Abrahams.👇

Guys and gals, forget the beach read because that’s so your grandmother. The new wave of bookish travel is all about joining structured reading retreats that mix books, place and community, according to our friends at BBC Travel. In a nutshell, the trend is all about placing literary thought at the forefront of the hotel experience. Think vacations that combine the ritual of reading with the pleasure of a place. I am sold. Read the deep diver here.

That’s right, you can soon get the VIP Uber chopper treatment courtesy of Blade. While it’s way more expensive than your usual ride—Blade’s helicopters to the airport start at $195 per person—it’s worth it just to dodge the traffic and the AirTrain. Blade operates across the New York area, including the Hamptons in Long Island and major airports like John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport, and if you are on vacation in Europe, in places like Monaco. When’s it launching on the app? Find out here. - LA

In our latest edition of Meet the Hotelier, we catch up with Jamaican Ollie Morrow, one of the powerhouses behind Ocho Rios hotel icon, The Jamaica Inn. And yes, I asked where to get the best jerk chicken, because obviously.

Luke: Sum up your hospitality style in a sentence.

Ollie: Warm, genuine, and timeless—luxury with heart and soul.

Luke: When we met we fan-girled over our shared love of jerk chicken. Where will you find the best jerk in Jamaica and what makes it so special?

Ollie: Boston Bay in Portland is the birthplace of jerk, and nothing compares to having it fresh off the pimento wood fire there. What makes it so special is the perfect balance of smoky, spicy, and sweet. But in London, when I am lucky enough to be invited to our friend Winston’s house… it’s literally like teleporting straight home and his homemade Jerk chicken is unmatched! Winston actually used to be a part of the Jamaica Inn family, and how he lives in Brixton, London, and runs the most delicious coffee shop called Beans & Beats (go!).

Luke: You are a woman in hospitality in Jamaica. Tell us what that’s like and how are you empowering women and the next generation of hoteliers?

Ollie: Hospitality has long been male-dominated, especially at leadership levels, but women bring a unique empathy and intuition that are essential to this industry and I really think the industry is recognizing that. Our management team at Jamaica Inn includes many strong female leaders who are all passionate and dedicated to what they do. Empowerment comes through mentorship, training, and visibility—showing young women that there’s space for them to lead, innovate, and leave their mark in hospitality.

Luke: Name your favourite boutique hotel in the world. Why does it stand out so much?

Ollie: This is always such a tricky one! But the Sporthotel Lorünser in Zürs immediately comes to mind. I visited for the first time with my family last winter, on the recommendation of a friend—and it was absolutely magical.

This is a hotel with real soul. We felt like the odd ones out at first—most of the guests have been coming for generations—but that’s what made it so special. It’s family-run, small and intimate, with exceptional service and delicious food. The style is quite old-school, but that’s a huge part of its charm. You’re assigned the same dinner table every evening—such a nice touch. They host a weekly cocktail evening for guests, which feels straight out of another era—in the best way. Honestly, it reminded me of Jamaica Inn but in the mountains. And funnily enough, when we started chatting with the owners, we discovered that he and his daughters had actually stayed at Jamaica Inn a few years prior. A small world, indeed. We now hope to count ourselves among the regulars when we return this winter.

An honourable mention must go to Al Moudira in Luxor. It’s a beautifully artistic hotel with the best breakfast buffet, stunning rooms, and the perfect location for exploring the rich history of the region.

Luke: Jamaica can sometimes have a real bad image problem. What are you doing to change that?

Ollie: That’s true, and it’s something my team and I work very hard to challenge. At the sales level, I focus on educating our travel partners and direct guests about the Jamaica that often gets overlooked—the Jamaica of incredible culture, warmth, and creativity.

At Jamaica Inn, we make this real through every part of the guest experience. We work closely with our community, supporting local artisans, farmers, and social initiatives so that visitors encounter the richness and authenticity of Jamaica firsthand. When guests leave us, they don’t just carry memories of a hotel stay—they carry a truer, more nuanced sense of Jamaica.

Luke: There’s a lot of greenwashing in the hotel space right now. What are you as an indie hotel doing to help the planet on your patch of the Jamaican coastline? And beyond the obvious.

Ollie: For us, sustainability has never been a trend—it’s been a responsibility for a very long time. Much of the drive came from my mum, who grew up in the local area and saw firsthand the impact humans were having on the ecosystem. She knew that education had to come first—helping people understand why and how our actions harm the environment, and how that in turn affects future generations and livelihoods. Once that awareness is built, meaningful protection becomes possible.

At Jamaica Inn, we’re deeply committed to protecting our stretch of coastline and reef. We partner with the White River Fish Sanctuary—set up by my mum—to restore and safeguard marine life, and we regularly involve guests in coral planting and turtle release programs. We also invest heavily in community education, because lasting change only comes when local communities, especially the next generation, feel empowered to protect their environment.

Being a property built in the 1950s, with little to no “green” infrastructure in its original design, means we’ve had to work extra hard to offset our output and implement sustainable practices creatively. In recent years, we’ve expanded into hydroponics and launched a mangrove initiative, growing and transplanting mangroves along vulnerable stretches of coastline. On property, we recycle all the grey water from our in-house laundry to irrigate our gardens.

Luke: What makes you proud to be a Jamaican and how do you incorporate this sense of pride into your hotel?

Ollie: Our culture is what makes me most proud—our music, our food, our creativity, and above all, our people. Jamaicans have such warmth, joy, and a natural wit that cannot fail to make you smile. At Jamaica Inn, we weave that pride into everything: from the dishes we serve that celebrate local flavors, to the art and craftsmanship displayed across the property, to the way our team embodies that natural Jamaican warmth. Nothing is manufactured—the pride we feel comes through authentically and effortlessly in the guest experience.

Luke: When I visited the Jamaica Inn I went to a weed farm and learned all about the health benefits of the miracle plant. What other fun and unique experiences do you offer to your guests?

Ollie: So glad you were able to have that experience, not enough people head inland when coming to Jamaica, and they are missing a trick, because as you know, it is magical!

Curating experiences that give guests a true sense of place is what it’s all about - things you simply can’t replicate anywhere else. We’ve have had Joy Spence, the world’s first female master blender host intimate rum tastings for our guests. On Friday’s our Head Chef takes guests along to the local farmers’ market. You browse, taste, and shop together, then head back to the Inn to create a seasonal Jamaican lunch. And of course, we have our “Bond on the Beach” movie nights—every Thursday we screen a James Bond classic right on the sand, under the stars. Vesper martini in hand of course!

Luke: If there was one Jamaican word or phrase the world should live by, what should it be?

Ollie: “Likkle but tallawah.” It means small but mighty, and I think it sums up Jamaica perfectly. True strength isn’t about size—it’s about spirit. Even the smallest acts of kindness or courage can have a huge impact. And let’s be honest, Jamaicans are anything but timid… for better or worse!

Luke: Name your hospitality hero. Why has this person had such an effect on you?

Ollie: Cliché, I know (!) but my dad is the one who quietly allowed me to fall in love with the business. My sister Eloise and I grew up surrounded by the ins and outs of hotel life, and he always said, “You can only do this job if you really love it—it’s all day, every day, no days off.” We would be thrown into hotel cocktail parties, which really taught us the art of conversation. Watching him interact with guests is fascinating—he is not a loud man, but has this amazing ability to find common ground or draw out an interesting story from anyone he meets. He taught me that hospitality is about heart, attention to detail, and creating experiences and environments that stay with people. I try to emulate him in everything I do at Jamaica Inn, from welcoming guests to curating the little touches that make people return year after year.

Luke: Tell me your wildest travel story.

Ollie: Believe this story or not…! My Dad and I were in Sedona, Arizona, a few years ago, staying at a hotel called Enchantment (home to my favorite ever cocktail, the Prickly Pear) and hiking through the magnificent Red Rocks. Out of nowhere, this man appeared and started walking alongside us. He pointed out ancient Native American caves and told us about the lands and the tribes that once inhabited them. It all felt so surreal and ethereal as the three of us wandered down the small trail.

We were telling him about our own family’s connection to the Wyandotte tribe, and then, just as suddenly as he appeared, he vanished—like he had evaporated into the landscape. We’re convinced he was a Native American spirit. My dad and I still talk about that walk; most people probably don’t believe us, but we know what we saw!

Every now and then, we get dibs on new suites and refurbs, and here’s one worth splurging your cash on. Cooler than cool South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu is giving Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel in Cape Town, a glow-up suite thanks to his distinctive Afro-modernist vision. The THEBE MAGUGU SUITE is due to be unveiled in December and will showcase the beauty of South African culture, design, and art, and is all curated to immerse guests into the creativity and storytelling of the Thebe Magugu universe. There’s a rather nice boutique to buy it all in, too. Find out more here.

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