OMG. This Train.

Welcome back to Happenings. We’re docking in Union Square for dinner, lido-hopping to Newport Beach, wandering Tokyo’s coolest boutique hotels, and chasing quiet luxury from Barbados to Reykjavik. HAP Editor Luke Abrahams shares how the Orient Express is looking too sexy, Chiltern Firehouse is plotting a grand return, Burberry’s trimming Claridge’s, and the Netherlands is officially the safest place to roam in 2026. Read on, y’all.

Sorry for our excitement, but when we set eyes on sexy train carriages, our travel libido flares like wildfire. While there’s still a way off for the official launch day in 2027, y’all can get a sneak peek of them if you find yourself in Paris over the next few months. To celebrate 100 years of Art Deco, three Maxime d’Angeac-designed carriages from the upcoming L’Orient Express will be on display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs until April. Spoiler: they are GAWJUS.

The luxury London address, which succumbed to a disastrous fire two years back, has announced that its ‘forecasted re-opening date is April 2027.’ Thankfully, the hotel had a pretty hefty insurance policy in place, so the losses will be minimal while the suits sort out all the payouts (what a fun job, eh?) Details of the renno are tight-lipped, but for the sake of a few more minute details, this well-thought-out and placed clickbait will sort you out.

I mean, if you did not see this news plastered all over Instagram the algorithm is not serving you well at all. Daniel Lee, the Chief Creative Officer of Burberry will design the spruce set to debut in the lobby of the legendary Mayfair hotel later this month on Tuesday, November 25th. The 16ft tree will feature 600 bows, hanging bells and chess-piece decorations (with plenty of Burbs prints, too). Find out more about the legendary annual collab here.

As Naomi Campbell famously once said... safety first! The Netherlands has topped Berkshire Hathaway’s 2025 ranking for its peace-loving culture, health care, and inclusivity, for those travel folk who have safety at the top of their agenda. Australia came in second, followed by Austria. To see the full list, check out this guide by our friends at Travel + Leisure.

In our latest drop of Meet The Hotelier, we catch up with Richard Leuenberger, the MD and brains behind the legendary St. Moritz and family-owned hotel, Badrutt’s Palace. With decades of hospitality experience behind him, Richard knows a thing or two about hotels, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. He’s also a Swiss man with a sense of humou—a major perk in our books. Enjoy, and follow the adventures of the Palace here.

Luke: Sum up your hospitality style in a sentence.

Richard: Presence is key. Reading intent, acting with quiet precision so the guest feels seen without effort.

Luke: Badrutt’s Palace is an institution in St Moritz. What are you doing to jazz things up so it doesn’t stay in a state of stasis?

Richard: We stay relevant because our guests keep us honest. Every season, we add things that feel alive again, from facilities and food to art and events, without weakening the soul of the house or the idea that everything is possible here. We have built more places where people naturally meet and brought more live entertainment into our spaces. It helps us translate the spirit of the Palace to a younger, usually digital-native guest who wants beauty and authenticity that is also social.

Luke: Name five people, dead or alive, you personally want to check into Badrutt’s Palace.

Richard: Frank Sinatra. Andy Warhol (and welcome him back). Anthony Bourdain. Zaha Hadid and Frances Ann Lebowitz.

Luke: Name a hotel you’ve walked into recently that blew your socks off. Why did it stand out so much?

Richard: So many places for different reasons. The living room feeling in my suite at the new Rosewood Chancery in London. The private villas at Castiglion del Bosco, my Italian dream house. Portrait Milano for a true Milanese experience and a great team. The original Kerry Hill suites at The Datai in Langkawi, and for a real sense of place. The Beach service at Maroma, along with the room design (textures) at The Sloane in London. And nothing and nowhere in the Maldives moved me... just saying.

Luke: St Moritz can get a little intense come ski season. Where do you escape to unwind?

Richard: Walking the dog early along the lake for a few hours on the trails, or a quiet dinner with friends. Nothing structured, just time that is mine.

Luke: Who is your hotel hero and why?

Richard: Simon Cooper for how he led at the Ritz-Carlton with consistency and care. Adrian Zecha for proving that intimacy and place can scale without losing character.

Luke: Name one travel trend you are seriously bored of. Why?

Richard: The endless redefinition of luxury. Too much talk, too little delivery. Experiences dreamed up in a corporate deck miss the point. The magic lies in human interaction and the memories that unfold when you set the stage well. That is where we play.

Luke: Tell me your favourite boutique hotel.

Richard: Hotel Il Pellicano. If I am allowed to call it boutique. It is confident without trying.

Luke: You work in luxe and let’s be honest, it’s not the most eco friendly world. What are you doing at the Palace to do better beyond the obvious?

Richard: We are investing in smarter logistics with fewer deliveries, alongside renewable heat. As for the design, we use low-impact materials in rooms and suites. Everything we do is natural and not forced. And let us be honest, we have run the same hotel for 130 years. There is something sustainable about that.

Luke: Name your top three restaurants in St Moritz (sorry, you can only choose one at The Palace).

Richard: At the Palace, Chesa Veglia for spirit and story. Outside, Talvo for true fine dining in the mountains and La Scarpetta for pasta. I also love Caviar Stübli at Glattfelder and the Pavarotti Wine Bar.

Luke: What personally bores you in hotels right now? And how would you change it?

Richard: Breakfast, the playground of mediocrity. Be generous.

Here’s another list for y’all, curated, to the point, and yada, yada, yada. All I have left to say is roll on 2026.

Our weekly column from hospitality-obsessed city native Megan Shelton unveils the gotta-be-there spots across the Big Apple that are anything BUT basic.

For more NYC + travel content, follow Megan, who doubles as HAP’s NYC Know-It-All and a Contributing travel writer, on Instagram, TikTok, and her Substack, Turndown Service.