Wait... Europe's HOTTEST Destination Is Where?

Welcome to this week’s edition of Happenings: Your 3-minute thrill ride through the latest travel trends, fads, and everything in between—with a dash of spice, of course.

Here’s what to expect in today’s issue:

🍝 A beloved NYC restaurant staple is crossing the pond to London☀️ Europe’s it destination for summer 2025👻 The rise of the “ghost booking” phenomenon—what it is and why it matters🗽Our second NYC-Know-It-All column from a hospitality-obsessed HAP editor⬇️ Plus, a chat with a Swiss hotelier & what HAP editor Luke’s calling Below Par

NYC Bar Dante Is Going to Claridge's

News flash for you, New Yorkers heading to Britannia for the summer. New York’s award-winning restaurant and aperitivo cocktail bar, Dante, will collab with Claridge’s Restaurant for a month-long residency from Monday, 30th June. Think the vibrant spirit of downtown Manhattan in the heart of nostalgic and buzzing Mayfair, serving its signature cocktails, a New York-inspired menu (sliders here we come), and brunch, delivered in true Claridge’s style, of course. It will be the hottest table to snag in this part of the city come summer, so book now, and well in advance. - LA

Albania Is This Year's Country to Visit.

The single best place to visit this year on the Med? Croatia? Italy? France? Nope, Albania, and about time, too! This overlooked fab slice of land on the Adriatic has been long snubbed, and for all the wrong reasons. It has been featured in all sorts of hot lists and most recently, topped HelloSafe's overall top destination to visit in 2025 — little too late if you ask me. Aside from its Dua Lipa fame, think a land of miniature islands, forested headlands and lagoons, plus white sandy beaches and some seriously stunning UNESCO World Heritage landmarks and sites. Forget the usual European hotspots; if you want to do something truly different, head here. See more of this year's top destination courtesy of this clickbait. -LA

Ghost Booking: The Tactic Travelers Are Using to Ease US Border Control Fears

Recent reports indicate that some international visitors to the United States, facing complications at customs due to a lack of confirmed accommodations, are making “ghost bookings”—reservations they do not intend to use. Hotels, flights, cruises, campsites... the lot. Rooms, seats, or cabins are just then cancelled or fully refunded. A bitch when it comes to admin, but if it dodges possible legal complications, hats off to them. Read a deep dive into the trend here. – LA

Our brand-new weekly column from hospitality-obsessed city native Megan Shelton, unveiling 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 Contributing Travel Editor, on Instagram, TikTok, and via her Substack, Turndown Service.

In our latest edition of Meet The Hotelier, we catch up with the OG family-run hotel in Zurich, the Baur au Lac. Jewel of the family hotel crown, Marguita Kracht, gives us the lowdown on this generational boutique and independently run Swiss powerhouse.

Luke: What makes staying at Baur au Lac so special?

Marguita: The timeless sense of a hotel that is steeped in history yet very attuned to the present. From our private park, guests can enjoy postcard views of Lake Zürich and the Alps. Inside, no two rooms or suites are alike; each is adorned with bespoke furnishings crafted exclusively for us and designed to reflect a quiet, refined sophistication. Though it is our team, some of which have been with us over decades, that truly sets us apart with gracious, intuitive, and genuine care.

Luke: Name a hotel you’ve walked into recently and thought, “Wow, they do this better than us.” Why did it impress you?

Marguita: Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc has beautifully brought their park to life, creating a space of discovery, from swings to art and herb gardens. It inspires me to bring new ideas beyond our Art in the Park, winter chalet, or beehives and ensure that we too make the most of our beloved park.

Luke: Where do you escape to in Switzerland? What makes it so special?

Marguita: The mountains in summer. With cool evenings and sunny days, it's the ultimate "coolcation" where you can still be active yet feel restored.

Luke: What’s one Swiss stereotype you are sick of? Why?

Marguita: “You must love cheese and chocolate.” I happen to have a dislike for cheese, and it always leads to me having to come up with a long explanation.

Luke: Tell me who your hotel hero is. Why?

Marguita: My great-great-great-great grandfather (from 6 Generations ago) Johannes Baur. He was a pioneer of Swiss hospitality and helped shape Zurich as a destination for world travelers in the early 19th century. His vision helped usher in the golden age of grand hotels in Switzerland, which ultimately supported the formation of hospitality education to draw talent from.

Luke: It's my opinion that luxury can never truly be sustainable. There's far too much marketing and PR puff, and most of it is total greenwashing. That said, and beyond plastic bottles, what are you doing as a family-owned city hotel to have a more positive impact on the environment?

Marguita: For us, it is a continuous journey towards a more sustainable future, and we are fully committed to innovation and taking meaningful actions. We prioritize the use of natural power, predominantly sourced from Switzerland’s wind, water, and sunlight, to minimise our carbon footprint and reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources. Over 25 years ago, as one of the first buildings in Zürich, we invested in our own water pump that utilises water from Lake Zürich to heat and cool the hotel, reducing our CO₂ emissions by 48.5%. From waste management to our beehives, we work diligently in multiple areas to contribute to a more sustainable tomorrow.

Luke: What’s next for you and the hotel?

Marguita: Next year, we will undertake a full renovation of our main kitchen. It is an enormous project as we will have to transform our ballroom into a satellite kitchen for over six months. While guests will find our ‘Wienerschnitzel’ from Baur’s unchanged, it will mark a major milestone behind the scenes.

Luke: Name one hotel trend you want to die. Why?

Marguita: Overly complex, trendy lighting systems. Sometimes a simple on and off switch is all you need.

Luke: What makes Zurich sexy to you, and if there is one place you tell people to go to, where and what is it?

Marguita: Our 18 Badis ‘public lake baths’ define summer here. My favourite one to go with girlfriends is the historic Frauenbadi, just steps away from the Baur au Lac. By day, it’s women-only with Art Nouveau nostalgia and by night, it becomes a lively bar open to all, with stunning views of the Grossmünster. This unexpected transformation of a historic space from 1888 makes it unique to Zürich and gives it its’ allure.

I have had a terrible week, I will not lie. Wine is great and all, but sometimes you just need a good playlist to get you out of bed and that toxic rut. Yeah, drama Luke! Always. It's the corniest playlist on earth, and the name is dull AF, but it has given me the renaissance I desperately needed. Look, it's better than the “Wake Up Happy” playlist. That made me vom. Listen here. - LA

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