Relais & Châteaux

This month marked the close of our annual delegation meeting season. Two very different stops, in Beijing and in Patiala, each revealing something essential about what makes Relais & Châteaux distinctive. In Beijing, at the Xitan Hotel, we held our second joint meeting of the China and Japan delegations. A reminder of how these two cultures engage within our association: shared standards, distinct sensibilities. China holds a particular place in our thinking, alongside South Korea, India, Singapore and Japan: regions where we see the future of the association taking shape. Growth, yes, but at our own pace. The pace of independent hotels and restaurants that carry a place, a story. At Ran Baas, The Palace, in Patiala, Punjab, a former royal palace, our India and Southeast Asia delegation meeting explored a different but equally essential question: design as a language of hospitality. Here, restoration preserved the palace's character while anchoring it firmly in the present. The experience extends beyond the architecture, into Punjabi cuisine, craftsmanship, and living local traditions. Design serves authenticity, our members reminded us, when it deepens understanding of a place rather than staging it. These delegation meetings are, above all, moments of encounter: with our members, with local cultures, with the places that define each region's hospitality.

Relais & Châteaux welcomes ten new members The ten properties that most recently became part of the Relais & Châteaux family illustrate the Association’s extensive presence across the globe. While each of these new members unquestionably boasts its own distinctive personality, they all are united in sharing the Relais & Châteaux values and vision of hospitality. These properties are deeply dedicated to art de vivre, fine dining, and respecting cultural diversity. They represent France, United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Japan, Mexico and the United States.  Discover each of them: https://lnkd.in/eSWkQCjc

At Champagne BILLECART-SALMON, a magical process transforms still wines into sparkling. Its carefully nuanced methods have been passed down the generations, with each successor making its own mark. Along the journey from viticulture to assemblage, aging and disgorgement, its wines attain structure, poise and finesse. And at Relais & Châteaux, a different kind of magic is at work across our 580 properties – one that makes each stay and every meal exquisite. Ours is a journey of painstaking preparations, of noticing every little detail, delivered by hosts and restaurateurs who are guardians of their own evolving legacy. For both of us, savoir-faire becomes art de vivre – with each glass, every stay, every meal.

Travel, at its best, is never really about a destination. It's about the people who welcome you there.   At ILTM Asia Pacific in Singapore this week, that's what we came to talk about.   Not just beautiful properties, but the soul behind them: the 26 members who joined us there, the stories they carry, the corner of the world only they can show you. It's a celebration of the people, cultures, and local stories that make every destination and property unique.   Events like this are a reminder of what Relais & Châteaux is built on: a network of independent members, united by the same values, and a trade community that helps carry those stories to travelers around the world.

Over the past weeks, from South Africa to Chile to Oceania, our members have been showing what hospitality can look like. First in South Africa, with properties whose commitment extends far beyond hospitality. They embody a vision of tourism that protects, restores and passes on. Then in Chile, at another corner of the world but with the same conviction: that exceptional hospitality can only be built in harmony with the territories that host it. Here, wine is a way of honouring the land: vineyards worked with respect for the soil, indigenous grape varieties brought back to prominence, a viticulture that listens as much as it produces. And in New Zealand, where that same conviction takes a different shape: one rooted in a deep connection to nature and its rhythms, carried with the same care. These delegation meetings hold something precious. The network thinks, questions itself, and grows richer from what each member brings. 580 properties in 65 countries, united by the same belief that hospitality carries a responsibility toward the world. Thank you to CasaMolle, Valle de Elqui, Chile. " We promise Great Memories " and Blanket Bay for their warm welcome during these gatherings.

Listening to the moon The moon has, in many ways, always set the pace for life on earth. The earliest Roman calendars were structured around lunar cycles. The word ‘month’ is derived from the Old English for ‘moon,’ and it remains strongly associated with the passage of time. For some Relais & Châteaux properties–and our partner Blancpain, Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie–our celestial companion retains a powerful allure. https://lnkd.in/eg6eCUX3

Just beneath the surface lies a world we rarely see. Vast, fragile, and essential. This United Nations World Oceans Day, we pause to reflect on what connects us all: the ocean. Humanity’s universal larder, it sustains the livelihoods and protein needs of more than 3 billion people. It is also the planet’s largest active carbon sink, absorbing vast amounts of carbon emissions and excess heat. Since 2009, alongside our partner Ethic Ocean, we have been committed to helping protect marine ecosystems through responsible sourcing and collective action. It began with a charter. Today, it lives on in every responsible choice. Because protecting the ocean is not a promise for tomorrow — it is a commitment we make every day.

An iconic voice for taste, culture, and conscience. With the recent passing of Carlo Petrini, we honor a visionary who reshaped our relationship to the land and to one another. The Slow Food movement began with him in the 1980s, rooted in respect, biodiversity, and deep respect of culinary heritage. These are the shared values that continue to unite our two organizations through a decade-long partnership. At Relais & Châteaux, we are all taking a moment to remember what we’ve shared over the years.  Thank you, Carlo, for your passion and for showing us that what and how we eat can change the world.