Delta’s Business Class Collabs With This Legendary Italian Designer

Where to visit in June, a famous hotel closes its doors in LA, NYC recs, and an interview with an inspiring hotelier.

May 29, 2025

Get ready for this week’s issue of Happenings—your favorite three-minute travel-centric newsletter that’s exceedingly cheeky, courtesy of worldly and witty HAP editor, Luke Abrahams.

What’s Happening in the Travel World? ✈️

Delta and Missoni are Making Business Class Chicer With Custom Amenities

Delta’s Business class just got more sophisticated. Collaborating with Italian design house, Missoni, the airline is a releasing a new luxury bedding collaboration. Think a Missoni duvet and sleeping pillow with a distinct zigzag design. The rollout starts this summer, and included a full revamped amenities pouch with branded socks, eye masks, slippers, Marvis toothpaste, and Grown Alchemist skincare products. Get more details here. - KM

This Historic Santa Monica Hotel Undergoes A Rebirth

After a long 86-year run, the Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica has gone dark. After being acquired in 2023 by San Francisco-based tech company Sonder and a rebrand to The Beacon, it shut its doors, with the website quietly redirecting users to the Marriott webpage. Fear not, as chatter has it, a rebirth is in place as The Eden, coming this summer. More to read here. - KM

NYC Know-It-All: Volume IIll🗽

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.

The intimate, subterranean Japanese restaurant and sushi bar Teruko marks the final chapter in the reopening of the storied Hotel Chelsea. Named for Japanese-born artist Teruko Yokoi, who lived at the hotel with her husband, painter Sam Francis, the space showcases her original works, and the menu is imbued with her creative spirit.
The New York Botanical Garden has transformed its 250 acres into a Van Gogh-inspired wonderland.Van Gogh's Flowers features botanical displays, large-scale installations, and even "Starry Nights" drone shows.
As summer settles in, New Yorkers will head out East. Skip the mansion rental and book a stay at RUSCHMEYERS, a Montauk icon reimagined as a boutique hotel with 19 cabins, an all-new culinary program, and a chic cocktail lounge by GOSPËL.
Escape to the seaside without leaving the UES at The Mark Clam Bar by Jean-Georges and Caviar Kaspia, which channels a charming beachside seafood shack with the signature elegance of The Mark.
After four years of renovations, The Met's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing reopens Saturday, May 31, with a full day of celebrations. Outdoor events are free; indoor programs are included with museum admission.

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.

Where You Need to Visit This June ☀️

Oh hello summer, and hello short little round-up of where to visit next month:

Southern Italy. Why? The weather gets better and there are fewer tourists, especially on the Amalfi Coast.

Stay at Castello di Vicarello.

Greece. Why? Do you need a reason? On a side note, it is not as deathly hot as August and you will just escape peak tourist booms.

Stay at Acro Suites.

Iceland. Why? The wind will not rip you to shreds, plus enjoy the long days and the energy of summer festivals, including the Midnight Sun.

Stay at The Reykjavik EDITION.

Peru. Why? It is the start of the dry season, so you will ACTUALLY see Machu Piccu. The country also celebrates loads of cool festivals during this time, too.

Stay at Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel.

Rwanda. Why? The gorillas, duh. No but seriously, it is a lot drier in this wet nirvana come June so the trek to see these gentle beasts will not be as hazardous.

Stay at Singita Kwitonda Lodge.

Meet The Hotelier: Caryn Hibbert 💬

In our latest edition of Meet The Hotelier, we catch up with Caryn Hibbert, the mastermind behind Cotswolds gem, Thyme.

Luke: Sum up your hospitality style in a sentence.

Caryn: “There is one word I love when it comes to our style – thoughtful. We really want our guests to feel the thought that has been taken into the design, the little touches throughout the guest journey, and through the personalised approach our team take to make each stay special.”

Luke: You are in The Cotswolds and have a lot of tough competition. How do you keep up with it all and how do you ensure Thyme is above all the rest?

Caryn: “We really don’t look at what others are doing too much – we are forging our own path! Thyme is unique in many ways, but mostly because it is our home – we love it and we love welcoming people. Also, it is a canvas for us to be creative in both the experience as well as the design – as we decorate in our very own wallpapers and fabrics, we are weaving our love of nature and design into the very fabric of the place!”

Luke: Beyond the land, what are you most passionate about now as a business and how are you communicating this to guests?

Caryn: “Do the birds count as beyond the land?! I am truly passionate about the birdlife that call our Water Meadows home. In conjunction with our new Bertioli by Thyme collection which is inspired by this habitat, we are looking forward to launching our Meadow Experience this summer which is a self guided walk around the meadows”

Luke: Name five people, dead or alive, you want checking into the hotel.

Caryn:

1. David Attenborough

2. Joan Didion

3. Nick Cave

4. Professor Cox

5. Taylor Swift (yes, I am a swiftie)

Luke: What is next for Thyme? Is there any hot and exciting news you can tell us?

Caryn: “We are constantly innovating, bringing new experiences into the fold and creating new products. While we have some more renovations planned this year, the big focus for us a very exciting new scent range: candles, diffusers and Breathing & Bathing products… watch this space!”

Luke: Sustainability is an overused and meaningless word now. You are eco to the core, but with so many new threats facing us now, what are you doing as a business to personally ensure you are doing even more to protect the planet and how are you encouraging guests to do the same?

Caryn: “Our commitment to sustainability begins at the very start of our journey, when we installed eco engineering during the initial restorations and started growing our own vegetables 20 years ago. We have always committed to reducing waste, transparent supply chains, and transparent sourcing, but we are always looking at what else we can do and how we can engage our guests in living thoughtfully. Our Bertioli by Thyme 3-in-1 Hair & Body Bars have drastically reduced the carbon footprint of the bathrooms, and our guests love them! And our “Socks & Crocs” campaign to combat throwaway hotel slippers has been a huge success too. This week, we have kicked off a sustainability review to quantify our impact too, which is very exciting.”

Luke: If there was one thing you would want to abolish in the hotel industry, what would it be and why?

Caryn: “Self-check in – does it get any less personal than that!!”

Luke: Tell me your fondest travel memory. Why does it stick out most?

Caryn: “I will always remember my first trip to Kenya, where I experienced true wildness for the very first time. It instilled in me a deep love in the wild and ignited a fire within me to do more to protect these spaces. I have since travelled much of Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and most recently India, and every time I reach the wilderness my shoulders drop, and I am in awe of nature again – and in awe of the work people are doing on some truly extraordinary conservation projects.”

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