BOTT SHOTS: August 19, 2026. Your Story Starts Here

Pullman debuts in Sri Lanka with two hotel openings

Accor has debuted its Pullman brand in Sri Lanka with the opening of Pullman Colombo City Centre and Pullman Bentota Resort & Spa. The Colombo property features 219 rooms and suites, multiple dining venues, wellness facilities and event spaces, while the Bentota resort offers 165 rooms between the Bentota River and Indian Ocean. The twin openings strengthen Accor’s South Asia growth strategy and broaden Pullman’s presence across key leisure and business destinations.

SKÅL International India announces new National Board

SKÅL International India elected its new national board during its AGM held in Coimbatore on August 14, 2026, alongside the National Congress. S.V.N. Reddy was elected President, Krishna Gopalan Vice President 1, Greesh Bindra Vice President 2 and Sunil Bahadur Satyawakta National Secretary. Ravi Agarwal, Dhatri Bharadwaj MP and Raja Gopal Iyer also joined the board, which will steer the organisation’s priorities and activities for the forthcoming term.

Spalba expands into Vietnam with two hotel signings

SaaS-enabled B2B event marketplace Spalba has entered Vietnam with the signing of Angsana Lăng Cô and Banyan Tree Lăng Cô. The move forms part of its wider APAC expansion strategy as it targets 100% growth this year and presence across more than 80 cities globally. Spalba is also working towards building a network of over 100,000 active event spaces by 2027, with Southeast Asia emerging as a key growth market.

Fairmont debuts in Thailand with Bangkok Sukhumvit opening

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with Asset World Corp, has opened Fairmont Bangkok Sukhumvit, marking the brand’s debut in Thailand. The hotel features 416 guestrooms and 58 suites, alongside dining, wellness and event facilities. Designed around Thailand’s botanical heritage, the property will also introduce Wiggle Room, an entertainment-led supper club, in September 2026, followed by two rooftop dining concepts on levels 32 and 33 in December.

#First Opinion

“The theme of our 41st Annual Convention, “India: The World’s Next Tourism Opportunity,” itself defines our agenda. We want to move the discussion from India’s tourism potential to how we actually convert that potential into international arrivals and business. Our sessions will focus on issues that matter to inbound tour operators today. Visakhapatnam also gives us an excellent opportunity to showcase Andhra Pradesh beyond the established tourism circuits. We want our members to experience the destination, understand its products and return with new itineraries that they can sell internationally”

Ravi Gosain, President, IATO