United Kingdom

Samuel Cunard founds the line that invents the scheduled ocean crossing — a passage becomes a timetable Cunard Line

César Ritz arrives at the Savoy in August and brings Auguste Escoffier (LHL-P-005) with him Auguste Escoffier

Escoffier publishes Le Guide Culinaire, codifying cuisine classique and the kitchen brigade Auguste Escoffier

RMS Titanic sails on 10 April with a Ritz restaurant à la carte, a Café Parisien and the first swimming pool at sea in her class, and is lost on the 15th — a house that existed for five days RMS Titanic

Pan Am forms Intercontinental Hotels to serve its own routes across Latin America InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

James Sherwood buys Hotel Cipriani — the origin of Belmond Belmond

Richard Branson flies to the British Virgin Islands looking for somewhere to house his record label’s artists, and buys Necker Island instead Virgin Limited Edition

Richard Branson buys Necker Island; Virgin Limited Edition grows from it Virgin Limited Edition

Cheval acquires its first property in Cheval Place, Knightsbridge Cheval Collection

James Sherwood returns the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to service after five years of restoration Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express returns to service after James Sherwood's five-year restoration Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

British Pullman begins running restored Pullman carriages from London British Pullman

Kit and Tim Kemp open their first Firmdale hotel in London Firmdale Hotels

The Royal Scotsman begins running through the Highlands Royal Scotsman

Small Luxury Hotels of the World is formed in Britain to market independent houses collectively Small Luxury Hotels of the World

Golden Eagle Luxury Trains begins operating the Trans-Siberian route Golden Eagle Luxury Trains

Terry Farrell’s practice draws the master plan for the air rights over Kowloon Station Terry Farrell

The Eastern & Oriental Express makes its inaugural Bangkok–Singapore journey Eastern & Oriental Express

Nick Jones opens Soho House above a Greek Street restaurant, for people in the creative industries Soho House

Rocco Forte founds RF Hotels after Granada takes the Forte Group Rocco Forte Hotels

Granada takes Forte Group with a hostile £3.9 bn offer; the family founds Rocco Forte Hotels the same year Forte Group — Trusthouse Forte

Sir Rocco Forte and Olga Polizzi found Rocco Forte Hotels in the year Granada takes their father’s Forte Group

Branson opens his own island home to buyout guests; Virgin Limited Edition begins Virgin Limited Edition

The Hiram Bingham begins running from Cusco to Machu Picchu Hiram Bingham

Dorchester Collection is established Dorchester Collection

Greg Marsh founds onefinestay in London to let private homes with hotel service onefinestay

The Set Hotels begins with the Conservatorium in Amsterdam The Set Collection

Orient-Express Hotels renames itself Belmond Belmond

Iconic Luxury Hotels is formed around Cliveden, Chewton Glen and the Lygon Arms Iconic Hotels & Resorts

The Set is formed from the Café Royal, the Conservatorium and the Mark The Set Collection

Virgin opens its first hotel in Chicago Virgin Hotels

Paddy McKillen's Maybourne passes to Qatari ownership after a long dispute Maybourne

Hurricane Irma destroys most of Necker Island on 6 September; most structures are rebuilt by April 2018 Virgin Limited Edition

The Belmond Andean Explorer begins service — the first sleeper train in South America Andean Explorer

The Ned opens in Lutyens's Midland Bank building, a Soho House and Sydell partnership The Ned

Sharan Pasricha's Ennismore takes The Hoxton and Gleneagles into one group The Hoxton

Aethos opens its first house in Italy Aethos

LVMH completes the acquisition of Belmond on 17 April Belmond

IHG launches Vignette Collection for independent hotels Vignette Collection

The Set Hotels rebrands as The Set Collection — a representation company that owns none of its members, supplying them the GDS chain code TS The Set Collection

The Wolseley Hospitality Group announces its move into hotels The Wolseley Hotels

Mandarin Oriental takes the Lutetia and the Conservatorium from early in the year; the house the collection began with is rebranded under another name in January 2026 The Set Collection

Maybourne splits on 9 July: Regis Maybourne keeps Claridge’s, the Riviera and Beverly Hills; Constellation keeps the buildings of The Connaught, The Berkeley and The Emory Maybourne