Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour leaves a mark on the hotel industry, NASA unveils plans for permanent buildings on the moon, and HD releases its list of the best hotels that opened this year. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Hotels benefit from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
A view of the Eras Tour stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana; photo by Christina Wongbuphanimitr
Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has concluded her record-breaking Eras Tour, which spanned an ambitious 143 shows across five continents, raking in a grand total of more than $2 billion. Swift took cities by storm, lifting the local economies of wherever she performed—an impact especially felt by the hotel industry. Cities saw room rates rise over 100 percent on the nights the tour came into town, according to CoStar data. The surging demand resulted in year-over-year rate increases of at least 31 percent for all markets in 2024, excluding Paris and London. Kelsey Fenerty, manager of analytics at STR, credits the fact that Swift played for multiple nights in each city, with most shows occurring over the weekends. This, paired with other Eras-themed events that drove visitors, helped hotels benefit from the tour’s wild success.
NASA plans to put permanent buildings on the moon
An AI-generated image of buildings on the moon; photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
NASA is sending astronauts back to the moon in 2027, and the space agency is already considering ways to build permanent commercial infrastructure there, NASA’s architecture strategist Nujoud Merancy tells Dezeen. “We’re starting to see tourism in low-Earth orbit,” she shares. “The possibilities are endless at the moment, and it really depends on how much we can make this an accessible thing through science and technology exploration so that the business community can find those opportunities in the future.” The first structures to be developed will be pressurized rovers that astronauts can live in and use to explore, followed by small habitats that can be designed into larger settlements.
Notre-Dame cathedral reopens five years after fire
The exterior of Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral; photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
On an April evening in 2019, a fire broke out at Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral that burned into the next morning, destroying the entire roof and spire. Over the past few years, with overwhelming support from the international community, the cathedral rebuilt its iconic structure and officially reopened its doors this week. A group of designers and companies, known as the Atelier de Notre-Dame, were integral in bringing the interiors back to life through the production of new liturgical furniture and vessels, writes Designboom. Looking ahead, Notre-Dame is expected to welcome an estimated 15 million annual visitors. Access will be limited to worshippers and individual visitors for the next six months, with group visits temporarily restricted, as the cathedral eases into its new chapter.
The Met reveals design for its new modern art wing
Rendering of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing; visualization by Filippo Bolognese and images courtesy of Frida Escobedo Studio
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has unveiled a proposed design for its new Tang Wing, which will house its modern and contemporary art collection, reports The New York Times. Spearheaded by Frida Escobedo Studio, the design will be realized in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, and engineering firms Kohler Ronan and Thornton Tomasetti. Escobedo—the first woman to design a wing in the museum’s 154-year history—draws from her birthplace of Mexico City, which she describes as “a very, very layered city.” A limestone lattice will wrap the new building, creating a diaphanous surface that will change as the sun moves throughout the day. The design will also introduce a more cohesive flow to other parts of the museum, as well as to Central Park to draw visitors in. The $500 million project is expected to open in 2030.
Check out HD’s list of the best 2024 hotel openings
An aerial view of Rosewood Schloss Fuschl in Austria; photo courtesy of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
According to STR, 2024 was a remarkable year for the industry, with 2,731 hotel openings globally that showcase innovation, thoughtful design, and a commitment to wellness and sustainability. Leading the charge was the Asia-Pacific region, which saw 1,252 launches, followed by the Americas with 745, Europe with 612, and the Middle East and Africa with 122 openings. No easy feat, the HD editorial team combed through this wave of new properties to compile the Best of 2024 list, which features 70-plus exciting debuts.
