Gossip
The Most Ambitious Hotels to Open Around the World in 2025
The travel industry has a problem with words. Walk through any luxury hotel conference, and you'll hear the same ones lobbed around like currency: "authentic," "experiential," "transformative." Marketing teams...
The Year in Museums: A Relatively Bleak 12 Months With a Few Bright Spots
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., ceased operations and canceled all programs during this year’s lengthy government shutdown. Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images...
The Best Documentaries of 2025
The documentary often gets a bad rap. Maybe you watched a few boring (or prescriptive) ones in school, in which talking heads drone on about what you ought to...
8 Startups Sam Altman Invested in Outside OpenAI in 2025
In 2025, Sam Altman doubled down on ambitious startups tackling power, health and automation. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Aside from becoming a household name with the breakout success of ChatGPT...
Art as Infrastructure: How Cultural Programming Is Redefining Luxury Hospitality
From artist residencies to institutional partnerships, Oram Hotels is testing a new model where culture drives place-making. Michal Rzepecki This Q&A is part of Observer’s Expert Insights series, where industry...
As Women Lean Out of Corporate, Many Are Finding Success as Entrepreneurs
New data shows women lagging in corporate promotions but surging as entrepreneurs. Unsplash Despite recent research showing women falling behind men when it comes to vying for promotions, that...
Don’t Miss: Tatiana Trouvé’s Maps of Memory and Collapse at Palazzo Grassi
Tatiana Trouvé, Hors-sol, 2025. Part of “Tatiana Trouvé. The strange Life of Things” in Venice. © Tatiana Trouvé, by SIAE 2025 Ph. Marco Cappelletti and Giuseppe Miotto / Marco...
Nostalgia Is Not a Strategy: Rethinking Competitiveness in 2026
In a world of geopolitical rivalry, supply-chain vulnerability and rising costs, competitiveness has become a strategic balancing act. Unsplash+ Competitiveness is not a new concept. It is likely embedded...
Observer’s Guide to the Best Dance Coming to New York City This Winter
In late winter, you can see the French-Algerian choreographer Hervé Koubi’s uplifting Sol Invictus. STERNALSKI Winter in New York City can be cold and bleak, but thankfully, it’s also...
When Philanthropy Loses Trust, Design Becomes Civic Infrastructure
Design, long used to protect institutions, may be philanthropy’s most effective tool for rebuilding trust. Unsplash+ Philanthropy, once broadly regarded as a force for civic good, is increasingly now...
