Disney has taken its first leap into the hotel industry proper with the opening of a standalone resort and spa in Hawaii.

Aulani, which opened this week in Ko Olina close to the Marriott Ko Olina, is the entertainment behemoth’s first hotel outside of its famous theme parks and is designed as an alternative family vacation experience.

On the coast of Oahu island, the resort and spa stretches across 21 acres and will eventually contain some 840 rooms split across a hotel and villas.

Philippine casino operator Alliance Global plans to build another 6,500 hotel rooms over the next five years as it ramps up investment in the country’s tourism sector.

The plan includes the launch by year-end of its 2,500-room Resorts World Bayshore project on Manila’s seafront, its chairman Andrew Tan said in a statement.

It also includes a previously launched $345-million project to build a 2,500-hotel room tourism estate called Boracay Newcoast on the central resort island of Boracay.

Miami is to get a new $3 billion mega-resort next year constructed by the same firm behind Singapore’s massive Resorts World Sentosa destination.

The enormous Resorts World Miami, which will overlook Miami’s prized waterfront, is set to open next year in between Miami International Airport and Miami Beach, Malaysian developer Genting confirmed.

The development will stretch three miles along the bayfront, filling a total of 13.9 acres and containing multiple skyscrapers with a futuristic ocean-inspired design.

The new Banyan Tree Macau has opened within the US$2 billion Galaxy Macau resort complex, providing a luxurious retreat for gamers.

The all-suite resort offers such extras as a relaxation pool in every room and the brand’s signature villas situated beside the resort’s unique rooftop wave pool.

As more and more tourists head to China, major tourism operators are looking for new and improved methods to grab their share of the market.

Aman Resorts, the luxury hotel chain, has been put up for sale with a price tag of over $400m, the Sunday Times reports.

The chain has been put up for sale by its owner, Indian property company DLF. The company is also seeking to sell its real estate joint venture with the Hilton Group.

Aman Resorts, which was set up in 1988 by Adrian Zecha, runs 25 resorts in places such as Thailand and Bali.

Donald Trump marked his entry into Latin American real estate Wednesday with the Panama City opening of his 70-story resort, the tallest building in Latin America.

The sail-shaped structure, soaring 284 meters (932 feet) into the sky, is a luxury resort and residential address that added to a real estate boom in Panama.

The Trump Ocean Club reflects “the modern sensibility of the new generation of luxury travel,” the company said in an invitation to the inauguration of the resort, where the cheapest room costs $300 per night and homes sell for $250,000 to $1 million.