Segment information - Revenue by segment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 95,361	$ 97,402
Hotel
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	87,864	88,295
Hotel | Part-owned/managed hotels
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	534	674
Hotel | Europe
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	12,015	13,425
Hotel | North America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	39,886	39,602
Hotel | Rest of world
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	35,963	35,268
Trains and Cruises
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	5,140	6,439
Trains and Cruises | Part-owned/managed trains
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	1,823	1,994
Part owned trains and hotels
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 2,357	$ 2,668