Segment information - Revenue by segment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
		Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	[1]	$ 165,865	$ 154,490	$ 260,732	$ 251,892
Hotel
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		140,371	129,404	228,235	217,699
Hotel | Part-owned/managed hotels
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		733	1,124	773	1,798
Hotel | Europe
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		72,099	67,083	84,114	80,508
Hotel | North America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		42,397	38,056	82,283	77,658
Hotel | Rest of world
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		25,875	24,265	61,838	59,533
Trains and Cruises
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		21,769	21,463	26,909	27,902
Trains and Cruises | Part-owned/managed trains
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		2,992	2,499	4,815	4,493
Part owned trains and hotels
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue		$ 3,725	$ 3,623	$ 5,588	$ 6,291

[1] Includes revenue from related parties of $4,486,000, $3,609,000, $6843,000 and $6,306,000 respectively