Axcess Granted

Dear Friends,

Hope you’re enjoying the fall and gearing up for a meaningful fourth quarter. As you’ll see in AXW Family Members in the News, our community has had a remarkable run of launches and milestones this past quarter.

We’re also thrilled to welcome Bilt to the Axcess family. Bilt is building one of the most engaged, high-affinity member communities in the country, starting with renters and expanding into home, travel, dining, and cultural experiences. I was introduced to Ankur Jain, Bilt’s founder and CEO, by my dear friend Ken Chenault, who serves as Chairman. I now have the privilege of advising Ankur and several members of his executive team, and we’re excited about the many ways Bilt can connect across our world in travel, hospitality, retail, sports, and beyond.

I’m especially proud of the Omni Viking Lakes story in Featured Work. Approximately eight years ago, the Wilf family, Kevin Warren (then COO of the Vikings), and Don Becker, EVP of Real Estate Development & Strategic Projects, set out to create a four-star destination at Viking Lakes in Eagan, Minnesota. Don and I ran the RFP, and after an exhaustive process, we were fortunate to partner with Omni Hotels and the Rowling family. Today, Omni Viking Lakes is the brand’s #1 service hotel in the entire Omni portfolio, right in Eagan, and as Asset Manager for the property, I couldn’t be more proud of the team delivering at that level every day. I encourage you to explore the Viking Lakes campus for your future corporate meeting needs, and we’re happy to assist in that regard.

Lastly, a shout-out to my old friend Joe Mulvihill. Joe and I go back to our NSYNC days, an unforgettable Axcess chapter (Axcess Heritage Book). We recently reunited on a fun collaboration with Boyz II Men, who opened the Eagles-Cowboys game performing the National Anthem on Thursday Night Football sporting Versace watches from MadaLuxe Group. A small but mighty moment with big smiles – exactly the kind of connective tissue that makes our Axcess community so special.

We remain tremendously grateful for our Axcess Worldwide family, and as always, we invite you to reach out if there are meaningful opportunities to collaborate with the brands highlighted here or any of our Axcess family members.

Warmly,

Kirk, Brett, and the Axcess Team

Omni Viking Lakes – Five Years, #1 in Service

The headline says it all: Omni Viking Lakes celebrates five years and ranks #1 in guest experience across the brand – a testament to the vision set at Viking Lakes and the daily standard the team delivers. (Link to full release)

Hedley at The Boca Raton – “Driveable Art”

When two Axcess clients meet, good things happen. We brought together Hedley Studios and The Boca Raton to create a first-of-its-kind driving experience that blends high craft with high play. Guests can slip behind the wheel of Hedley’s handcrafted, scaled electric recreations of automotive icons, from Bugatti to Aston Martin, and follow a lead car around a private 1.4-mile course on resort roads, transforming a hotel stay into a story. Available daily from 12–3 pm with same-day reservations at the Discovery Center, the experience rotates vehicles throughout the year so no two drives feel the same. It’s experiential travel at its best – authentic, social-shareable, and singular to The Boca Raton – delivering a memorable amenity for guests and a showcase stage for Hedley’s “drivable art” (Learn More).

Boyz II Men and their Versace Watches – NFL Kickoff Moment

For the Eagles -Cowboys opener on Thursday Night Football, Boyz II Men took the stage for the National Anthem wearing Versace watches from MadaLuxe Group – brought to life in partnership with longtime Axcess friend Joe Mulvihill. A simple, elegant brand moment at primetime, with social love to match. (Find links to National Anthem clip and thank-you post)

Far Niente and The Cultivist – Art in Residence at Bella Union

Axcess connected The Cultivist with Far Niente’s Bella Union to launch the winery’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence program with Los Angeles-based artist Harold Mendez. The collaboration culminated in an intimate Salon Series in St. Helena. Mendez led guests through his site-specific commission, A Moment’s Notice, created with materials from the estate (including wine lees) and installed permanently at Bella Union. A thoughtful union of wine, culture, and place, and a model we’ll replicate across the portfolio. (Learn more: Cultivist feature and event recap)

Enemigo and Hotel Bardo

Axcess brought together Tequila Enemigo and Bardo Savannah, two brands that share a passion for elevating moments and bringing unique experiences to their consumers. These photos are from their recent Negroni Week activation, where Bardo’s head bartender, Jomar Santos, reimagined the classic cocktail with a bold twist – a Tequila Negroni crafted with the smooth complexity of Enemigo. The event was part of a global celebration uniting bars and restaurants around the world to raise funds for the Slow Food movement.

L Catterton Leads $800 Million Investment in Private-Jet Company

Consumer-focused private-equity firm L Catterton has led an $800 million investment in private-aviation company Flexjet, in a bet on the continued growth in demand for luxury travel. Other investors that backed the deal include travel- and leisure-focused private investment firm KSL Capital Partners and international conglomerate J. Safra Group.

Cleveland-based Flexjet offers clients fractional ownership or leases of private jets through a membership model that works much like a country club, according to Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci, whose firm Directional Aviation acquired the company in 2013. It operates about 318 aircraft with more planned and has about 5,000 employees, he said. The company has 11 private terminals in operation or in development, it said. (Read More)

Bilt Raises $250 Million at $10.75 Billion Valuation to Accelerate Housing and Neighborhood Commerce Platform

Today marks a defining moment in our journey to transform how Americans engage with their largest spending categories. We’re thrilled to announce that Bilt has raised $250 million in new primary funding, valuing our company at $10.75 billion. The round was led by General Catalyst and GID with further investment from United Wholesale Mortgage. This milestone reflects the incredible momentum we’ve built as the nation’s largest comprehensive loyalty platform that connects where you live with your neighborhood.

What started as a revolutionary idea—allowing renters to earn rewards on their largest monthly expense—has evolved into something far more ambitious: a comprehensive platform that transforms how people experience their home and neighborhood. Bilt’s network of homes has now signed 1-in-4 apartment buildings across the United States, partnered with over 40,000 merchants nationwide. (Read More)

Revolve Prompts Easy Outfitting Through Zelig Technology

The Revolve Group Inc., in partnership with Zelig, an AI-powered fashion platform, has launched “Build a Look,” an interactive feature on its website enabling shoppers to mix and match items from different brands to build outfits.

Executives from both firms said Build a Look lets shoppers mix-and-match thousands of items listed on Revolve’s e-commerce site to create looks that within a couple of seconds appear on digital models, leading to increased sales and reduced returns. Another key feature of the new technology is a “digital closet” which shoppers have on Revolve’s site to house items and outfits purchased, or those being considered for purchase. The digital closet generates data on purchases and outfitting preferences, creating a profile of the shopper’s personal style and wardrobe preferences, leading to improved personalization and product recommendations online. (Read More)

Brookfield and Bloom Energy Announce $5 Billion Strategic AI Infrastructure Partnership

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE), a global leader in power solutions, and Brookfield today announced a $5 billion strategic partnership to implement a reimagined future for AI infrastructure. This partnership marks the first phase of a joint vision to build AI factories capable of meeting the growing compute and power demands of artificial intelligence.

AI factories require infrastructure that tightly integrates compute, power, data center architecture, and capital. Bloom Energy’s fuel cells deliver reliable, scalable and clean onsite power that can be rapidly deployed without legacy grids. Brookfield brings world-class expertise in infrastructure development and financing. Together, the two companies are redefining how AI factories are built and powered.

At the center of the new partnership, Brookfield will invest up to $5 billion to deploy Bloom’s advanced fuel cell technology. The two companies are actively collaborating on the design and delivery of AI factories globally, including a site in Europe that will be announced before the end of the year. (Read More)

TGL Presented By SOFI & ESPN Announce Season 2 Schedule

Bristol, Conn. and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2025) – TGL presented by SoFi and its domestic broadcast partner, ESPN, today announce the Season 2 schedule for the primetime, team golf league. The second season of TGL tees off on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m., ET, with the league’s broadcast network debut on ABC. The opening match features New York Golf Club vs. defending champion Atlanta Drive GC in a rematch of Season 1’s thrilling Finals.

The Season 2 schedule includes 15 regular season matches, followed by TGL’s playoffs featuring the top four teams in the SoFi Cup Standings, culminating in a best-of-three Finals on Monday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 24. Throughout the TGL season, matches will air in the U.S. on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App.

Introducing SNSE by Creature: Marketing & Product AI Transformation

Earlier this month, MIT Media Lab found that about 95% of generative-AI pilot investments haven’t yet produced measurable business results—showing that integration, not algorithms, is the real hurdle. SNSE, created by the team behind creative agency Creature, helps marketing and product teams harness AI for measurable business impact. By enabling teams to focus on high-value opportunities and set strong guardrails, SNSE makes it easier to scale AI that performs.”

Hut 8 Rebrands to Align External Positioning with Power-First, Platform-Driven Business Model

Today, we announced a corporate rebrand that aligns Hut 8’s external positioning with our strategic focus on energy and digital infrastructure through an integrated platform model focused on disciplined capital allocation, operational rigor, and relentless performance optimization.

“Our new brand enables us to more clearly express what has always set Hut 8 apart: a power-first, innovation-driven approach to developing, commercializing, and operating next-generation digital infrastructure,” said Asher Genoot, CEO of Hut 8. “Since our merger of equals, we have scaled with discipline across each layer of our platform, institutionalized the broader business, and executed with the rigor we believe is required to deliver outsized long-term value for our investors. Our new brand embeds our platform-driven strategy into our external positioning and sharpens how we articulate our business model, structural advantages, and approach to long-term value creation to the market.”

The San Antonio Spurs use ChatGPT to scale impact on and off the court

San Antonio basketball isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. For over 50 years, the San Antonio Spurs have built their legacy around community, integrity, and team-first values. Now, as competition expands beyond the court, the Spurs use ChatGPT Enterprise to accelerate operational growth and scale their distinctive culture to reach international markets.

“We were looking to create real competitive advantages,” says RC Buford, CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment. “Being early adopters of artificial intelligence is one powerful way to do that.” Today, teams across the Spurs organization—spanning data analytics, community engagement, and partnerships—have rapidly developed their own GPT solutions, boosting employees’ AI fluency from 14% to over 85% in months. (Read More)

Sunflower Network Breaks Ground Building a Children’s Hospital in Ukraine

Sunflower Network has begun building a modular children’s hospital that will deliver lifesaving treatment to tens of thousands of children and families displaced by violence. What began nearly three years ago with a single bag of tourniquets hand-delivered to Ukraine has become a movement powerful enough to defy the impossible.

This hospital is proof that even under bombardment, innovation can rise. It will stand as a beacon of Ukraine’s recovery. Make no mistake: this milestone was far from assured. Every step was an act of courage. Every dollar raised, every approval secured, every partnership forged came against the highest degree of difficulty. (Learn More)

‘Everyone Loves An Underdog’: How Cupra Kiro Is Reimagining Formula E

When Forest Road acquired a struggling ERT Formula E team in October 2024, few expected a fairytale so soon. But just months later, their driver, Dan Ticktum, took the newly rebranded Cupra Kiro to victory at the Jakarta E-Prix. And while champagne sprayed in the tropics, back at HQ, the tears were real, a release years in the making, for a team that’s weathered setback after setback, rebrand after rebrand, since Formula E’s inaugural season.

“It’s just an amazing feeling,” said Jeremy Tarica, Managing Director of The Forest Road Company. “The history of the team is very fascinating. They’ve been through a lot, so the tears coming after this win were just so special, so emotional.” (Read More)