Today's Hotels Pulse
FAA says Spirit’s LaGuardia slots belong with another low‑cost carrier
The FAA Administrator argues that the coveted take‑off slots Spirit Airlines holds at New York’s LaGuardia should be reallocated to a different low‑cost carrier. Meanwhile, Spirit is preparing to auction off those slots to the highest bidder.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Airbnb leads $58M Series C in WeRoad
Aeroplay Entertainment Names André Valera CEO
Aeroplay Entertainment announced André Valera as its new chief executive officer. The inflight entertainment content service provider aims to evolve from traditional onboard content to a personalized, measurable, commerce‑ready travel media layer. Valera outlined plans for a modern platform that accelerates distribution, delivers a responsive passenger experience, and fosters a partner‑led ecosystem. He joins from senior roles at Conetic and ABOVE, bringing business‑development expertise to the role.
2026: The Pivotal Year for Short‑Term Rentals
Comment “POD” to watch the full episode where me and @boostlyuk talk about why 2026 will be the most important year in short-term rental history.
Mainline Aviation Marks Five-Year Milestone
Mainline Aviation celebrated its five‑year anniversary as a Goldbergs Group subsidiary, marking half a decade of rapid growth since joining the family in 2021. The company has combined culinary expertise with operational technology to serve thousands of inflight meals each...
Video Interview: Unum's Alan McInnes Provides Updates on AIME 2026 From Dubai
AIME 2026 in Dubai grew 25‑30% over the previous year, reinforcing its status as the MENA region’s premier aircraft interior and MRO showcase. Alan McInnes of Unum highlighted airlines’ heightened appetite for retrofit programs while noting a stark shortage of available business‑class...
Wonder Acquires NYC's Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken
Wonder, the mealtime platform, announced the acquisition of Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, taking full ownership of the iconic NYC brand and its East Village location. Financial terms were undisclosed, but the deal aligns with Wonder’s strategy to absorb beloved restaurant...
SITA Unveils Flight Delay Solution
SITA launched an Advance Flight Delay Notification API that leverages live departure data and flight‑duration logic to predict delays and push alerts to destination airports. The service automates early warnings, enabling airlines and ground handlers to adjust turnarounds, crew schedules,...
Fairmont Calgary to Open in 2031
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, together with development group Truman, announced a new 225‑key Fairmont hotel in Calgary slated for a Q4 2031 opening. The mixed‑use project will include a signature spa, meeting spaces and 100 luxury‑branded residences. It is tied to...
Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month Returns
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority announced that Culinary Month will return in May 2026, marking the fourth edition of the island’s flagship food‑focused tourism program. Launched in 2023, the initiative highlights Antiguan and Barbudan cuisine while inviting guest chefs...
Portion Power: Restaurant Guests Want Customizable Options
New research from ReFED and Datassential shows that offering customizable portion sizes can slash food waste and boost restaurant profits. The study estimates a reduction of 2.35 million tons of waste annually and $547 million in cost savings for the foodservice industry....
Building Iconic Food Brands: Hospitality Insider Insights From Boqueria, Rita’s Italian Ice, Hot Head Burritos & ChopShop
In this 36‑minute episode, host [Name] sits down with hospitality veterans from Boqueria, Rita’s Italian Ice, Hot Head Burritos and ChopShop to dissect what makes a food brand iconic. The conversation highlights three core pillars: a clear, emotionally resonant brand story;...
Ovation Secures $3M in Funding Led by Customers
Ovation, a guest‑experience platform for multi‑unit restaurants, closed a $3 million funding round funded entirely by its own customers, bringing its total capital to $12 million. Nearly a dozen restaurant owners and operators, including leaders from Dave's Hot Chicken and Cheba Hut...
How Community Airports Are Tackling Noise Complaints
Half Moon Bay Airport and San Carlos Airport in San Mateo County have launched a voluntary "Friendly Approach" noise‑abatement program to address growing resident complaints. The initiative combines publicly posted preferred flight paths, two tracking systems that match complaints to...
5 Destinations for Design Tourism
The article spotlights Cincinnati’s 20th Century Vintage Modern Expo as a premier design‑tourism destination, running Feb. 20‑22 at the Sharonville Convention Center. Over 70 dealers will showcase mid‑century furniture, lighting, and accessories across 40,000 sq ft, marking the event’s 31st anniversary. Highlights include a...
JetAVIVA Expands Focus on Brazil
jetAVIVA announced an intensified focus on Brazil, appointing Timon Huber as the firm’s point person for the Latin American market. Huber, a native Brazilian with four decades at Embraer, will split his time between Fort Lauderdale and Rio de Janeiro...
Tristan Du Plessis Designs Tuscan Retreat for Chapter Italia
Tristan Du Plessis of Studio A is designing Chapter Chianti, an 82‑room boutique hotel set in a restored 16th‑century Tuscan village that will open in June 2026 as the second property in the Chapter Italia collection. The South African designer replaces typical...
Luxaviation Group Expands Asia-Pacific Managed Fleet
Luxaviation Group announced the addition of four aircraft—two Falcon 7X jets in Asia and a Challenger 604 plus another Falcon 7X in Australia—raising its managed fleet in the Asia‑Pacific to 18 planes. The new jets operate under the company’s Air Operator Certificates in...
Air Charter Association Partners with AERO Friedrichshafen
The Air Charter Association (ACA) has partnered with AERO Friedrichshafen for the 2026 show, marking its first exhibition presence at the European business‑aviation event. The four‑day trade show, scheduled for 22‑25 April in Friedrichshafen, Germany, attracts over 32,000 visitors and 756...
Cirrus Introduces Generation 3 Vision Jet
Cirrus Aircraft has launched the Generation 3 Vision Jet, featuring a redesigned cabin that accommodates up to seven occupants—six adults and a child—and a suite of avionics upgrades. The new model adds ATC Datalink, 3D SafeTaxi, and enhanced safety systems including...
February 2026 – Total Food Service Digital Issue
The February 2026 Total Food Service digital issue spotlights key industry developments, including a Q&A with Richard LaRocca, Chair of the Club Management Association of America, and coverage of major legal and sustainability moves such as NYC’s $5M+ delivery settlement, Denver’s...
Plane Talking Products Appoints Manoj Pridhanani as Creative Director
Plane Talking Products announced Manoj Pridhanani as its new Creative Director, tasked with steering global creative strategy, product direction, and brand development. Pridhanani brings more than 15 years of aviation‑focused design experience across luxury and travel sectors. He is known...
IndiGo Selects West Entertainment to Provide Indian and International IFE Content
IndiGo has inked a five‑year deal with West Entertainment to furnish inflight entertainment for its new A321XLR long‑haul fleet. The partnership will deliver a curated mix of Indian and international films, TV, OTT services, music and games, accessible on passengers'...
CEO of QDI USA on OTA-to-Direct Booking Plays
In this episode, Fabio Passos, CEO of QDI USA Developments, shares how his multi‑property operation uses mobile‑key technology, a custom self‑service check‑in app, and smart‑camera monitoring to eliminate front‑desk bottlenecks at OTA‑heavy hotels in Florida. He explains how direct‑booking channels—especially...
ARRA Elects Bernal As Board Chair
The Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA) has appointed Areas USA CEO Carlos Bernal as chair of its Board of Directors for 2026‑27, succeeding Bryan Loden. Bernal brings more than two decades of airport‑concession experience and recently oversaw Areas USA’s...
Summer 2026 Travel Outlook Signals Airfare Deals
In this episode, Peter Greenberg reviews Cirium's analytics on summer 2026 travel, revealing a sharp decline in advance bookings for trans‑Atlantic flights—up to a 36% drop on routes like Frankfurt‑U.S. and 26% from Barcelona to the U.S. The reduced demand...
1 Hotel & Homes Hudson Valley Heads to the Catskills
Starwood Hotels announced 1 Hotel & Homes Hudson Valley, a lakeside resort and residential development on Fifth Lake in Ulster County, New York. The 775‑acre property, with 500 acres protected as a nature preserve, will feature roughly 100 guest rooms...
REDUX Imagine if Everybody in a Business Served Customers or Fielded Customer Enquiries
Adrian Swinscoe proposes a radical thought experiment: every employee, including senior leaders, should periodically serve customers directly. The idea stems from OneReach research highlighting employee experience and walking in the customer’s shoes as top service improvements. Real‑world examples, such as...
Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of February 9, 2026
The weekly roundup spotlights five must‑read CX pieces, each illustrating how customer experience is evolving from a nicety to a profit engine. Claire Cunningham argues CX must generate revenue, while Sean Albertson warns that listening programs often stop at data...
Business Travel Faces Optimism and Operational Hurdles for 2026
The Global Business Travel Association’s 2026 poll shows 59% of travel professionals remain optimistic about the market, though optimism fell 12 points from the prior year. Eighty‑four percent of corporate buyers expect travel spend to rise or stay flat, with...
How Voice-First AI Can Fix Restaurant Schedule Headaches
Restaurant managers view scheduling as a constant, high‑pressure burden rather than a routine task. Traditional scheduling platforms assume desk‑bound, uninterrupted work, forcing managers to juggle complex dashboards while the floor is active. This mismatch creates mental overload, delayed adjustments, and...
The Five Pillars of Stand Out Hospitality
Cassie Davison, veteran restaurateur and founder of Kith & Kin, released *Stand Out Hospitality*, a guide built on her 30‑year industry experience. The book introduces the Five Pillars framework—Set High Standards, Stand Out, Define Your Identity, Build Belonging, and Tell...
The Big Idea: How Divisive Debates in Travel Are Shaping the Future
In this 18‑minute episode, GBTA’s podcast dissects the outcomes of three contentious debates held at its APAC, Europe, and Australia conferences, focusing on biometrics and secure ID, evolving traveller behaviour, and the future of online booking tools (OBTs). The moderators...
“GT” Insight Bites: What’s AI Doing for You?
The Good Tourism blog gathers senior voices from travel, academia, NGOs and airlines to illustrate how artificial intelligence is reshaping the sector. AI‑enabled tools are turning bespoke climate‑action planning into scalable digital services, while entrepreneurs use large language models to...
Germany’s Grounded Recovery: Europe’s Aviation Paradox
Germany’s aviation market remains the only major European hub lagging behind post‑COVID recovery, operating more than 11 % below its 2019 traffic levels in 2025. The shortfall stems from a mix of high taxes, rising airport charges, labour shortages and aggressive...
Global Hubs Expand Again, but Demand Will Decide the Winners
Global airport seat capacity remains a key forward‑looking indicator for the aviation sector, with OAG’s 2025 review confirming that a handful of mega hubs still command the top‑ten slots. However, capacity alone masks divergent strategies, as domestic‑focused airports, hub‑and‑spoke intensity,...
What You Definitely Need to Know Before You Book a Spring Break Trip
Travelers are spending an average of $5,617 on spring break, a 10% increase from last year, as demand spikes from early March through mid‑April. Major destinations such as Punta Cana, Orlando, and Las Vegas are already overbooked, pushing prices higher....
AIR PASSENGER TRAFFIC IN EUROPE KEEPS GROWING
European airports handled a record 2.6 billion passengers in 2025, a 4.4% rise over 2024 and roughly 5.6% above pre‑pandemic levels. International traffic drove most of the growth, expanding 5.6%, while domestic flights were essentially flat. The continent’s five busiest hubs—Heathrow,...
NEW TOURISM JOBS RESHAPING THE SECTOR
The tourism industry is rapidly creating specialized roles to meet travelers’ demand for authentic, personalized experiences, driven by digital tools, sustainability, and wellness trends. Positions such as Chief Experience Officer, Wellness Curator, and Tourism Data Analyst are emerging across luxury...
NORTH AFRICAN COUNTRIES REPORT HISTORIC TOURISM REVENUE
North Africa’s tourism sector posted a historic $35.25 billion in revenue for 2025, outpacing global averages. Egypt led with $17.8 billion, driven by a 21% jump in arrivals and a record $937 spend per visitor. Morocco recorded a 19% dollar‑growth, generating roughly...
CAMBODIA’S TOURISM REPORTS DIVERSE FIGURES
Cambodia recorded 5.57 million international arrivals in 2025, a 16.9% drop from 2024 and still 15.7% below the 2019 peak. The decline was driven by a sharp fall in land and sea entries, especially from ASEAN neighbors, while air arrivals surged,...
WINE TOURISM IN ITALY DRIVES GROWTH IN THE TRAVEL SECTOR
Italy’s wine tourism is expanding rapidly, offsetting a historic decline in global wine consumption. The sector contributes to a $46.5 billion global market growing at a 12.9% CAGR, with Europe holding 51% share and Italy among the regional leaders. Domestic visitors...
WITH 97 M VISITORS, SPAIN REMAINS POPULAR TRAVEL DESTINATION
Spain recorded a historic 96.8 million international arrivals in 2025, a 3.2% rise over 2024, according to INE’s Frontur and Egatur surveys. Tourist spending jumped to €134.7 billion, up 6.8%, indicating a shift toward higher‑value visits. The United Kingdom remained the top...
TURKEY REPORTED RECORD TOURISM REVENUE IN 2025
Turkey recorded a historic tourism peak in 2025, welcoming roughly 63.9 million visitors and generating $65.2 billion in revenue. Visitor numbers rose 2.7% year‑over‑year, while tourism earnings climbed 6.8%, surpassing government targets. The market mix featured 52.8 million foreign tourists and 11.1 million Turkish...
Eye on Travel — February 7, 2026
In this episode of Eye on Travel, Peter Greenberg explores the economics of airline pricing, questioning whether fares should be weight‑based, and examines operational issues at Southwest. Jeremy Tarr of Fodors explains the factors behind fare differences, while Richard Fain...
American Airlines Introduces Centennial Inspired Menu Featuring Culinary Trends of the 1920s
American Airlines is commemorating its 100th anniversary in 2026 with a centennial‑themed inflight dining program that revives 1920s culinary trends. The new menus debut in March for Flagship First and Flagship Business on international and transcontinental routes, followed by an...
Riyadh Air and Mastercard Partner to Redefine Global Travel Experience Through Multiple Touchpoints
Riyadh Air and Mastercard have forged a strategic partnership to build a fully integrated, digitally native travel and payments ecosystem. The alliance will introduce co‑branded credit and prepaid cards, a virtual card program for travel‑trade settlements, and a joint centre...
Tampa International Airport Unveils Final Design for Landmark Airside D “Delivering Very Best Amenities”
Tampa International Airport revealed the final design for Airside D, a $1.5 billion, 16‑gate terminal slated to open in 2029. The 600,000‑square‑foot facility will raise the airport’s capacity to roughly 35 million passengers annually by 2037. Innovative amenities include glass boarding bridges,...
PANYNJ and JFKIAT Expand F&B at JFK T4 with Authentic New York Culinary Experiences
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFKIAT have introduced two locally‑owned food and beverage concepts—Villa Russo Café and Brooklyn Tea & Market—into JFK Airport’s Terminal 4. The outlets are the first joint‑venture concessions formed with HMSHost, leveraging...
VINCI Airports’ Nantes Atlantique Commissions New Infrastructure to Decarbonise Ground Operations
VINCI Airports’ Nantes Atlantique Airport has completed a €15 million electrification programme for its airside operations. The upgrade adds twelve powered aircraft stands and one hundred electric charging points for ground support equipment, aiming to cut fuel‑burn emissions by up to...
Qantas Expands New Economy Plus Cabin Product to A330 Fleet for Enhanced Passenger Comfort
Qantas has introduced Economy Plus, a new cabin tier offering up to 40% more legroom, priority boarding, and dedicated overhead bin space. The product is now live on the airline’s Boeing 737, Airbus A321XLR and A220 fleets, with a rollout...
China Airlines Unveils Updated Inflight Entertainment Experience in Partnership with Stellar Entertainment
China Airlines has teamed up with Stellar Entertainment to revamp its inflight entertainment system, adding Disney+ and a refreshed premium content lineup. The partnership introduces a data‑driven, regularly refreshed catalogue that includes HBO series, new‑release Hollywood films, and improved multilingual...