Today's Hotels Pulse
Hotels Face a “Splurge or Stay Home” Guest Mindset
Travelers are tightening budgets and will only spend on highly curated, wellness‑focused experiences. Guests now expect authentic design, personalized service and transparent pricing, making arrival moments and signature spaces key ROI drivers. Hotels must double‑down on thoughtful design, premium perks and eliminate low‑value offerings.
Press Release: TrueNoord Delivers Two ATR 42-600s to JSX
Specialist regional aircraft lessor TrueNoord has delivered two ATR 42-600 turboprops to U.S. public‑charter carrier JSX, with the first arriving in November and the second in January. Both aircraft are now operating in JSX’s premium hop‑on service. The deal expands TrueNoord’s ATR footprint in North America and underscores the ATR 42-600’s appeal for routes where jets are uneconomical. Executives from both companies highlighted the aircraft’s cost efficiency and passenger experience benefits.
Lufthansa, Air India Expand Partnership, Will Coordinate on Routes
Lufthansa Group and Air India signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation across routes, IT, loyalty programs and customer experience. The agreement expands their relationship from a simple codeshare to a broader interline framework covering all subsidiaries, including Austrian,...
Crystal Launches Book & Sail Contest for Advisors
Crystal has unveiled the Book & Sail contest, targeting U.S. and Canadian travel advisors enrolled in its Trade Engagement Program. Running from Feb. 17 to Mar. 31, 2026, advisors earn points for qualifying bookings, with higher‑value sailings yielding more points. The top...
Tokyo Deaflympics 2025 Leaves Lasting Boost for Accessible Tourism
Tokyo’s 2025 Deaflympics, held Nov. 15‑26, attracted 3,000 athletes from 75 nations and sparked a citywide push for deaf‑friendly infrastructure. The metropolitan government installed light‑based warning devices in over 660 toilets and changing rooms and added speech‑to‑text screens at 40...
No More Miles: Emirates Plans to Drop Condor as a Skywards Earning Partner
Emirates announced that, effective May 1 2026, passengers will no longer earn Skywards miles on flights operated by Condor. Until April 30 2026, accrual rates remain at up to 0.75 miles per mile in economy, 1.0 in premium economy, and 1.25 in business. The...
Delays Could Get Even Worse at Chicago O’Hare After Pilots Told To Refuse Time Saving Trick
Pilots from major unions are being urged to refuse LAHSO clearances at Chicago O’Hare, a time‑saving runway technique that has raised safety concerns. ORD already struggles with on‑time performance, hovering around a 65% departure punctuality rate, making any operational slowdown...
Air Canada Grows Mexico Network with Montréal–Guadalajara Flight
Air Canada is expanding its Mexican network this summer, adding a year‑round nonstop Montreal‑Guadalajara service beginning June 2, 2026, and boosting capacity on four existing routes. The airline will operate three weekly flights on the new route and increase weekly...
Louis Hotels Doubles Agent Incentive Offering Two Free Nights
Louis Hotels announced it is doubling its agent incentive program, now offering two complimentary nights for each qualifying booking. The enhanced reward applies to all properties in the brand and is available immediately to registered travel agents. By providing a...
ESA Opens Select Suites Property in Sterling, CO
Extended Stay America (ESA) opened a new Select Suites property in Sterling, Colorado, adding a two‑story, 104‑room hotel to its portfolio. The property offers full kitchens, on‑site laundry, complimentary Wi‑Fi, an indoor pool, and a recreation room with games for...
Six Firms Vie for Polish Airport PBB Contract
Six firms have lodged bids to design, supply, install, commission and service 92 passenger boarding bridges for Poland’s new Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) airport. The consortiums include Sezo Invest / ShinMaywa, FMT Sweden, Albert Ziegler, Adelte Airport Technologies / TK Airport Solutions, and Comsa Instalaciones....
COMO Hotels & Resorts Reimagines Arctic Exploration with Exclusive Journey to Svalbard
COMO Hotels & Resorts is debuting two luxury micro‑cruises to the Svalbard archipelago, launching in May and September 2026. The 10‑ and 11‑night itineraries aboard the converted M/S Polarfront accommodate only 12 guests in seven suites, blending high‑end hospitality with Arctic...
Concord Hospitality Promotes Three Executives to Senior Roles
Concord Hospitality announced the promotion of three senior executives: Joe Trumfio to senior vice president of investment operations, compliance and reporting; Cathryn Andrews to senior vice president of hotel accounting; and Alex Langston to senior director of risk management. Trumfio’s newly...
Relais & Châteaux Announces Four New Projects in Partnership with UNESCO
Relais & Châteaux has launched four joint sustainability projects with UNESCO, pairing elite restaurants with biosphere reserves, world heritage sites, and cultural heritage initiatives across Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. Each property—FYN, Maison Pic, Eleven Madison Park and L’Effervescence—will implement actions under...
Mexico Tourism Hit All‑Time High in 2025
Mexico's tourism sector reached an all‑time high in 2025 with 98.2 million international visitors, a 13.6% rise over 2024 and the largest total ever recorded. Foreign‑exchange earnings climbed to $34.99 billion, while overnight stays increased 6.1% to 47.8 million. The record underscores strong...
![Hyatt Chairman Tom Pritzker Resigns Over Epstein Emails—Helped Arrange Trip to Find Him a New Girlfriend [Roundup]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts125/v4/32/d3/c1/32d3c1dc-d795-a751-8dea-c94459528a17/mza_14997306024831034905.jpg/600x600bb.jpg)
Hyatt Chairman Tom Pritzker Resigns Over Epstein Emails—Helped Arrange Trip to Find Him a New Girlfriend [Roundup]
The episode covers the fallout from Hyatt Chairman Tom Pritzker’s resignation after a 2018 email chain revealing he helped Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend arrange a Southeast Asian trip to find a new girlfriend, prompting the hotel’s president to assume the chairmanship....
EuroAirport Upgrades Check-In Process
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg has introduced self‑service bag‑drop devices alongside 24 new check‑in kiosks in Halls 2 and 4, while Hall 3 is temporarily closed for upgrades. The airport plans to equip all four halls with kiosks and self‑service bag‑drop by the end...
JetBlue Offers Double Tiles Toward Mosaic Status in 48-Hour Flash Promo
JetBlue announced a 48‑hour flash promotion, offering double TrueBlue Tiles for bookings made on February 17‑18 for travel between February 24 and March 18. The offer applies to qualifying nonstop one‑way flights costing at least $100 and excludes Blue Basic...
United Orders 300 GEnx Engines for 787s
United Airlines has signed a deal with GE Aerospace to purchase 300 additional GEnx engines and associated spares for its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. The order, which does not disclose price, will increase United’s fleet of GEnx‑powered aircraft to over...
Hyatt Names Mark Hoplamazian Chairman
Hyatt Hotels Corp appointed its president and chief executive, Mark Hoplamazian, as chairman, replacing retiring executive chairman Thomas Pritzker, who has guided the company since 2004. Hoplamazian, who has led Hyatt for nearly two decades, oversaw the brand’s asset‑light expansion...
Regent Seven Seas Orders Fourth Prestige-Class Ship
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has signed a contract with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to construct a fourth vessel in its new Prestige‑Class series, slated for delivery in 2036. The first Prestige‑Class ship, Seven Seas Prestige, debuted in December 2026, with the...
Hyatt Chairman Resigns After Epstein Emails Surface Showing Hotel Favors And “May The Force Be With You” Reply
Hyatt Hotels' long‑time executive chairman Thomas J. “Tom” Pritzker announced his immediate retirement and will not seek re‑election to the board. The decision follows the U.S. Justice Department’s release of Epstein‑related emails that show Pritzker arranging hotel bookings and using...
AWH Partners Acquires Hotel Trio Healdsburg for $38M
AWH Partners has purchased the 122‑key Hotel Trio Healdsburg for $38 million, equating to $311,475 per key—significantly below the estimated $500,000 replacement cost in Sonoma County. The all‑suite, Marriott‑branded property is the only Residence Inn in northern Sonoma and the second‑largest hotel...
MoU Takes Aeroberm Vertipad to Japan
AirMobility and Skyportz have signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce Skyportz’s patented Aeroberm modular vertipad to Japan. The partnership will fuse Aeroberm’s downwash‑reducing hardware with AirMobility’s AirVport vertiport automation software, creating a fully integrated vertiport solution. By deploying this...
Applebee’s Creates Still Together Sips with Dre and Snoop
Applebee’s has launched a limited‑time "Still Together Sips" cocktail menu created with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog, featuring two drinks made with the award‑winning Still G.I.N. gin. The $7 Young, Wild & Free Fruit Punch and $10 Rollin’ On The Beach are served with original temporary tattoos and are...
Beyond the Balance Sheet: Why the Future of Franchising Is Proactive, Not Passive
The Restaurant Innovation and Franchising Summit in San Diego will feature a session called “The Money Map: Navigating Your Franchise to Peak Profit,” urging operators to treat unit economics as a dynamic narrative rather than static spreadsheets. Panelists stress proactive...
AI, AEO, and GEO: Questions Every Hotelier Should Ask
The article advises hoteliers to begin AI adoption by focusing on AI‑driven performance analysis of paid search, hotel metasearch and Google hotel ads, where measurable demand already exists. AI can process large campaign datasets to pinpoint high‑converting markets, eliminate wasteful...
Intrepid Travel Signs up to to the Safer Tourism Pledge
Intrepid Travel, the B Corp‑certified adventure operator, has signed the Safer Tourism Pledge, the travel industry’s leading framework for traveller risk, health and safety. The company runs more than 900 small‑group trips in over 120 countries, and the pledge adds...
Holiday Inn Owner IHG Hopes World Cup Can Kickstart US Recovery
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is counting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup to revive U.S. travel after three consecutive quarters of declining room revenues. U.S. RevPAR fell 2% in Q4, lagging rivals Hilton and Marriott, while growth in Europe, the...
Terminal Upgrade Underway at Shannon Airport
The Shannon Airport Group has launched a €15 million upgrade of its main terminal, the first phase of a €40 million investment programme slated for completion by May 2027. The renovation replaces the 1970s façade with a modern, curved design that will accommodate...
Hotel BI vs Excel: The Hidden Costs
Excel remains a default tool in hotels, but its apparent zero‑cost facade hides substantial operational expenses. Hotels can spend up to 125 hours each month cleaning, formatting, and moving data, turning revenue managers into data clerks. This manual burden erodes...
Coast Hotels Celebrates Its Top Achievers
Coast Hotels Limited, a subsidiary of APA Hotel Canada, announced the winners of its 2025 Coast Hotels Awards at the annual brand conference in Nanaimo, B.C. The ceremony highlighted a range of performance‑based recognitions, including a first‑ever Lifetime Achievement Award...
Tragedy: American Express May Have Closed United Airlines Travel Bank “Loophole”
American Express appears to have ended a long‑standing loophole that let Platinum cardholders claim the $200 annual airline credit by purchasing United Airlines Travel Bank credits. The change, effective around February 6, 2026, reclassifies these purchases as ticket‑related, making them ineligible for...
Hong Kong’s New T2 Departures Facility to Open in May
The Airport Authority Hong Kong announced that the departure facilities at Terminal 2 will begin operations on May 27, 2026. The rollout follows a phased commissioning that started with the Coach Hall in September 2025 and aligns with expected summer travel demand. The new...
Hilton and Winnow Voted ‘World’s Leading Sustainable Partnership’
Hospitality giant Hilton and food‑waste tech firm Winnow have been named World’s Leading Sustainable Partnership 2025 at the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards in Dubai. Their Green Ramadan 2025 program, using AI‑powered smart meters across Hilton kitchens, achieved a...
Leveraging AI-Powered Training
Restaurant group FB Society partnered with 1Huddle to embed AI into its training program, accelerating content creation and onboarding across multiple concepts. By using AI to generate drafts of games, guides, and workshops, material is now 60‑70% complete, allowing rapid...
Pizza Vs. Chicken: The Ultimate Industry 'Vibe Check' At RFIS
At the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, FastCasual hosted a game‑show style "Feedback Family Feud" pitting pizza leaders against chicken executives. The unscripted showdown forced senior marketers, HR heads and digital innovators to answer rapid‑fire questions about diner expectations. Participants...
Tampa International Airport Showcases Three Agentic AI Breakthroughs Ahead of IAR London Breakfast Briefing
Tampa International Airport will unveil three agentic AI breakthroughs at the International Airport Review breakfast briefing in London, developed with Sotereon.ai’s Underwing Overwatch platform. The first solution uses live LiDAR data to automate aircraft turnaround, continuously tracking underwing tasks and...
Can Digital Platforms Transform Aviation Sales?
E‑commerce’s rapid expansion is reshaping global trade, yet business aviation has lagged behind. Analysts project the digital aviation market to climb from $37.92 billion in 2022 to $65.11 billion by 2029, driven by AI‑enabled marketplaces that offer predictive analytics and real‑time pricing....
IHG Cobranded Visa Debit Card For UK With Revolut Coming In 2026
IHG announced a co‑branded Visa debit card with fintech firm Revolut, targeting UK consumers and slated for launch in late 2026. The new product replaces the IHG‑Creation credit card that was discontinued in 2023, and will be issued under the...
Hotel AKA Brickell to Rebrand Under Marriott’s Luxury Collection
Hotel AKA Brickell will be rebranded as Brickell Arch, joining Marriott’s Luxury Collection on March 4. The property, owned by Electra America Hospitality Group, completed a £16 million renovation and will shift day‑to‑day operations to HEI Hotels & Resorts. With 201...
Hawaii: Three New Electric Transit Trams to Join HNL Shuttle Service
The Hawaii Department of Transportation is adding three MotoEV electric trams to the Wiki Wiki Shuttle at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, beginning 15 February. The new units will run between gates C and G and Terminals 1 and 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.,...
Finavia Launches 2026–2028 Sustainability Programme to Strengthen Value Creation
Finavia unveiled its 2026‑2028 sustainability programme, expanding its climate, nature, people and governance framework to cut emissions across the entire aviation value chain. Seventeen of its twenty airports have already achieved net‑zero operational emissions, and the new plan intensifies work...
IHG Premier Card 175K Points Limited Time Welcome Bonus: Worth Applying
Chase’s IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card now offers a limited‑time welcome bonus of 175,000 points after $5,000 spend in the first three months, a 35,000‑point increase over the prior offer. The $99 annual‑fee card grants instant Platinum elite status,...
Cultural Stewardship as a Clear Path for Sustained Hotel Asset Growth
The article makes the case that cultural stewardship, paired with sustainability, offers hotels a powerful growth engine. By embedding AI‑driven energy management and water‑saving tech, properties cut operating costs while leveraging heritage‑focused programming to differentiate their brand. Authentic local experiences—art...
‘Swim, Soak, Switch Off’: An Off-Grid Cabin Stay in the Scottish Borders
Off‑grid tiny‑home operator Tiny Home Borders opened a second two‑person cabin on its Hawick farm, offering a solar‑powered, hemp‑insulated retreat with sauna, hot tub and lake access. The eco‑friendly design uses reclaimed oak, hemp insulation and battery storage, and deliberately...
How AI Can Make Customer Experience More Human with Vinod Muthukrishnan
Vinod Muthukrishnan, Cisco’s VP of Webex Customer Experience, explains how AI is evolving from a simple tool to a collaborative teammate that handles routine tasks and enriches human interactions. By leveraging AI-driven analytics, brands can anticipate issues, personalize engagements, and...
Think You’re Good to Go? How Unsettled Tax Debts Could Delay Your Vietnam Departure
As international travel rebounds, Vietnam is enforcing a tax‑related exit ban that can stop travelers at the airport if they owe unpaid taxes. The law applies to business owners, legal representatives, non‑operational enterprises, Vietnamese citizens planning permanent moves and even...
Uncover Marinduque’s Beauty on Two Wheels: Cycling Routes From Poctoy White Beach to Mountain Decks—What You Need to Know About...
The Philippine Cyclo Tourism Program launches the inaugural Marinduque Cycling Experience, a three‑day, 2‑night bike tour from February 20‑22, 2026. Cyclists will traverse 60‑100 km daily across coastal roads, countryside, and mountain decks, including a stop at the historic Luzon Datum...
The Philippines Revolutionizes Agritourism: New Roads Linking Ifugao, Cebu, Batangas, and More to Global Travelers – Everything You Should Know
The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and Department of Tourism have signed a memorandum of agreement to integrate farm‑to‑market roads with tourism infrastructure under the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP). The initiative earmarks ₱4 billion for road upgrades that connect rural farms...
Air Canada Cancels Seasonal Flights Between Montreal & Seattle 2 Months Before Resumption
Air Canada has scrapped its planned seasonal nonstop service between Montreal‑Trudeau and Seattle‑Tacoma, originally slated to launch on May 1, 2026 and run through October 13, 2026. The route would have featured daily Airbus A220‑300 flights, offering roughly 3,700 seats...