Know What's Happening in Hotels
Know What's Happening in Hotels
Easter 2026 drives hotel occupancy to pre‑pandemic highs across key markets
Travel bookings for Easter 2026 surged, pushing hotel occupancy in Europe, North America and Asia to near‑full levels and matching or exceeding pre‑COVID figures. The rebound was fueled by demand for spring destinations such as Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Spain’s Andalusia and Japan’s cherry‑blossom sites, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Choice Hotels International announced that its Ascend Collection has reached 500 properties, marking a milestone for the upscale soft‑brand portfolio. Recent U.S. openings include The Harrison Hotel in Florida and The Gould Hotel in New York, while a pipeline of 70 additional properties is slated for launch, spanning locations from Arizona to South Australia. The brand’s presence in Asia‑Pacific grew to 83 hotels, bolstered by a distribution agreement in China that adds over 9,500 rooms. Expansion continues into Europe, Latin America and Africa, underscoring strong demand for flexible, experience‑focused hotel models.
Thailand has secured a five‑year deal to host Tomorrowland and Electric Daisy Carnival, turning the country into a premier EDM destination. Tourists from the UK, USA, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil and South Korea are already driving a surge in...
Jewar International Airport, opening on March 28, 2026 near Greater Noida, will relieve chronic congestion at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India Express will launch extensive domestic and nascent international services, linking the USA, UK...
Cathay Pacific is running an Easter promotion that awards double Asia Miles for return trips booked in Premium Economy or Business class from Hong Kong between March 24 and July 9, 2026. Travelers must enter the discount code EARNDOUBLE by April 10,...
Prism, the rebranded OYO, has acquired Motel 6 to spearhead a technology‑driven overhaul of budget hotels. The company is concentrating on economy and extended‑stay segments in both India and the United States, launching the Studio 6 brand for U.S. properties. CEO Ritesh Agarwal is...
Coral Beach Resort Sharjah has become the first hotel in the United Arab Emirates to sign the Glasgow Declaration Initiative on Climate Action in Tourism. The pledge obliges the property to cut carbon emissions by 50 % by 2030 and achieve...
Erth Abu Dhabi wrapped up its 2026 Ramadan programme, delivering more than 95,000 Iftar meals each day across the United Arab Emirates. The effort, backed by the Zayed for Good Foundation, served worshippers at major mosques in Abu Dhabi, Fujairah...
beOnd, an all‑business class airline backed by Maldives SIMDI Group and UAE’s Arabesque, announced a new London‑Maldives service launching on 16 December with a Dubai refuel stop. The thrice‑weekly flights will depart Heathrow midday and return early morning, priced at about...
Linstol announced a partnership with Plastic Bank to offset the equivalent of 100 plastic bottles for each of the 3,650 expected attendees at WTCE 2026. The initiative will prevent roughly 365,000 bottles, or more than 7,300 kg of plastic, from entering oceans...
Guests at New York’s top luxury hotels are publicly decrying breakfast prices that range from $20 to $52 per item, even as nightly room rates climb from $800 to $80,000. The backlash spotlights growing pressure on high‑end operators to clarify...
Brazil’s long‑running airport concession programme has been reactivated under President Lula, with the Rio de Janeiro Galeão concession approved in 2025 and slated for completion by early 2026. The government now plans to re‑concede Brasília’s “JK Airport” by the end...
Coushatta Casino Resort announced that its eight‑story luxury hotel tower will open in May, contributing 204 guest rooms and 100 premium suites. The expansion pushes the resort’s total inventory past the 1,000‑room mark, reinforcing its status as Louisiana’s largest casino...
Venezuela and the Dominican Republic have announced the restoration of scheduled air services, ending a months‑long suspension that disrupted tourism and business travel. The resumption involves multiple carriers, including Laser Airlines, which will operate MD‑82 aircraft on the Caracas‑Santo Domingo...
In this episode, Harmeet Mann, CEO and co‑founder of MEHR Consultancy, walks through the cross‑platform tech stack that powers her third‑party hotel management firm, highlighting tools like Inflow for finance, Monday.com for task and document management, Slack for communication, and...
Latvian carrier airBaltic has teamed with InterLnkd to embed the AirMall digital marketplace into its Starlink‑powered Skynet Wi‑Fi portal, creating the first global, dynamic inflight shopping experience. The platform gives passengers access to more than 20,000 brands on their personal...
Azamara Cruises has teamed with Milam & Greene Whiskey to launch Bourbon Quest, placing one bourbon barrel aboard the Azamara Quest for the entire 188‑night, 2027 World Cruise that visits 37 countries. The barrel, originally filled in Kentucky in 2019,...
The Avianca LifeMiles American Express Elite Card offers a $249 annual fee with a two‑part welcome bonus of up to 100,000 miles—60,000 after $4,500 spend and another 40,000 after $25,000 spend. Cardholders earn 3× miles on Avianca purchases, 2× on...
Restaurant operators are increasingly demanding AI that tackles scheduling and labor optimization, not just analytics dashboards. A Harri survey of 600 U.S. and U.K. hospitality professionals found 38% rank scheduling as the top AI use case, while dashboards lag at...
Sundance Resort, the Robert Redford‑founded ski area in Utah, has completed over $40 million in upgrades, highlighted by the opening of its first full‑service hotel, the Inn at Sundance, in January. A new lift called Electric Horseman will add more than...
A looming Department of Homeland Security funding impasse threatens TSA pay, risking airport delays and potentially dampening spring U.S. hotel demand. Meanwhile, hotels are seeing a surge in shorter, last‑minute bookings, driven by shifting traveler demographics and AI‑powered search tools....
Colliers is marketing the Fairmont Le Château Montebello, a 210‑room luxury resort on roughly 925 acres along Quebec’s Ottawa River, for sale. The historic property, the world’s largest log structure and former G7 summit venue, includes an 18‑hole Stanley Thompson...
Global tourism is booming, but the sector faces a severe labor crunch, with an estimated 8‑9 million hospitality workers missing today and projections of over 40 million vacancies by 2035. The shortage is most acute in roles that cannot be automated, such...
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale will host the 2027 North American Hot Air Balloon Championship at Gull Meadow Farms in Kalamazoo County, West Michigan. The event is projected to attract thousands of international visitors, generating significant tourism revenue and media exposure...
A new browser‑based TSA wait‑time tracker built by Zach Griff offers checkpoint‑level data for about 19 U.S. airports, including PreCheck and CLEAR lanes where available. Unlike the MyTSA app, which provides only airport‑wide estimates, this tool pulls live feeds directly...
Allegiant Air launched a "Travel with Confidence" policy that lets passengers change or cancel eligible flights without fees through the end of the current government shutdown. The flexible option applies to both new and existing bookings and requires customers to...
A passenger discovered a wheel ripped off her checked bag after flying with American Airlines. The airline replied that the damage constituted “normal wear and tear” and refused compensation, pointing to its baggage liability policy. However, the U.S. Department of...
Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa in Texas launched SAVOR, a four‑day festival that fuses high‑end dining, live music and golf. The event, timed for April 30‑May 3, 2026, aligns with the "sportscations" trend where travelers build trips around immersive experiences. Celebrity...
The Big Biscuit, a fast‑growing breakfast and lunch chain with 30 locations in the Midwest, has teamed up with TipHaus to offer same‑day digital tip payouts. The partnership leverages TipHaus’s Earned Tip Access® platform, allowing managers to verify shift data...
Swissport’s Matchbox, a cloud‑based travel document validation platform, has earned ISO 27001, ISO 27017 and ISO 27018 certifications, confirming its information‑security, cloud‑security and privacy controls. The platform already validates more than four million passengers with 100% accuracy on inadmissible traveler...
Hotel operators are re‑examining their hosted PBX deployments as 2026 brings new operational demands. While hosted systems eliminated on‑site hardware, many still mirror legacy PBX architectures, limiting flexibility for modern integrations. Cost predictability is eroding due to scaling licensing fees...
Restaurant operators are repeatedly sabotaging their own margins by overlooking critical performance indicators, mistaking raw food costs for true profitability, and neglecting systematic staff training. Industry expert Roger Beaudoin of Restaurant Rockstars urges operators to shift from simple food‑cost percentages...
Mayor Helena Moreno and regional leaders unveiled the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) Master Plan, a ten‑year roadmap to accommodate projected growth to 8.6‑9.7 million departing passengers. The plan calls for a second terminal, 10‑15 new gates, upgraded roadways,...
Coworth Park, a Dorchester Collection country estate near Ascot, offers a luxury countryside retreat just 45 minutes from London. The 240‑acre property features 70 upscale rooms, the UK’s only hotel with its own polo fields, and a carbon‑negative spa with...
The Kensington hotel in London is launching a "Fashion Becomes Tea" afternoon tea inspired by the V&A Museum’s Schiaparelli exhibition. The menu translates Elsa Schiaparelli’s surrealist couture into sculptural pastries, vivid colour palettes and inventive savoury bites, and is priced...
Sea Cloud Cruises announced its 2027‑2028 sailing season, featuring luxury small‑ship voyages on the tall vessels Sea Cloud Spirit and Sea Cloud II. The lineup emphasizes European itineraries, including Irish, Scottish, French Atlantic, and Mediterranean routes. Guests who book by...
Capella Hotels has launched its first Japanese property, Capella Kyoto, in the historic Miyagawa-cho geisha district. Designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates and Brewin Design Office, the four‑storey, 89‑room hotel reinterprets traditional machiya architecture and offers views of Higashiyama and...
Accor announced that its collection brands now operate more than 180 hotels worldwide and have a pipeline of over 125 additional properties, representing roughly 65% growth in the coming years. The Emblems Collection targets 60 hotels by 2032, while MGallery...
A federal funding lapse has left Transportation Security Administration officers working without pay, driving daily absenteeism to about 10%—five times the normal rate—and spiking to 25‑38% at major hubs such as JFK, Atlanta, and Houston. The staffing shortfall threatens checkpoint...
A&K Sanctuary has launched Kitirua Plains Lodge, a new 128‑acre luxury property on the edge of Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, designed with Luxury Frontiers. The lodge features 11 suites and two‑bedroom villas that blend into the landscape through Maasai‑inspired architecture...
Greece recorded 31.0 million international air arrivals in 2025, a 5.9% rise from 2024. Athens International Airport handled 12 million passengers, up 9%, while Thessaloniki saw a 10.2% increase. The growth stemmed from a broader market mix—no single source exceeded 17.4%—and a...
Italy Access Advisory (IAA) was launched by Chris Henry of Majestic Hospitality and Christian Scali of LV Toscana to guide international investors into Italy’s hotel market, valued at €1.4 billion (≈$1.5 billion), the highest level in five years. IAA offers end‑to‑end advisory covering...
Global hotel search data shows a 9% rise in one‑night stay queries and a 9% increase in bookings made within 28 days from Q1 2023 to Q4 2025, signaling a shift toward shorter trips and last‑minute planning. North America leads the change,...
Allegretto Vineyard Resort has joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts' L.V.X. Collection, the luxury tier of the independent hotel group. The 170‑room Paso Robles property offers a Mediterranean piazza, art gardens, estate‑grown wines, a farm‑to‑table restaurant, spa, and music‑focused wellness programming....
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) left Star Alliance for SkyTeam, enabling Delta SkyMiles members to redeem awards on SAS flights. The 2025 codeshare expansion broadened route availability, now covering intra‑European sectors and select long‑haul legs from European hubs to the U.S., Asia,...
Hospitality leaders Youri Sawerschel and Christian Walter examined how AI concierges are reshaping service delivery, while questioning the relevance of traditional star ratings in today’s market. They highlighted common development missteps, the growing importance of sustainable, guest‑centric design, and the...
Little Caesars launched Four‑N‑One Stix, a pizza‑sized shareable snack featuring 16 breadsticks in four flavors for $7.99, available nationwide as a Hot‑N‑Ready item from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The product is positioned at the intersection of pizza, appetizers, and snacks, aiming...
Zaxbys launched a limited‑time loyalty drive called the “Transfer Portal,” offering the first 100,000 new Zax Rewards members a free dry‑rub menu item with any drink purchase. The app feature lets shoppers migrate existing restaurant loyalty points to Zaxbys and claim...
Hilton announced the upcoming Signia by Hilton Indianapolis, a 38‑story, 800‑room luxury hotel slated to open in fall 2026. The tower will be the city’s tallest hotel and will feature a skywalk connecting directly to the Indiana Convention Center and...
Kabani Hotel Group brokered the sale of the vacant Ramada by Wyndham Jacksonville I‑95 for $13.5 million to an undisclosed nonprofit buyer. The hotel was delivered empty, reflecting negative cash flow, and the buyer intends to convert the building into veteran...
OKU Hotel Group now showcases four Mediterranean resorts—OKU Kos, OKU Bodrum, OKU Ibiza and OKU Andalusia—each designed around a distinct travel tribe. Kos offers an adults‑only wellness retreat with historic spa treatments, while Bodrum blends Turkish cuisine, craft workshops and gulet cruises. Ibiza caters...
