Today's Hotels Pulse
Business Travel to the U.S. Powered by Key International Hubs
A Business Traveller analysis maps the countries and cities that generate the most business travel to the United States, underscoring their impact on hotel demand.
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By the numbers: Airbnb leads $58M Series C in WeRoad
Old Pal Hospitality On Replicating Their World’s 50 Best Bar In Bahamas
Old Pal Hospitality has translated its award‑winning Bon Vivant bar—ranked the world’s 50th best in 2026—into The Dilly Club, an all‑day café and cocktail bar in Marina Village near Atlantis, Bahamas. The new venue targets tourists while preserving the local‑centric ethos of its predecessor, offering a detailed, symbol‑coded menu that educates guests on flavor profiles and preparation methods. Management hires for hospitality aptitude first, then trains staff on bar techniques, allowing rapid scaling of popular drinks like espresso martinis. The concept blends modern mixology trends with Bahamian ingredients, creating a flexible, guest‑focused operation.
What Benefits Do Elite British Airways Members Get on Aer Lingus Flights?
British Airways announced in late 2024 that its elite members will receive a new suite of benefits when flying on Aer Lingus, despite the Irish carrier not being part of the oneworld alliance. Bronze tier travelers now enjoy priority check‑in and...
Video of the Week: Global Aviation’s New Divide - Partnership Power or Independence?
The CAPA Airline Leader Summit in Berlin examined a widening split in global aviation between carriers that favor deep partnerships and those that champion independence. Alliances enable airlines to expand networks and achieve cost efficiencies without costly organic growth. Independent...
Informa Markets Teams with Hong Kong Tourism Board to Launch Luxury ‘Festival of Connoisseurs’
Informa Markets has signed a three‑year memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to roll out the Festival of Connoisseurs, a city‑wide luxury lifestyle platform debuting in November 2026. The initiative will showcase nine distinct “worlds” of connoisseurship...
![Hotel Refused Free Tap Water, Offered $8 Bottled Water — Italy’s Top Court Says That’s Legal [Roundup]](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/7c86e6fe65952c1b56b2ca59f3272610.webp)
Hotel Refused Free Tap Water, Offered $8 Bottled Water — Italy’s Top Court Says That’s Legal [Roundup]
Italy’s Supreme Court ruled that hotels are not legally required to provide free tap water, upholding a five‑star Dolomites hotel’s decision to offer only €7 ($7.6) bottled mineral water to a guest. The court found no statutory obligation for venues...
SLH: Free Upgrade To CLUB 03 Tier
Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) is temporarily offering free upgrades to its Club 03 tier, a premium loyalty level that normally requires a minimum night stay. The promotion grants members a $300 free‑night voucher immediately, plus a suite of perks such...
Ban Nam Rat Forest Sanctuary Crowned 2026’s Top Eco‑Travel Gem
Airbnb’s global summer travel trends released on the 27th named Thailand’s Ban Nam Rat forest sanctuary the top eco‑travel gem for 2026. The designation reflects a surge in Gen Z interest in off‑the‑beaten‑path, low‑impact vacations and a broader shift toward...
Mews Unveils Unified Hospitality OS, Claiming 13.7% Revenue Lift
Mews announced the launch of its AI‑native Operating System for hospitality, bundling PMS, RMS, channel management and more into a single data model. The company says hotels using the platform see an average 13.7% revenue per square metre increase and...
Vigilant Eye Security Rolls Out Hospitality‑Focused Training for LA Event Guards
Vigilant Eye Security has launched a hospitality‑focused training program for its Los Angeles event security teams, targeting upscale hotels and private venues. The two‑week curriculum adds communication, cultural awareness, discreet observation and coordination modules to the firm’s existing BSIS‑licensed guard...
Why Guest Data Still Fails at the Moment It Matters Most
Hospital operators capture extensive guest data, yet it remains trapped in more than 20 siloed systems that rarely communicate in real time. Front‑line staff often cannot retrieve preferences or stay history at check‑in, turning personalization into a manual, after‑the‑fact exercise....
Blue Grass Airport Unveils Future Lex and Its Approach to Tomorrow
Blue Grass Airport announced Future LEX, a multi‑phase, $500 million capital program aimed at expanding terminal capacity and airside infrastructure over the next five years, with a decade‑long roadmap beyond. The plan begins with 815 new long‑term parking spaces, a larger rental‑car...
AccuWeather Partners With Disney on New Weather Forecast and Alert System
Disney Experiences has entered a long‑term partnership with AccuWeather to launch "Disney Weather Check powered by AccuWeather," a hyper‑local forecasting platform for park guests. The service delivers location‑specific forecasts, real‑time alerts, and AccuWeather’s MinuteCast and RealFeel data through a customized...
Score Up to 90k Rapid Rewards Points With These Elevated Southwest Credit Offers
Southwest Airlines has refreshed its three personal Rapid Rewards credit cards with elevated welcome bonuses, offering 80,000 points on the Plus, 85,000 on the Premier, and 90,000 on the Priority card after meeting spend thresholds. At an average redemption value...
Songtsam: Modern Chinese Hospitality
Songtsam, a boutique hotel group from Yunnan, has opened its latest property designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Wang Shu. The hotel showcases a new wave of Chinese luxury that fuses local traditions, geography, cuisine and contemporary design. As Beijing pushes...
What’s The Latest With Global Airlines, That Strange Airbus A380 Startup?
Global Airlines, an A380‑focused startup, flew two New York round‑trips in spring 2025 under a wet‑lease with Hi‑Fly before parking its sole superjumbo for costly heavy maintenance. Since the aircraft entered long‑term storage, the company has weathered two dismissed UK winding‑up...
Jamaica Tourism Minister Hails Artisan District at Sangster Airport as Game-Changer for Local Creative Economy
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett inaugurated the Artisan District at Sangster International Airport, a curated retail space showcasing exclusively Jamaican‑made art, jewellery, ceramics and wellness products. The district is positioned as a “conversation piece” rather than a souvenir shop and...
From Mexico City to New York: Hotels Roll Out Pride Month Deals and Experiences
Hotels in Mexico City, New York and Canada are launching Pride Month packages to attract LGBTQ+ travelers. Mondrian Mexico City Condesa offers 20% off, a complimentary room upgrade and daily breakfast for two. Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown bundles a Pride‑themed...
Madagascar Reemerges as a Premier Adventure Destination for 2026
Madagascar is back on travelers’ radar in 2026, thanks to new direct flights from Europe and the Middle East, a streamlined visa‑on‑arrival process costing $35, and a government push for sustainable tourism. The island’s improved safety record and expanded domestic...
WTTC: Mexico Leads North America in Visitor Spending and Tourism Growth
Mexico topped North America in 2025 travel and tourism performance, posting a 1.8% rise in tourism GDP and a 3.5% jump in international visitor spending. The United States saw a 4.6% drop in visitor spending and a 5.5% fall in...
The AI Decisions Hotel CEOs Are Signing Right Now Will Look Like Fax Machines by 2029
Hotel CEOs are rushing to sign multi‑year AI platform contracts based on flashy probabilistic demos, but experts warn those solutions will be obsolete by 2029. Adam Harris of Cloudbeds argues that only deterministic AI—systems that take actions with certainty—can reliably...
Accor Launches Sustainability Innovation Program to Scale Resource-Saving Solutions
Accor has unveiled a five‑year Sustainability Innovation Program aimed at scaling water‑saving technologies across its global hotel portfolio. The initiative follows a four‑phase methodology—framing, sourcing, testing, and scaling—and targets the deployment of more than 100 high‑impact resource‑saving solutions by 2030....
Lufthansa Reassures Travelers as Jet Fuel Crisis Deepens in Europe
Lufthansa announced a series of measures to calm passengers as Europe’s jet‑fuel shortage worsens. The airline will prioritize fuel‑intensive long‑haul flights, temporarily suspend some low‑margin routes, and offer flexible rebooking options. It also secured additional fuel supplies through a partnership...
Omani High Perfumery House of Amouage Unveils Whispers Of The Fan
Amouage has partnered with Mandarin Oriental to launch the bespoke Whispers Of The Fan amenity collection, a fragrance inspired by the hotel’s iconic eleven‑blade fan. The scent, crafted by Renaud Salmon and perfumer Suzy Le Helley, is delivered across six...
Travel’s Top AI Operators
The travel sector has shifted from three years of AI hype to large‑scale deployment in 2026. CEOs are now fielding questions on model‑training costs and agentic infrastructure, while chief AI officer roles proliferate across hotels, airlines, OTAs and airports. Companies...
Portillo’s Opens First Airport Unit
Portillo’s opened its first airport restaurant at Dallas‑Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B, featuring a 50‑seat dine‑in area and multiple pickup options. The move follows a challenging year in Texas, where the chain’s rapid expansion led to under‑performance and a modest 0.1 %...
ANA Introduces New Liveries to Celebrate Pokémon’s 30th Anniversary
All Nippon Airways (ANA) and The Pokémon Company have launched two new Pokémon‑themed liveries to mark the franchise’s 30th anniversary. The “Pokémon Jet Red,” a Boeing 787‑8, will begin domestic service in Japan at the end of July 2026, featuring Pikachu...
Travel Advisors Cite Community Support as Top Driver of Meaningful Travel in 2026
Travel Weekly reports that a new Virtuoso survey of more than 250 U.S. advisors finds 25% of respondents now prioritize supporting local communities when recommending trips. The shift is prompting hotel chains like Posadas to embed cultural, environmental and economic...
South Florida Short‑Term Rentals Jump Up to 106% Ahead of 2026 World Cup
AirDNA reports that short‑term rental bookings in Miami and Fort Lauderdale have surged 70% to 106% compared with the same dates in 2025 as the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches. Homeowners are seeing average nightly rates above $340, while hotels...
Mattel's Immersive Indoor Water Park Coming to North Carolina
Mattel announced that its fourth Wonder Indoor Waterpark will be built at the Weldon Mills Resort in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, with a projected opening in 2029. The park joins three already confirmed sites in Orlando, Bellevue and Bradley, bringing...
Uh Oh: American Blocking Domestic Saver Awards Close To Departure
American Airlines has begun blocking all nonstop domestic saver‑award seats—U (business) and T (economy) fare classes—within roughly six days of departure. The restriction appears nightly, pushing the earliest available saver seats to a week out, while higher‑priced award tiers remain...
Qatar and Philippine Airlines Expand Codeshare to Europe
Qatar Airways and Philippine Airlines are expanding their strategic partnership from 1 June 2026 with additional codeshare destinations and reciprocal loyalty programme benefits. Under the expanded agreement, Philippine Airlines will place its PR code on Qatar Airways-operated flights from Manila, Cebu,...
“Idiotic”: United Airlines’ Scott Kirby Rules Out Future Mergers After American’s Rebuff
United Airlines chief Scott Kirby told investors the carrier will not pursue any merger in the foreseeable future, after American Airlines rebuffed overtures for a tie‑up. Kirby also ruled out JetBlue as a partner, citing an impossible 25‑point margin jump....
Sunclass Airlines Adds Pizza Slice to Light Meal Offering
Sunclass Airlines will start serving a hot pizza slice on its light‑meal menu from June 1, partnering with Monty’s Bakehouse. The move aims to broaden snack options for economy passengers and boost ancillary revenue. Sunclass says it will track passenger feedback...
Alaska Airlines To Boost Boeing 737 MAX 8 Flights By 22% As Fleet Grows To 17
Alaska Airlines increased its Boeing 737 MAX 8 operations by 22% in June, delivering 1,632 flights compared with 1,329 in May. The carrier now runs 17 MAX 8 aircraft, with eight additional jets on order and an average fleet age of just one year....
Cebu Pacific Resumes Dubai Flights in July
Cebu Pacific will restart its Manila‑Dubai service on 2 July, operating four flights a week after a four‑month suspension caused by Middle‑East conflict and soaring jet‑fuel prices. The route is a lifeline for the sizable Filipino expatriate community in the UAE,...
New Portal Lounge in Minneapolis Combines Gaming, Cocktails, and a Robot Bartender
Portal Lounge, a 3,800‑square‑foot concept by Gameway, opens tomorrow in Terminal 1 of Minneapolis‑Saint Paul International Airport. The space seats about 114 guests and features 17 gaming stations with Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation and PC consoles, plus immersive lighting and art‑deco décor....
Is Canadian Airport Privatisation Really Back on the Agenda or Is It Just Another False Dawn?
Canada is reviving airport privatization after three failed attempts, aiming to create a sovereign‑wealth‑style fund that can sell up to 49 % of airport equity to domestic pension funds and foreign investors. The move seeks to alleviate steep government ground rents—up...
Riviera Travel Workshop Turns Fam Trips Into Group Sales Engines
Riviera Travel has teamed with River Cruise King Academy to launch a six‑day Group Sales Workshop on the Riviera Radiance from March 14‑19, 2027, scheduled right after the ASTA River Cruise Expo. The program replaces traditional fam trips with a revenue‑focused...
Draft Bondi Junction Master Plan Sets Out Vision to Improve Hospitality and Nightlife
Waverley Council has released a draft master plan for Bondi Junction that aims to transform the precinct into a vibrant, 24‑hour destination. The blueprint focuses on revamping Oxford Street Mall, extending trading hours, adding rooftop bars, live‑music venues and designated...
Galveston Issues RFP to Redevelop Stewart Beach Into Mixed‑Use Resort with Hotels
The City of Galveston has launched a request for proposals, due June 18, to redevelop the city‑owned Stewart Beach into a mixed‑use beachfront destination that could include hotels, restaurants and public spaces. The move follows a $63,900 master‑plan update and...
United Airlines Will Send Maintenance Videos To Passengers — And AI Will Explain Every Flight Delay
United Airlines announced it will use generative AI to send passengers real‑time maintenance videos and plain‑language explanations whenever flights are delayed. CEO Scott Kirby said the system, dubbed “Every Flight Story,” will operate without human intervention, pulling data from aircraft...
Berjaya Air Debuts ATR HighLine Cabin with Geven Seats
Berjaya Air has taken delivery of the world’s first ATR 72‑600 equipped with the ATR HighLine all‑Business Class cabin, featuring 26 Geven ETEREA seats. The configuration, certified by EASA and Malaysian authorities, offers aisle‑direct access and a spacious interior that rivals...
I Stayed at Southern Utah’s Most Anticipated New Volcanic Resort. It’s the Ultimate Secret Backdoor to Zion
Black Desert Resort, a newly completed 447‑room luxury destination west of Zion, blends minimalist architecture with dramatic basaltic lava landscapes. The property offers seven distinct dining concepts, a full‑service spa with hyper‑modern longevity treatments, and an infinity pool overlooking red‑rock...
Philippines Emerges 2026 Top Family and Micro‑Retirement Destination
The Philippines has been positioned as 2026’s leading family and micro‑retirement playground, leveraging its 7,641 islands, new Digital Nomad Visa and a surge of “kidfluence” travel decisions. The trend promises to reshape Southeast Asian tourism by drawing multigenerational groups and...
From OTAs to AI Booking Agents: The New Travel Distribution Funnel
The travel‑distribution landscape is shifting from OTA‑driven search funnels to AI‑powered booking agents that interpret intent and make single‑step recommendations. OTAs once unified fragmented hotel inventory, but their comparison‑heavy model now creates choice overload and erodes traveler confidence. Generative AI...
Muirfield Village Launches Summer RFP for Bogey Inn Site Amid Traffic and Infrastructure Concerns
Muirfield Village Golf Club will issue a request for proposals this summer to redevelop the three‑acre former Bogey Inn site in Dublin. City officials and developers must resolve traffic, water service and zoning issues that have stalled previous plans, including...
FlightPath3D Cloud Reaches 500 Aircraft Uptake Milestone
FlightPath3D announced that its Cloud platform now powers 500 active aircraft, with commitments covering more than 2,000 planes from carriers such as United Airlines and WestJet. The cloud‑native solution leverages high‑speed inflight internet to stream maps, points of interest and...
HMSHost Wins New ORF Contract
HMSHost has landed a 12‑year concession agreement to revamp food and retail offerings at Norfolk International Airport (ORF). The operator will remodel more than 4,200 square feet of existing space and add roughly 2,000 square feet of new concessions. The...
Hudson Secures New Contract At ORF
Hudson, operating under the Avolta brand, secured a 12‑year concession contract at Norfolk International Airport (ORF). The deal covers redevelopment of more than 2,150 sq ft of existing space and addition of 3,500 sq ft of new retail and food‑beverage areas. New concepts will...
BOS To Open Mike’s Pastry
Boston Logan International Airport’s concessions arm, MarketPlace Development, will debut a Mike’s Pastry shop in Terminal C later this year. The iconic North End bakery, founded in 1946, will serve its signature cannoli, cookies, and a full espresso bar to travelers. Airport...