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.
Somerset Valero Makati, the latest Ascott Limited Philippines launch, offers 182 luxury serviced apartments ranging from 37 to 124 square metres. The development blends upscale living with wellness‑focused features, including a first‑of‑its‑kind WellTech suite equipped with massage chairs and scent diffusers. It has earned Global Sustainable Tourism Council certification, showcasing eco‑friendly design and operations. Situated at the corner of Valero and Villar streets, the property provides immediate access to Greenbelt, Glorietta, SM Makati and the broader BGC business district.
Wynn Resorts announced that construction has resumed on its $5.1 billion integrated resort on Al‑Marjan Island, Ras Al‑Khaimah. The 70‑floor, 283‑metre tower, topped out in December 2025, will feature 1,500 rooms, high‑end retail, MICE facilities and the UAE’s first licensed gaming...
Escalating US‑Iran tensions have disrupted flight connectivity between the Middle East and India, prompting cancellations and rerouting of wellness travelers. Kairali Ayurvedic Group lost three direct Middle‑East guests and faces uncertainty for five others traveling via the region. While short‑term...
The Singapore Tourism Board and low‑cost carrier Scoot have launched the third edition of the Singapore Superfans campaign, positioning the Merlion as an active guide encouraging visitors to explore beyond the city’s iconic landmarks. The campaign, anchored by a rock‑inspired...
Malaysia’s Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) and the Association of Malaysian Spas (AMSPA) signed a memorandum of understanding at ITB Berlin to extend the country’s halal tourism strategy into the spa and wellness sector. The agreement will launch a Muslim‑Friendly Spa...
The Travel Gap, a 29‑week paid programme launched in Melbourne, links school leavers with the Australian travel industry through a partnership between My First Job and the Australian Travel Industry Association. Participants rotate through four six‑week placements across diverse travel...
StarCruises will launch three five‑night cruises from Hong Kong in 2026 aboard the Star Voyager, adding itineraries to Okinawa, Vietnam and Sanya. The Okinawa voyages depart on March 22 and May 3, while the Vietnam‑Sanya cruise sets sail on April 26. These new...
Breeze Airways announced the termination of nine routes across its network, including under‑performing services from Manchester to Orlando, Tampa to Orange County, and several Westchester County connections. The airline will introduce a single new route, offering twice‑weekly flights between Raleigh‑Durham...
Royal Jordanian has resolved a website glitch that prevented some travelers from opening a Royal Club account and requesting a top‑tier hotel status match to British Airways Silver‑equivalent status. The airline now provides a direct enrollment link, and eligible members...
Klook has launched a "Bloom back guarantee" that refunds 30% of the price if cherry blossoms in Japan or South Korea fail to bloom during the official forecast period. The guarantee is offered as a free add‑on with the promo...
Norse Atlantic Airways posted its fourth consecutive annual loss in 2025 despite achieving a record‑high 96% load factor and a 99.4% flight‑completion rate. The airline has begun shifting away from a summer‑centric Atlantic model, adding winter services to Thailand and...
Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport is undertaking its second‑largest single‑project investment in Australian aviation, focusing on a major terminal expansion. A third runway, expected to be operational by 2031, will bring its capacity in line with Sydney’s Kingsford Smith. Additionally, an air‑rail...
Leading Hotels of the World launched a points sale from February 17 to April 3, 2026, offering three purchase tiers with 50%, 75% and 100% bonus points. The top tier drops the effective price to 6 cents per point, half...
The hotel sector is contending with a $600 million‑per‑day loss in the Middle East as the Iran conflict disrupts travel demand. Hotels are turning to loyalty programs to capture direct bookings and reduce reliance on online travel agencies. Luxury supply is...
Orient Express Venezia has hired three‑Michelin‑star chef Heinz Beck to oversee its entire culinary program. Beck will design menus for the flagship 20‑seat Heinz Beck Venezia restaurant, casual venues like La Casati, and the Wagon Bar, drawing on lagoon ingredients...
BermudAir announced its summer 2026 schedule, offering 29 weekly flights from nine North American gateways. The airline adds daily service from Boston and combined daily frequencies for the New York area, while Toronto sees six‑day‑a‑week operations. All flights use Embraer...
Delta Air Lines has rolled out a digital campaign called Delta Destinations to inspire European summer travel for 2026. The initiative pairs curated city guides—starting with Amsterdam, Malta, Porto and London—with an interactive “Euro Summer Destination Match Quiz” that aligns...
Formula 1’s 2026 calendar features three U.S. Grands Prix—Miami (May 1‑3), Austin (Oct 16‑18) and Las Vegas (Nov 19‑21). The article highlights how travelers can extend race weekends with curated stays in nearby destinations such as Savannah’s Ann Savannah, Key West’s Eden House, and the...
As a luxury travel professional, I'm incredibly fortunate to experience many of the world’s most extraordinary hotels and the wonderful people behind them. I was especially happy to share a place that is truly near and dear to me in...
Delta Air Lines announced plans to launch a daily nonstop flight between Los Angeles International Airport and Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport starting in summer 2027. The service will be operated with an Airbus A350‑900 configured with 32 Delta One,...
Bilt Rewards introduced a four‑tier elite program—Blue, Silver, Gold, and Platinum—rewarding members for rent payments, credit‑card spend, and partner activity. Status can be achieved either by accumulating qualifying points (50,000‑200,000 per year) or by meeting annual spending thresholds of $10,000‑$50,000...
Bilt’s newly launched 2.0 credit cards are marketed as having no foreign transaction fees, yet users have identified a 0.2% charge on overseas purchases. The fee originates from Mastercard’s mandatory currency‑conversion surcharge, which most issuers absorb but Bilt appears to...
The article highlights the growing "Kidult" trend—adults, especially Gen Z, who gravitate toward nostalgic, child‑like experiences—as a low‑cost, high‑impact lever for restaurants. Data from Placer.ai shows that promotions such as McDonald’s Grinch Meal and Starbucks’ Bearista generated the largest traffic spikes...
Northern California resident Tinyan Lawrence has sued Singapore Airlines in a California district court, invoking Article 17 of the Montreal Convention after an alleged shellfish‑contaminated in‑flight meal triggered a severe anaphylactic reaction on a Bali‑to‑Singapore flight. Despite notifying the cabin crew...
Disruptions at Gulf airline hubs slowed travel to destinations dependent on Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Seychelles quickly secured a month‑long direct Air Seychelles service to Paris and broadened alternative connections via Istanbul, Frankfurt and Nairobi. Tanzania activated its Tourism...
Hyatt CFO Joan Bottarini told investors that the company’s wealthiest guests are rerouting rather than canceling trips amid geopolitical shocks in the Middle East and Mexico. Occupancy fell in the Middle East, but the region represents less than 5% of...
The All Inn Hotel, a 54‑room boutique property housed in a renovated 1950s motor inn on Colfax Avenue, will open on March 26, with its Mediterranean restaurant Fino debuting March 18. The $22 M restoration preserves a National Register historic building while adding a...
American Express operates 16 U.S. Centurion Lounges, one Sidecar lounge, and nearly a dozen international locations, with new venues slated for Amsterdam, Newark, Boston, and a Charlotte Sidecar. Access is limited to premium Amex cards and requires a card, same‑day...
Banyan Tree is scaling its wellness portfolio by rolling out Connections Retreats and extending its signature Connections program to eight additional resorts. The new immersive, small‑group retreats debut in Montenegro’s Mamula Island and Bali’s Buahan in 2026, featuring Manduka‑aligned yoga...
Mark and Gwenn Snider, co‑founders of Little Gem Resorts, launched their first property, Winnetu Oceanside, in 2000 and have since built a small collection of boutique hotels. In 2019 they opened Lovango Resort & Beach Club on a half‑island in...
Beckons Hotel Brand has launched with nine luxury lodges spanning Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Canada. The portfolio, averaging 25 suites per property, includes award‑winning sites such as Southern Ocean Lodge and Huka Lodge, many holding Michelin Keys. Beckons has invested...
World of Hyatt members can earn club access awards through the Milestone Rewards program. How can these be redeemed, and how valuable are they? https://t.co/OR5ZKqll6p
American Airlines flight attendants have revived the red “WAR” pins from the W e A R e campaign, signaling renewed readiness to strike despite the National Mediation Board’s refusal to authorize one. The union publicly voted no confidence in CEO...
Hyatt announced plans to launch Hyatt Ziva Punta Cana in 2029, its second Ziva property in the Dominican Republic. The 650‑room resort will feature extensive family amenities, including five pools, a water park, and 12 food and beverage venues, alongside...
ADA website accessibility lawsuits surged 37 % in the first half of 2025, with hotels becoming a primary target. The article outlines the five most common violations—missing accessibility information, absent alt text, poor color contrast, keyboard navigation barriers, and form labeling...
MGM Rewards has revived its Status Match Challenge, granting new or existing members a complimentary 90‑day Gold or Platinum tier when they present an eligible competitor loyalty card by June 30 2026. After the initial period, members can extend the status through...
Chicago-based Chowbus raised $81 million to broaden its AI‑powered restaurant platform. The company now reports over $120 million in annual recurring revenue and processes roughly $4 billion in transactions across the U.S. and Canada. Moving beyond point‑of‑sale software, Chowbus will add...
ITB India 2026 has been rescheduled to September 1‑3 and will be hosted at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre. The three‑day B2B trade show will feature more than 100 exhibitors, 3,000 participants and 400+ buyers from India and South Asia. Over...
Burger King is piloting an AI assistant called "Patty" that runs through employee headsets in drive‑thru lanes. The system listens for hospitality cues, logs service patterns and supplies real‑time recipe, inventory and equipment guidance. It also flags low stock or...
Avelo Airlines, fresh from ending its controversial ICE deportation contract, has been hit with a proposed $65,000 civil penalty from the FAA for failing to include ten flight attendants in its mandatory drug‑testing pool between April and November 2024. The...
American Airlines is rewarding AAdvantage members with a 20,000‑mile bonus when they switch to AT&T Wireless and keep the service active for 60 days. The promotion requires activating a post‑paid voice and data plan, completing a redemption form within 14...
![DoorDash Launches ‘Going Out’ – Earn Credits At Select Local Restaurants [Dine In]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/doordash-deal.png)
DoorDash has introduced "Going Out," a program that rewards diners with DoorDash credits for eating at participating restaurants in person. The pilot rolls out across major U.S. markets—including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas—and three Australian cities such as...
Renowned chef Mauro Colagreco, three‑Michelin‑starred restaurateur behind Mirazur, has launched his first Southeast Asian outpost at Capella Bangkok. The new venue, a 45‑seat dining room, offers a seasonal tasting menu that fuses his Argentine‑Italian heritage with Thai terroir. Opening in March 2024,...
Los Angeles County’s Hotel Workers Protection Ordinance (HWPO) takes effect on April 1, 2026, with public housekeeping training requirements beginning October 1, 2026. The law mandates panic‑button devices for staff working alone, caps daily room‑cleaning workloads, and limits shifts to...
Grecotel, Greece’s leading luxury hospitality group, has launched “Grecotel Acts of Kindness,” a program that surprises travel agents with thoughtful gifts throughout the year. Unlike traditional incentive schemes, the gestures are not tied to bookings or sales targets, emphasizing gratitude...
CLEAR introduced biometric eGates in Terminal B’s TSA PreCheck lane at San José Mineta International Airport, allowing CLEAR+ members to verify identity in under five seconds and bypass the traditional security podium. The rollout arrives ahead of the busy Spring Break travel...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reopened Global Entry on Wednesday at 5 a.m. EDT, ending a 17‑day suspension caused by the partial federal government shutdown. The trusted traveler program allows pre‑approved passengers to skip standard passport control lines at major...
Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston welcomed the Atlas Hotel in late January 2026. The 246‑room property, designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects and developed by Tishman Speyer, offers a “living room” lobby, a ground‑floor restaurant called Ama, and plans for...
Beyond Green has joined the Travalyst Coalition as its newest accommodation industry partner, bringing independent hotel perspectives to the sustainability data initiative. Travalyst, a non‑profit focused on open‑access travel data, recently launched a Data Hub that currently concentrates on accommodation...
Travelers who purchased economy‑plus or business‑class tickets can be downgraded when flights are oversold or a smaller aircraft is deployed. Airlines usually calculate refunds based on the price of a full‑fare refundable coach ticket, which often results in a modest...
