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.
Logan’s Roadhouse has been sold to SSCP Management, with the transaction closing on December 3. The acquisition adds more than 100 steakhouse locations across 22 states to SSCP’s portfolio, which already includes over 500 restaurants under various concepts. The deal follows SPB Hospitality’s recent divestiture strategy, shedding Logan’s along with brewery and pizza assets. SSCP, founded by Sunil Dharod, aims to leverage its multi‑concept model to drive synergies across the expanded network.
Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World is rolling out a "Conrad Complete" add‑on from May 26 through Sept. 8, priced at $150 per guest per night with a two‑guest minimum. The package bundles valet parking, Club 66 lounge access with breakfast and cocktail...
Former Legal Sea Foods CEO Roger Berkowitz opened Roger’s Fish Co., a fast‑casual seafood outlet, in Boston Logan Airport’s Terminal A satellite. The 700‑sq‑ft venue offers counter service with items like double clam chowder, lobster BLTs, and fried haddock chips,...
Japan’s 2026 cherry‑blossom season is set to arrive earlier than usual as February‑March temperatures rise, shifting the traditional sakura front northward. Forecasts place first blooms in Nagoya on March 17 and the final peak in Sapporo by early May, compressing the...
Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta warned that the United States’ share of global inbound tourism has halved over the past three decades, falling from roughly 10% to 5%. He attributed the recent dip to short‑term geopolitical shocks, notably the Iran‑Middle East...
Main Street Hospitality announced Michael Lamb as Senior Vice President of Operations, bringing decades of leadership from Hillstone, Corner Table, Ralph Lauren, and MCR Hotels. The appointment aligns with the company’s 2026 growth plan, which targets portfolio enhancements and new...
CRAFT Restaurant & Beer Market is opening its first Texas and U.S. location in Dallas on April 1, featuring more than 100 beer taps, a rooftop patio, and a menu that blends Asian‑inspired dishes with classic American fare. The venue,...
Miami International Airport inaugurated the first Wait n’ Rest luxury sleep rooms in North America, featuring 15 suites in Concourse D. The suites offer hotel‑level bedding, private showers, touchscreen controls and a curated snack bar, with hourly rates from $40...
Universal Orlando Resort will host Volcano Bay Nights on select evenings from May 3 to August 21, 2026. The after‑hours event offers lower wait times on flagship attractions, a Beach Bash with a live DJ, and meet‑and‑greets with DreamWorks characters. Guests receive an...
Explora Journeys celebrated three shipbuilding milestones at Fincantieri's Genoa yard, including the technical launch of Explora IV, a coin ceremony for Explora V, and the steel‑cutting of Explora VI. The event marks the third triple ceremony in 18 months, bringing the brand’s six‑ship...
Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has finished a comprehensive renovation of all 297 guestrooms, completed in December 2025. The redesign draws on Hawaii Island’s coastal palette, organic textures, and native flora, featuring custom shoji screens that echo Pili grass....
Cabo Verde Airlines will restart flights to the United States on March 31, linking the Cape Verde archipelago with Providence’s T.F. Green International Airport using a Boeing 737 MAX 8. The service marks the carrier’s first US operation since 2021 after a...
Airline fuel costs have spiked dramatically after the Middle East conflict, with United reporting a 58% jet‑fuel price jump in a week and U.S. carriers abandoning most hedging strategies, prompting early fare hikes and potential surcharges on transatlantic routes. European...
Carnival Cruise Line has rolled out Express Dining, a streamlined multi‑course service that delivers meals in under an hour for parties of six or fewer. The program is live on 15 ships and will cover the entire fleet by the...
Vueling Airlines is offering up to 15% off select direct flights scheduled between April 7 and June 21, 2026. The discount requires no promo code and is automatically applied at booking, provided the purchase is completed by March 13, 2026, 6:59 PM EDT. Taxes and administration...
The Horwath HTL Portugal Hotel & Chains Report 2026 shows a maturing hospitality market, with total accommodation revenues near €7 billion and occupancy stabilising around 62‑63%. International operators are expanding rapidly, driving a 21% rise in chain hotels and a 15% increase in...
The Philippines’ wellness economy surged to $47.3 billion in 2024, a 31% increase since 2019, now representing 10.2% of national GDP. The country hosted 3.18 million wellness trips last year, up 16.8% from 2023, and ranked 23rd globally for wellness‑economy size. Growth...
Ted’s Montana Grill announced the appointment of Mathieu Smith as its new Controller, adding him to the senior leadership team. Smith arrives with a 12‑year track record in restaurant finance, most recently at 4Top Hospitality in Nashville. His experience spans...
Marriott Bonvoy rolled out the "Where Gameday Checks In" campaign to ride the March Madness wave, debuting a limited‑run podcast series called "Live From the Bracket" hosted by NBA player Sophie Cunningham and journalist West Wilson. The initiative also includes...
Stayway Holding Group, linked to Lee Fung Fong and Henry Zheng, purchased the 71‑room Senton Hotel in Manhattan’s NoMad district for $27.2 million. The seven‑story property at 39 West 27th Street was sold by Calvin Kamuluddin, with Avison Young brokering the...
Hospitality faces a chronic staffing crisis, with hotel turnover hovering between 70% and 80% annually—far above the 10‑15% national average. Traditional levers such as wage hikes, referral bonuses, and refreshed job ads are no longer sufficient to stem the churn,...
The Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal has completed the final phase of its multi‑year renovation, refreshing all 112 guest rooms, suites, casitas and villas with a lighter palette and custom sea‑turtle metal accents. Public areas such as the Beach Club Restaurant, adult pool and...
Plaza Premium Group opened two lounges in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal D, expanding its U.S. footprint and showcasing confidence in travel recovery. The venues include the brand’s standard Plaza Premium Lounge and the first Plaza Premium First lounge in...
Oceania Cruises has launched a global marketing campaign called “The Joy of Traveling Well,” emphasizing immersive itineraries, intimate adult‑only ships, and world‑class dining. The initiative rests on four pillars—immersive journeys, intimate luxury vessels, genuine hospitality, and The Finest Cuisine at...
Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel has appointed Joseph Min as its new Director of Food & Beverage. Min brings over three decades of international luxury hospitality experience, having led culinary operations across Asia, Europe and North America. He will oversee...
Amtrak announced a 25% discount on Acela Business and Coach tickets for the Boston‑to‑Virginia corridor as part of its Big City Sale. The promotion applies to travel between April 13 and June 5, 2026, with bookings due by March 13,...
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas launched seasonal sailings from Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in 2026, marking the first mega‑ship deployment in northern China. The port, capable of handling 220,000‑ton vessels, targets 500,000 passengers annually and already processes over...
Specialist Holidays Group reported record growth in its home‑working agent segment in 2026, with bookings up 42%, revenue up 83%, and passenger numbers up 52% year‑over‑year. The company attributes the surge to intensified face‑to‑face engagement, including more than 50 agents...
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) reported a 7.7% rise in total CO₂ emissions between 2019 and 2025, pushing the company off track for its 2030 science‑based target. While per‑room emissions have fallen thanks to LED lighting and renewable‑energy programs, rapid hotel‑network...
Flybuy unveiled AI Agents designed for restaurants, retail and hospitality that autonomously detect and resolve customer‑experience failures in real time. The platform leverages anomaly detection, customer intelligence and an autonomous decision engine to act within operator‑defined guardrails, covering upsell, recovery,...
Uzbekistan’s inbound tourism surged to 11.68 million arrivals in 2025, a six‑fold rise from 2021 and a 47 % year‑on‑year increase. Visits to relatives dominated, accounting for 67.3 % of trips, while leisure, business and medical travel also grew. Outbound travel by Uzbek...
Tourism Ireland now offers a free, digital marketing hub that includes campaign toolkits, brochures, buyer guides, and a vast image‑video library covering both the Republic and Northern Ireland. The resources support seasonal promotions such as St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and Christmas,...
French luxury brand Fouquet’s is set to launch its second U.S. hotel, a 12‑story, 85‑room property within the Miami Design Residences in the city’s Design District. Designed by Pritzker‑Prize‑winner David Chipperfield, the 25‑story tower will also contain 143 serviced condos,...
Travelers between Great Britain and Ireland can choose from three major ferry operators—Stena Line, Irish Ferries, and P&O Ferries—each offering regular services across multiple ports. In July, Stena Line operated 98 weekly sailings, Irish Ferries 51, and P&O Ferries 63,...
Union, a five‑generation Wisconsin supper club, opens its phone lines each Monday before Thanksgiving for December reservations, sparking a massive call surge. In one hour, Cellcom recorded 26,000 attempts, and by night the number topped 200,000, filling 95% of the...
Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel has secured planning permission to add a 95‑room extension, branded Stock Exchange Suites, slated for an early 2027 launch. The new building will sit opposite the existing five‑star property and feature a 1,000 sq ft Traders Lounge, gym...
Air travel between Great Britain and Ireland is extensive, with 21 UK airports offering flights to six Irish destinations and a monthly seat capacity of over 684,000 for the Republic and 309,000 for Northern Ireland. Dublin is the busiest hub,...
The author tested ANA Mileage Club’s little‑known award waitlist feature, successfully confirming a business‑class seat on a Kuala Lumpur‑Tokyo flight. The waitlist requires the full mileage balance to be held in the account, and only a handful of requests clear...
Wellness tourism is set to exceed $1.4 trillion by 2027, and the 2026 trend is shifting toward low‑tech, nature‑based experiences. Luxury hotels worldwide are capitalizing on this momentum by embedding horseback riding into their guest programs, from Chile’s coastal Mari Mari...
The article explains how a Message Control Protocol (MCP) lets AI assistants query a hotel’s own system for real‑time availability, rates, and policies, enabling instant, commission‑free bookings. It highlights that OTAs currently control 55% of bookings and charge 15‑25% commissions,...
The article argues that hotels are overlooking a high‑margin revenue source—their own guest database. By shifting focus from costly new‑guest acquisition to targeted, data‑driven email marketing, properties can boost repeat bookings, upsell ancillary services, and lower acquisition spend. It outlines...
Hotel chains are confronting the limits of legacy revenue technology as their portfolios expand beyond a handful of properties. Traditional stacks—typically a PMS, an RMS and ad‑hoc spreadsheets—cannot keep pace with the coordination demands of multi‑property pricing, forecasting, and reporting....
Revenue managers in hospitality spend countless hours manually exporting data from property management systems, revenue management systems, and other sources, turning strategic meetings into spreadsheet battles. This "Excel hell" creates internal friction, duplicate work, and a lack of a single...
IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers has stepped down with immediate effect the airline said without giving a reason for his departure. The carrier said in a statement today that managing director Rahul Bhatia will oversee the airline’s operations on an interim basis...
Travel costs are based on supply and demand, and if you are willing to avoid busy seasons, you can save significant amounts of money. https://t.co/g0l2iAc2jo
American Airlines announced plans to open a new, expanded Admirals Club at Austin‑Bergstrom International Airport. The lounge will more than double its size to over 12,000 square feet and will feature the airline’s first outdoor terrace, offering downtown Austin views....
Colombian carrier Avianca announced the acquisition of two Airbus A330‑900neo aircraft, slated to enter service in the second half of 2026. The new wide‑body jets will be based in Colombia and add to the airline’s existing fleet of more than...
NEWH, Inc. will host its 2026 Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., from March 26‑28, bringing together design, development, operations, procurement, and brand leaders from the global hospitality sector. The three‑day event promises practical education, strategic dialogue, and curated networking focused...
Wynn Resorts has been named to Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies list, moving up to third overall and retaining the top spot in the Hotels, Casinos & Resorts category. The company earned first‑place rankings for Quality of Products/Services and...
Munich Airport is adding a new Terminal 1 Pier that will host five distinct dining concepts, slated to open on April 13. Operated by Allresto Flughafen München Hotel und Gaststätten GmbH, the outlets include Käfer, Cucina Popolare, Münchner Leibspeise, dean&david and ODEON...
