Today's Hotels Pulse
FAA says Spirit’s LaGuardia slots belong with another low‑cost carrier
The FAA Administrator argues that the coveted take‑off slots Spirit Airlines holds at New York’s LaGuardia should be reallocated to a different low‑cost carrier. Meanwhile, Spirit is preparing to auction off those slots to the highest bidder.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Airbnb leads $58M Series C in WeRoad
Not Just Travel's Cruise Sales Surge by 16% in March
Not Just Travel reported a 16% year‑on‑year rise in cruise bookings for March 2026, despite a volatile market shaped by Middle‑East conflict. More than 750 independent consultants drove the growth, with half of the top 20 consultants posting over 20% sales gains. Cruise‑focused partners saw especially strong gains, such as MSC up 68% and Ambassador Cruise Line up 142%. Several home‑working agents recorded extraordinary spikes, some exceeding 250% growth.
McDonald’s Sets Date for Under $3 Menu Debut
McDonald’s will roll out an Under $3 Menu on April 21, adding at least ten low‑priced items across breakfast, lunch and dinner, alongside a $4 Breakfast Meal Deal. The new McValue offerings follow a 2024 $5 Meal Deal and aim to reverse...
Passengers Keep Stealing From Carry-On Bags On Hong Kong Flights — But Cabin Cameras Still Aren’t Standard
A passenger on a Hong Kong Express flight from Phu Quoc to Hong Kong caught a thief rummaging through carry‑on bags, prompting police to intervene after cash was discovered missing. Airline data reveal more than 15 theft incidents per month...
Scott Miller Launches Ensemble Hospitality Design Studio
Scott Miller, former global director at AvroKO and North America director for 1508, has founded Ensemble, a hospitality design and strategy studio that blends guest‑experience insight with operational expertise. The firm offers end‑to‑end services for luxury hotels, restaurants and wellness...
Gold Medal Launches 2026/27 Caribbean and Mexico Portfolio
Gold Medal has unveiled its 2026/27 Caribbean and Mexico portfolio, supported by a month‑long marketing push and a dedicated online hub. The campaign features a 116‑page brochure, ready‑to‑use assets and 21 specially selected holidays from regional UK airports. Agents who...
Hyatt Opens Hyatt Regency Overlooking Niagara Falls
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has launched the Hyatt Regency Niagara Falls Fallsview, marking the brand's first property in the Niagara Falls region. The 42‑floor tower houses 611 rooms and suites, each delivering unobstructed views of the Horseshoe and American Falls. Guests...
Jet2 Achieves Fuel and Emissions Savings with Lightweight Paint
Jet2.com has begun applying AkzoNobel’s lightweight aircraft paint to more than 80 of its planes, delivering a weight reduction of over 20 kg per aircraft. The paint saves roughly a quarter‑million litres of fuel each year, cutting carbon emissions by more...
Actabl Launches AI Asset Setup
Actabl has introduced AI Asset Setup, an add‑on to its Transcendent hotel asset management platform that automates the collection and structuring of asset data using photo‑based input. The tool extracts details such as equipment type and serial numbers, eliminating the...
Hihotels Debuts The Legacy Circle
hihotels by Hospitality International has launched The Legacy Circle, a prestige program honoring franchise partners with up to 40 years of affiliation. The brand touts a 97% overall franchisee retention rate, far exceeding typical industry levels. The program offers custom...
Sandals Dunn's River Opens Louis Grant Conference Centre
Sandals Resorts has launched the Louis Grant Conference Centre at its Dunn’s River property in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The state‑of‑the‑art facility spans 8,000 square feet and can host up to 500 delegates, with a flexible main hall of 5,396 square...
Michelin Guide Picks Nashville for 2026 American South Ceremony, Expands U.S. Presence
Michelin announced that its 2026 American South awards ceremony will be held in Nashville on Oct. 21 at The Pinnacle, the guide’s first event in Music City. The move follows a successful inaugural Southern guide and signals deeper investment in the...
Baird’s Michael Bellisario Says Lodging REIT Outlook Cautiously Optimistic
Michael Bellisario of Baird says the lodging REIT outlook for 2026 is positive but muted after a difficult 2025. He expects the FIFA World Cup to lift REVPAR by at least 75 basis points, providing a modest revenue tailwind. Wealthy...
Baird’s Michael Bellisario Says Lodging REIT Outlook Cautiously Optimistic
In this episode of the REIT Report, senior research analyst Michael Bellisario of Baird outlines a cautiously optimistic but muted outlook for lodging and hotel REITs in 2026. He highlights modest RevPAR growth driven by events like the World Cup...
Malaysia Aviation Group Delivers Fourth Year of Operating Profit
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) posted a net profit after tax of RM137 million (≈ $30 million) for 2025, doubling its 2024 earnings and marking a fourth straight year of profitability. EBITDA surged to RM1.6 billion (≈ $356 million), up from RM788 million the prior year, helped by...
Radisson Hotel Group Raises Net-Zero Ambition for 100 Hotels, Sets 2030 Goal
Radisson Hotel Group announced a 2030 ambition for all 100 of its hotels to achieve net‑zero status, expanding the Verified Net Zero Hotels pilot that currently operates in Manchester and Oslo. The initiative targets full elimination of Scope 1 and 2...
Air New Zealand Announces Flights From Western Sydney International Airport
Air New Zealand has opened ticket sales for a new trans‑Tasman service linking Auckland International Airport with Western Sydney International Airport (WSI). The three‑times‑weekly flights – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – will launch on 26 October 2026, marking the first international operations from...
The First Rome by The Pavilions Presents In-Room Wellbeing Offers
The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts has teamed with Privilege, a wellbeing concierge, to launch in‑room wellness services across its three Rome properties – The First Arte, The First Dolce and The First Musica. Guests can book massages, facials, personal training...
Flying Blue’s Status Match Is Open to U.S. Residents for a Limited Time — Here’s How to Apply
Flying Blue has temporarily opened its status‑match program to U.S. residents, allowing elite members of roughly two dozen airlines to purchase Silver or Gold status for a 12‑month period. The fee is $99 for Silver and $199 for Gold, granting...
Kaunas Airport Pioneers Use of Hydrogen Powered Truck
Lithuania’s Kaunas Airport successfully trialed a 10‑ton hydrogen‑powered heavy‑duty truck, completing roughly 100 km of apron, runway and taxiway cleaning without emitting CO₂. The test is part of the EU‑funded Interreg Baltic Sea Region BSR HyAirport project, which also sees similar pilots...
ALL Accor+ Explorer Dining Benefit Changes April 2026
Accor refreshed its ALL Accor+ Explorer program on October 1, 2025, lowering the flagship dining discount from 50% to a flat 30% for all members. The update also introduced extensive blackout dates and removed all Banyan Group hotels while adding JO&JOE and Morgans...
Loganair and BETA Technologies Plan Expanded Electric Flight Trials in Scotland
Loganair, Royal Mail and BETA Technologies completed a ten‑day electric flight trial across Scotland, operating BETA’s ALIA CTOL aircraft on 23 legs that covered 1,006 nautical miles. The flights demonstrated an energy consumption of 1.37 kWh per nautical mile and speeds...
McDonald's Under $3 Menu Will Make Its Debut Later This Month
McDonald’s announced an Under $3 Menu that will roll out on April 21, featuring items such as a $1.50 Sausage McMuffin and a $2.50 McDouble. The promotion is part of the broader McValue initiative and replaces the previous buy‑one‑get‑one for $1...
Plant-Based Clover Food Lab Warns of Entire Chain Closure
Clover Food Lab, an 11‑unit plant‑based chain based in Cambridge, has filed a WARN notice indicating that 182 employees could be laid off by the end of May unless a buyer is found. The company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in...
Starbucks Is Adding New Incentives for Its Baristas
Starbucks announced a new incentive program allowing baristas to earn quarterly bonuses up to $300, potentially adding $1,200 to annual earnings. The plan also expands tipping to card and mobile channels and shifts payroll to weekly disbursements. Additional leadership roles,...
How the Sysco-Restaurant Depot Deal Will Affect Operators
Sysco announced a pending acquisition of Restaurant Depot, a bulk‑food retailer, sparking debate among industry stakeholders. Technomic’s distribution expert David Henkes discussed the deal on the A Deeper Dive podcast, highlighting potential FTC scrutiny and opposition from independent operators. The...
How US Foods Keeps Its Finger on the Pulse of Independent Restaurants
US Foods introduced 19 exclusive items in its Spring 2026 Scoop, targeting independent restaurants that prioritize product consistency and transparency. Highlights include the Monarch CrispGuard Garlic Parmesan Ranch Coating, which keeps fried foods crisp up to 45 minutes, and a ready‑to‑serve...
Red Lobster's Comeback Has yet to Materialize
Red Lobster reported a decline in sales for 2025, continuing the downward trend that contributed to its 2023 bankruptcy filing. Same‑store traffic fell roughly 3% as higher fuel prices and shifting consumer preferences squeezed discretionary dining. The chain’s current owners...
Now Open: Hyatt Regency Niagara Falls Fallsview
Hyatt has launched the Hyatt Regency Niagara Falls Fallsview, its first property in Niagara Falls, Ontario, joining the World of Hyatt Classics portfolio. The 42‑floor tower houses 611 premium rooms and suites that deliver unobstructed views of the Horseshoe and...
Custom Travel Solutions Launches RouteStack.ai
Custom Travel Solutions (CTS) unveiled RouteStack.ai, an AI‑native infrastructure that lets large‑language‑model agents like ChatGPT and Perplexity pull real‑time hotel inventory and generate instant booking links. Built on a proprietary Model Context Protocol, the platform translates conversational queries into structured...
The Zetter Opens New 68-Bedroom Bloomsbury Hotel
The Zetter has opened a 68‑room boutique hotel in Bloomsbury, converting six Georgian townhouses between Russell Square and the British Museum into a private‑residence‑style property. Designed by James Thurstan Waterworth, the 13,760‑sq‑ft hotel features a 1,000‑sqm garden blending British and...
Radisson Rewards Europe 10K Bonus Per Stay Select Hotels March 30 – May 18, 2026 (Book By April 14)
Radisson Rewards is offering a limited‑time promotion that awards 10,000 bonus points—roughly $20 in value—for each stay at select European "Spotlight Hotels" between March 30 and May 18, 2026. Members must book the prepaid stay between March 30 and April 14, 2026, and the...
Batik Air Trims Capacity 35% Amid Fuel Price Spike
Batik Air Malaysia has temporarily cut its capacity by 35 per cent until April 12 as part of a short-term capacity management strategy amid fuel price volatility and global economic uncertainty, the airline’s CEO tells me when contacted today. Read...
Recency Bias Skews Travel Forecasts, Dubai Not Yet Done
Recency bias is the most expensive cognitive error in the travel business…or any business. Wrote a column laying out why Dubai obituary is being written too early, and what the history of every macro travel crisis tells us about what...
Will Gulf Airlines Make A Full Recovery From Iran Attacks? If So, When?
Recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran provoked Iranian drone attacks that hit key Gulf infrastructure, including Dubai International Airport and the Burj Al Arab. Gulf carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways have curtailed schedules and grounded flights,...
Vestige Collection Unveils Binidufà
Vestige Collection has opened Binidufà, the second boutique hotel on its 800‑hectare private estate in Menorca’s untouched north. The 18th‑century property has been meticulously restored using traditional techniques and locally sourced materials. Its plant‑forward restaurant, Mesura, showcases island vegetables while...
The World’s Most Luxurious Hotels Are All Headed Someplace New—The Open Seas
Luxury hotel giants are moving onto the high seas, turning their brand prestige into floating resorts. Ritz‑Carlton has rolled out three yachts since 2022, while Four Seasons I, launching in March 2026, will feature 95 suites and a 1:1 staff...
Maldives to Host World Travel Awards Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026
The World Travel Awards announced that the Maldives will host the Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony on 27 September 2026, coinciding with World Tourism Day. The event marks the return of the Indian Ocean leg of the WTA Grand Tour, last...
InterContinental San Francisco Hosts Culinary Clash, Elevating Hotel‑Based Culinary Training
The InterContinental San Francisco turned its Luce Room into a high‑stakes kitchen for the annual Culinary Clash, pairing City College of San Francisco culinary students with the hotel’s chefs. The competition, now in its second decade, showcases how hotels are becoming...
Southwest Airlines Cardholders Now Eligible to Earn Bonus Points on Lyft
Chase has upgraded its partnership with Lyft, allowing Southwest Airlines credit‑card holders to earn bonus Rapid Rewards points on every Lyft ride through Dec. 31 2027. The top‑tier Priority and Performance Business cards earn 5 points per dollar, Premier cards earn 3...
Starbucks Revamps Partner Incentives: 3 Lessons for the Fast Casual Industry
Starbucks is rolling out a new partner incentive program that adds quarterly micro‑bonuses, expands digital tipping, and shifts hourly staff to weekly pay. Baristas can earn up to $1,200 a year by meeting sales and service targets, while digital tip...
British Airways Passengers Stranded in Newfoundland For Two Days Slam Airline as an “Utter Disgrace”
British Airways flight BA195 from London to Houston diverted to St. John’s, Newfoundland on March 31 after a passenger became seriously ill. The 787‑10 Dreamliner, carrying up to 265 passengers, was forced into a two‑day layover while the crew awaited...
How Three Distinct Properties Are Growing with BWH Hotels GB
BWH Hotels GB is leveraging its global brand to boost independent properties, showcasing three case studies. The Clarence Gardens Hotel in Scarborough saw RevPAR rise 22%, occupancy climb to 85%, and a 30% drop in booking errors after joining the...
AHEAD Asia Announces 2026 Judging Panel
The AHEAD Asia Awards have unveiled their 2026 judging panel, chaired by HBA Co‑CEO Chris Godfrey. The panel brings together leading architects, interior designers and developers from the APAC hospitality sector to evaluate new hotels, resorts and related projects. Entries...
Government Ministers Get Investment Update at Cork Airport
Ireland’s Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Jerry Buttimer toured Cork Airport to review its €200 million (≈$218 million) capital development programme. They officially opened a new staff and goods security screening area finished on‑time and on‑budget by PJ Hegarty...
Varel Singapore, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel Opens in Selegie
Marriott International’s Tribute Portfolio has opened Varel Singapore, a 128‑room boutique hotel in the Selegie district. The property, designed by award‑winning firm FDAT, blends heritage shophouse architecture with modern gardens and a rooftop infinity pool. It features four distinct dining...
Live Regenerative Travel at Las Torres Patagonia
Las Torres Patagonia, a family‑run estancia in Chilean Patagonia, is showcasing regenerative travel through cultural immersion, zero‑waste hospitality, and on‑site conservation projects. Guests can experience Baqueano cowboy traditions, sip cocktails crafted from native herbs and recycled glass, and dine on...
Viking Announces Float Out of Newest Nile River Ships
Viking River Cruises announced that its two newest Nile vessels, the Viking Ptah and Viking Sekhmet, have been floated out at Cairo’s Massara shipyard, signaling the start of final outfitting. The ships, each carrying 82 guests in 41 staterooms, are slated to...
Marriott International Fuels Growth Plans in Greece with the Announcement of Nine Deal Signings
Marriott International announced nine new development agreements in Greece, adding nearly 1,000 rooms and introducing two new brands, Residence Inn by Marriott and Le Méridien, to the market. The deals include luxury and lifestyle properties across islands, coastal areas, and Athens,...
Hyatt Regency to Make Italian Debut
Hyatt Regency Rome Central will open in spring 2026, marking Hyatt's first foray into the Italian market. The 238‑key property sits in Rome’s Esquiline district and features a modern design that nods to the nearby Anio Vetus aqueduct. Its standout...
Thailand Rolls Out Targeted Fuel Subsidies Ahead of Songkran Travel
Thailand’s Ministry of Transport is launching a targeted diesel subsidy on April 1 to cushion interprovincial buses and ride‑hailing firms ahead of the Songkran holiday. The scheme offers a four‑baht ($0.12) per litre discount and runs through April 30, with GPS data...