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
Watch Out for Improper Crediting of Hilton Honors Points When Staying at These Hotel Properties
A Hilton Honors American Express Aspire cardholder stayed at two Tru by Hilton properties in Vietnam and paid directly with the card, but the transactions were recorded under the travel‑agency name ONEPAY VIETNAM, earning only the base 3X points instead of the promised 14X. The cardholder reported the discrepancy to American Express, which opened an investigation that could take two to three weeks and may not guarantee the missing points. The incident underscores a systemic issue where third‑party payment processors can misclassify hotel charges, depriving premium cardholders of earned rewards. The situation serves as a cautionary reminder to monitor statements for proper point crediting.
Digitizing Borders Could Free up Space to Reimagine #PaxEx
Smart technology and cross‑industry collaboration could eliminate the last major frictions in air travel—border checks and lost baggage. SITA estimates digitized border control can shave up to 80% off processing times, while IATA’s OneID initiative is gaining momentum worldwide. Bangalore’s...
Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific Fined Following Salmonella Outbreak
A Gosford court ordered Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific to pay over $53,000 AUD (≈$35,000 USD) in fines after a Salmonella outbreak linked to a December 2022 conference. Forty of the 76 affected guests were confirmed with Salmonella, and 33 required hospital...
Citi Devalues Hotel Transfers | Coffee Break Ep98 | 3-24-26
Citibank announced that its ThankYou Rewards points will see reduced transfer ratios to Choice Hotels and I Prefer Hotels, effective April 19, 2026. The change lowers the value of hotel transfers that previously made Citi the top transferable points option...
Luxury Redefined: Hotel Goat Cheese's Quirky Fire‑Escape Entrance
America's most luxurious new hotel chain is Hotel Goat Cheese, where a bright brown-mustard-colored sign beckons visitors to the nearby fire escape.... https://t.co/wtbdA8ExF2
CLLIX Apartments & Hotels Expands Flexkeeping Rollout Following Pilot Success at Brisbane Skytower
CLLIX Apartments & Hotels will extend Flexkeeping, a Mews‑owned operations platform, to more than 20 Australian properties after a successful pilot at Brisbane Skytower. The pilot delivered a 413% return on investment, saved 112 hours of room‑allocation work each month...
United States Joins Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Chile, Jamaica and More Countries Offering Inclusive Tourism to International Tourists: Now...
The United States has officially joined Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Chile, Jamaica and other nations in a coordinated push for inclusive tourism, emphasizing accessibility for international visitors. Leveraging the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. is upgrading airports, hotels,...
Posadas Exclusive: BOLO for New Luxury Isla Mujeres Resort
Grupo Posadas is accelerating its luxury push in Mexico, beginning with the takeover of Izla Beachfront Hotel on Isla Mujeres on April 1. The property will operate under the Fiesta Americana Travelty brand for a year before reflagging as Devossion by...
Tourism Rebounds in 2025 as New York City Reported $84.7 Billion Economic Impact
New York City’s tourism sector delivered an $84.7 billion economic impact in 2025, supporting 397,000 jobs and generating $7.5 billion in tax revenue. The city welcomed 65 million visitors, with domestic travelers accounting for 52.4 million and showing a 1.7% year‑over‑year increase. Hotel performance remained robust,...
EasyJet Selects Mirus Aircraft Seating Kestral Economy Seat
easyJet has placed an order for Mirus Aircraft Seating’s next‑generation Kestrel Economy seats for its future A320neo and A321neo fleet, beginning with deliveries from 2028. The lightweight seats are over 20% lighter than current models and provide up to two...
Gondwana Ecotours Launches First Luxury Antarctica Expedition at $19,695
Gondwana Ecotours announced its inaugural luxury Antarctica expedition, priced from $19,695 and led by founder Jared Sternberg, co‑owner Eric Segalstad and guide‑operations head Dani Catania. The trip includes zodiac ice‑field tours, sea‑kayaking and cultural stops in Argentina, marking a new...
Four Seasons I Launches, Bringing Ultra‑Luxury Hospitality to Yachting
Four Seasons has launched its inaugural ultra‑luxury cruise yacht, Four Seasons I, a 207‑meter vessel with 95 residential‑style suites. The yacht began its maiden Mediterranean voyage, signaling the hotel group’s expansion into the high‑end yachting market and redefining sea‑based luxury...
Get Thousands of Free Alaska Atmos Rewards Points if You Live Within 75 Miles of San Diego
Alaska Airlines has teamed with San Diego FC and San Diego Wave FC to give residents within a 75‑mile radius of Snapdragon Stadium 100 Atmos Rewards points for each home‑game goal. The "Goals Go Further" promotion runs from Feb. 18, 2026 through...
AtomBite.AI Unveils Flexible Manipulation Robotics Designed to Solve the “Grasping Problem” In Commercial Kitchens
AtomBite.AI launched its first commercial robot, the M1 Takeout Packing Robot, to automate the chaotic "last meter" of food‑delivery fulfillment in restaurants. The system runs on a proprietary dual‑model AI brain that lets existing hardware manipulate unpredictable items like crushed...
How CEO Mike Tattersfield Is Reshaping Salad and Go’s Growth Strategy
CEO Mike Tattersfield has reshaped Salad and Go by shuttering 72 underperforming Texas and Oklahoma locations, narrowing the footprint to Arizona and Nevada. The chain, which relies on a centralized‑kitchen, drive‑thru‑only model, reported $1.74 million average unit volumes and a 7.4%...
Milano Prime Reports 16% Traffic Growth in Early 2026
SEA Prime, operating under the Milano Prime brand at Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports, reported a 16% year‑on‑year traffic increase in early 2026, with daily peaks above 130 movements. The surge is linked to the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics and Milan...
UAS Launches Trip Management Platform at SDC 2026
UAS International Trip Support unveiled GTMx, a mobile‑first trip management platform, at the NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference in Cleveland. The solution consolidates trip creation, communication, documentation and tracking into a single interface, replacing scattered email and messaging workflows. GTMx...
Southern Sky Aviation Opens US Customs Facility in Mississippi
Southern Sky Aviation inaugurated a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility at Trent Lott International Airport in Pascagoula, Mississippi on March 19, turning the airport into an official point of entry for international flights. The 24/7 customs service, part of...
Bilt Doubles Down on Dining With New Orchestration Platform Aimed at Unifying the Guest Experience
Bilt is expanding from its housing‑focused rewards program into restaurant technology with the launch of Bilt Hospitality for Restaurants. The new orchestration platform sits atop existing POS, reservation, CRM and communication systems, unifying guest data from reservation through payment. By...
Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne Celebrates Renovation With Beachside Event
Miami’s iconic Ritz‑Carlton Key Biscayne has reopened after a $100 million, 25‑year‑overdue renovation. The beachside celebration, hosted by developer Gencom, showcased a redesigned resort featuring open‑air architecture, expanded dining venues, a 30,000‑sq‑ft spa, and new family‑focused amenities such as a Ritz...
Rocco DiSpirito’s Italian-American Brasserie, Bar Rocco, Is Now Open in New York City
Bar Rocco, a 108‑seat Italian‑American brasserie helmed by celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, opened this month in the Kimpton Era Midtown hotel adjacent to Rockefeller Center. The venue offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, featuring steaks, pastas, seafood, and inventive cocktails. It...
Hyatt’s AI Captures Customers Sooner, Improving Sales and Productivity
Hyatt has revamped its website with a generative‑AI interface that lets travelers search by intent—such as desired climate or amenities—rather than the traditional city, date and room type fields. The AI‑driven experience captures interest earlier in the booking journey, boosting...
Why the Best Hedge Against Global Chaos Is a Very Large Hotel Company
IHG CEO Elie Maalouf told investors at the Berlin hotel forum that constant uncertainty demands scale and diversification. He noted that Europe continues to generate the bulk of IHG’s travel demand, while the company is chasing faster growth in eastern...
War in Iran Is Disrupting Air Travel, Hitting Middle East Hardest
War in Iran has sharply disrupted global air travel, with jet fuel prices roughly doubling after the Strait of Hormuz blockage. Airlines worldwide are raising fares and fuel surcharges, exemplified by Air France and KLM’s $58 increase on long‑haul tickets....
Press Release: ALTO Aviation Introduces New Cabin Control Panels
ALTO Aviation, a subsidiary of Heads Up Technologies, unveiled its next‑generation Cabin Management System at the 69th AEA Convention in Dallas. The launch adds touchscreen control panels in 3.5‑, 4.3‑ and 10.1‑inch formats and modular M3 metal panels designed for...
Digital in the Drive-Thru: Designing Outdoor Experiences for QSR Brands
The drive‑thru remains the dominant sales channel for quick‑service restaurants, accounting for over 70% of revenue before COVID‑19 and growing since the pandemic. Consumer expectations now prioritize speed, order accuracy, and a responsive experience. Digital signage is emerging as a...
GEN Korean BBQ Expands Its Grocery Division
GEN Korean BBQ is rapidly scaling its consumer‑packaged goods division, adding a full suite of Korean meals, sauces, drinks, soju and snacks to retail shelves. The brand moved from 30 launch locations to more than 800 U.S. supermarkets within six...
Score Big During FIFA World Cup 2026: How Hotels Can Maximise Revenue with Mobile Ordering
Hotels in North America are gearing up for the FIFA World Cup 2026, expecting a surge in demand that could lift average daily rates by 20‑45% in key markets. IRIS is promoting mobile ordering and digital guest directories as tools to...
Your Hotel Website Is Not Competing With Other Hotels
Hotel websites are often benchmarked against rival properties, but their true competition is the streamlined booking flow of OTAs like Expedia and Booking.com. OTAs have poured billions into frictionless checkout experiences, so any hesitation on a hotel’s own site pushes...
How to Conduct an Effective Hotel Displacement Analysis
Hotel revenue managers are urged to adopt displacement analysis to quantify the revenue trade‑offs of accepting group bookings versus higher‑yielding transient demand. The article outlines a simple formula that combines forecasted demand, room rates and opportunity cost, turning intuition into...
Poland Surges 7% in Tourist Arrivals, Positions Itself as 2026’s Safe‑Travel Hotspot
Poland recorded a 7% rise in tourist arrivals year‑over‑year and a record 58.9 million overnight stays in 2025, signaling its emergence as a top 2026 destination for safety‑seeking, culturally curious travelers. The growth is driven by strong inbound demand from Germany,...
James Trees Brings the Independent Restaurant Spirit to Hotel Dining
James Trees, a celebrated independent restaurateur, launched High Steaks atop the Rio Las Vegas Hotel’s Masquerade Tower, marking his first major hotel partnership. Backed by Rio CEO Patrick Miller, Trees secured autonomy over suppliers and staffing, allowing him to iterate...
Chicago City Council Approves Hotel Tax Hike to 19% for Tourism Marketing
Chicago City Council voted to raise the city’s hotel occupancy tax from its current level to 19%, directing the additional revenue to a city‑wide tourism marketing fund. The move, aimed at boosting visitor numbers, will affect hotel operators and travelers...
EVA Air Selling Miles With up to a 40% Bonus — But Is It Worth Buying?
EVA Air’s Infinity MileageLands promotion runs through March 26 2026, offering up to a 40 % bonus that lowers the cost to about 2.86 ¢ per mile (≈$6,000 for 150,000 miles). Purchased miles must constitute no more than 50 % of any redemption and expire...
The Truth About Those Stealable Little Hotel Toiletries and Why They Were Replaced with Refillable Dispensers
U.S. states including California, New York and Illinois have banned single‑use hotel toiletries, prompting chains like Marriott and InterContinental to roll out refillable dispensers. Hotels tout the switch as a waste‑reduction win, claiming hundreds of millions of mini bottles are kept...
Travis Murray Appointed MXR Hospitality EVP, Operations
MXR Hospitality has named former McNeill Hotel Company president Travis Murray as its first executive vice president of operations. Murray will oversee the hotel portfolio’s day‑to‑day management, brand and owner relationships, and drive growth of MXR’s third‑party property‑management business. He...
Marriott Bonvoy Partners With Ethiopian Airlines
Marriott Bonvoy and Ethiopian Airlines have launched a reciprocal partnership, allowing members to convert ShebaMiles into Marriott points and vice‑versa. The conversion rates are 2 ShebaMiles to 1 Bonvoy point and 3 Bonvoy points to 1 ShebaMiles, with a 5,000‑mile bonus for...
Munich Airport & Lufthansa Extend Joint Venture Agreement Through 2056
Munich Airport and Lufthansa have renewed their joint venture, extending the partnership until 2056. The agreement includes a plan to build a new T‑Pier attached to Terminal 2, targeting an additional ten million passengers per year and a 2035 opening. Lufthansa...
Press Release: SAS Goes Live with Starlink High-Speed Wi-Fi
SAS has launched Starlink‑powered high‑speed Wi‑Fi across its Airbus A320 fleet, delivering speeds of over 500 Mbps and low‑latency connectivity even at northern latitudes. EuroBonus members receive free access starting 24 March, thanks to a partnership with mobile operator 3. The airline...
PM Hotel Group Promotes Fran Owen to SVP, Sales
PM Hotel Group has elevated longtime sales leader Fran Owen to senior vice president of sales, giving her oversight of commercial initiatives across its full‑service and select‑service brands. Owen, who joined the firm in 2014 and spent more than seven...
The Vanderpump Hotel in Las Vegas to Open in May
Lisa Vanderpump’s first hotel, The Vanderpump Hotel, will open on the Las Vegas Strip in May 2026, replacing the former Cromwell property. The boutique resort will offer 188 guest rooms and suites designed with moss‑green and lilac tones, gold and...
Airbnb Unveils 20‑Destination “America Off‑the‑Map” List to Spotlight Rural U.S. Travel
Airbnb announced its inaugural America Off‑the‑Map list, featuring 20 under‑the‑radar rural destinations across the United States. The move follows a Focaldata survey showing 86% of travelers and 94% of Gen Z want countryside getaways, and aims to shift tourism dollars...
HAMA Europe Announces Brookfield Asset Management as the Winner of the 10th Annual Asset Management Achievement Award
Brookfield Asset Management won HAMA Europe’s 10th Annual Asset Management Achievement Award for its Moxy Barcelona project. The firm acquired the 414‑key Expo Hotel Barcelona in September 2021 and invested roughly $30.5 million in a full renovation, rebranding it to Marriott’s Moxy...
Radisson Launches Global Verified Net Zero Program, Targets 100 Hotels by 2030
Radisson Hotel Group announced a Global Verified Net Zero Hotels program at the International Hospitality Investment Forum, pledging to certify 100 existing hotels as net‑zero by 2030. The move is framed as a hedge against volatile oil prices and a...
ATTA Appoints Virginia Messina as Group CEO as African Tourism Gains Momentum
The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA) has named Virginia Messina as its new Group Chief Executive Officer. Messina arrives after a ten‑year tenure at the World Travel & Tourism Council, where she led communications. Her appointment coincides with a...
This Tiny Airline Just Launched London's New Longest-Ever Airbus A220 Route
Romanian carrier AnimaWings launched a new London Gatwick‑Bucharest service on an Airbus A220‑300, creating the airport’s longest scheduled A220 sector at 1,296 miles. The route, operating six times weekly, adds a seventh A220‑operated flight to Gatwick’s modest A220 portfolio. AnimaWings currently...
Virgin Voyages Unveils Winter 2027/28 Programme
Virgin Voyages announced its kid‑free winter 2027/28 program across three ships—Brilliant Lady, Resilient Lady and Valiant Lady—departing from Los Angeles and Miami. The itineraries include Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, Caribbean and a 14‑night Halloween transatlantic from Barcelona, with cruise lengths ranging...
Cruise.co.uk and Ambassador Team up for Country Music Voyage
Cruise.co.uk has announced a partnership with Ambassador to launch a country‑music themed cruise departing from the UK. The voyage will feature live performances by well‑known country artists and a curated itinerary that blends coastal sightseeing with on‑board entertainment. Early‑bird tickets...
W Hotels Is Redefining All-Inclusive Luxury With Its Adults-Only Resort In Punta Cana, Here’s Why
W Hotels has launched its first all‑inclusive, adults‑only resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, marking a strategic entry into the upscale all‑inclusive market. The 340‑room property, designed by Zanobia Arquitectura, blends jungle foliage with beachfront views and offers expansive rooms,...
Actabl Launches Integration Connecting ProfitSword Budgets with Hotel Effectiveness to Streamline Hotel Portfolio Labor Planning
Actabl announced an integration that links ProfitSword labor budgets directly to Hotel Effectiveness labor‑planning tools, allowing financial targets to flow automatically into operational schedules. The connection eliminates the manual reconciliation that typically separates finance and operations, cutting hours of work...