GHA Discovery Double D$ For Stays At Select Hotels In Europe & North America April 1 – May 31, 2026
GHA DISCOVERY is offering double Discovery Dollars (D$) for stays booked and completed between April 1 and May 31, 2026 at select hotels across Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Latin America. Members earn both the base D$ and an equal promotional amount, with elite tiers receiving up to 14% of the room rate as D$. Registration on the GHA website is required, and only direct bookings qualify. The promotion applies to over 300 properties, excluding third‑party rates and certain discounted categories.
The Future of Hotel Growth Is Wellness Driven
Hotel Mogel’s Adam Mogelonsky joins Lisa Starr on the StarrCast podcast to explore how wellness is reshaping hotel growth strategies. The discussion frames wellness as a property‑wide initiative rather than a standalone amenity, influencing guest experience, operational models, and revenue...
IHG One Rewards Double Points & Nights Offers April – May 2026
Chase has launched limited‑time conversion bonuses for points transferred from Ultimate Rewards to Air Canada Aeroplan and IHG One Rewards, offering a 20% boost for Aeroplan and a 70% boost for IHG. The promotions run through April 30, 2026, and...
Alaska Airlines: 30% Off Select Flights With Promo Code FLY30
Alaska Airlines is rolling out a limited‑time promotion that slashes base fares by 30% on select nonstop routes to Hawaii and a slate of U.S. transcontinental cities. The discount, accessed with promo code FLY30, applies to travel between April 22 and...
Delta One Lounge At JFK Makes Guests Check Bags Before Dinner — Then Asks Them To Tip In SkyMiles
Delta’s flagship Delta One lounge at JFK has introduced a new “no‑bags‑allowed” rule in its dining room, requiring guests to check luggage before entering. The airline also rolled out a digital tip prompt that lets passengers tip staff with SkyMiles,...
Save Up to 35% In India and Nepal With Radisson Rewards — Plus…
Radisson Rewards is offering up to 35 % off room rates at participating hotels in India and Nepal from May 1 to June 30 2026, with nightly prices as low as $37.89 and breakfast included. The promotion also grants members an extra 2,000 points...
Air India Will Start Weighing Flight Attendants — Overweight Crew Will Be Pulled From Flights Without Pay
Air India will enforce a new Cabin‑Crew Health and Fitness Compliance Policy starting May 1, requiring flight attendants to maintain a BMI between 18 and 24.9, with conditional allowances up to 29.9. Crew members with a BMI of 30 or higher...
Ryanair Says Its Going to Stop Trolling Passengers and Celebrities On Social Media
Ryanair announced it will abandon its notorious trolling approach on X and Facebook, adopting a more corporate and professional tone. The shift follows years of aggressive "trashposting" that targeted passengers, celebrities, and even sparked a public spat with Elon Musk...
Alaska Atmos Rewards Ascent Card Offering 85K Bonus
Alaska Airlines has refreshed its Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® card with an 85,000‑mile sign‑up bonus and a $99 companion fare after $4,500 of spending in the first 120 days. The card carries a $95 annual fee and offers 3X...
The Ritz-Carlton Studied 400,000 Guests and Found One Thing That Changed Their Brand.
The Ritz‑Carlton examined 400,000 guest comment cards and discovered that the very first interaction determines whether a guest will return or lodge a complaint. This insight led to the ten‑foot rule—employees must greet anyone within ten feet with a genuine...
JetBlue Unveils Subscription-Based Loyalty Perks and Expanded Redemption Options
JetBlue has launched TrueBlue Subscriptions, a recurring points program that lets members earn loyalty points through monthly or annual plans, with three tiered options offering higher earning rates and redemption rebates. The airline also broadened redemption possibilities, allowing points to...
Your Guests Are Calling. Is Anyone Answering the Phone?
Hotel operators are losing revenue because 10‑40% of inbound calls go unanswered, and 70% of callers hang up within a minute of hold time. Over half of travelers (52%) will abandon the property and book through an OTA if they...
The Revenue Impact Hiding in Your Venue Enquiry Response Time
Venue operators often overlook how response latency erodes revenue. With an average event contract of $18,901.62, three bookings a month translate to roughly $680,000 in annual income, yet planners award 35‑50% of events to the first venue that replies. Faster...
Creating a Customer Loyalty Culture with Lisa Checchio
Lisa Checchio, CCO of EBG, explains on Amazing Business Radio that a hospitality mentality—treating every interaction as welcoming and memorable—drives superior customer experience across B2B, B2C, and government sectors. She argues most loyalty programs focus on discounts, which create perk‑based...
ITA Airways Volare Now Gone – Becomes Part Of Miles&More & Star Alliance From April 1, 2026
ITA Airways has terminated its Volare frequent‑flyer program as of March 30, 2026, giving members a short window to redeem remaining points. Starting April 1, 2026 the carrier will become a full member of Lufthansa Group’s Miles&More program and join the Star Alliance network....
Significant Changes to United Airlines MileagePlus Program Effective As of April 2 2026
United Airlines is overhauling its MileagePlus program on April 2, 2026, cutting base mileage earn rates for non‑card members while boosting accrual for eligible United credit‑card holders. General members see a 40% drop to 3 miles per dollar, whereas Premier...
Why I Love National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
Lindblad Expeditions, partnered exclusively with National Geographic since 2004, offers small‑ship expedition cruises that reach remote destinations inaccessible to larger vessels. Its fleet ranges from the 28‑guest Delfin II to the 148‑passenger National Geographic Explorer, providing intimate experiences across all seven...
You Can Earn 7 Free Nights From Hyatt Brand Explorer Perk
Hyatt’s Brand Explorer perk now awards up to seven category 1‑4 free‑night certificates after members stay at five different Hyatt brands, a jump from the original two‑certificate limit. The program currently spans 38 distinct Hyatt brands, from luxury Park Hyatt...
Hidden Gems of Manchester
Manchester, once the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, has reinvented itself as a cultural and creative hub. The city now draws tourists with its Roman ruins, historic canals, vibrant music scene, sports venues, and a thriving independent retail and culinary...
Get a 35% Bonus when Buying Choice Points (Buy Points for 0.76 Cpp)
Choice Privileges has opened a new points sale offering a 35% bonus on purchases of 18,000 points or more, bringing the cost down to roughly 0.76 cents per point. The promotion runs from March 30 to April 28, 2026, with...
Cathay Pacific Restarts Seattle Service
Cathay Pacific announced it will restart nonstop service between Hong Kong and Seattle on March 30, 2026, after suspending the route during the pandemic. The airline will operate five weekly flights using Airbus A350 aircraft, offering business‑class reverse‑herringbone seats, premium‑economy, and free Wi‑Fi. The...
Press Release: Tigerair Taiwan Taps Bluebox Wireless IFE for A320 Fleet
Tigerair Taiwan has partnered with Bluebox Aviation Systems to equip its 17 Airbus A320 fleet with a wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) solution. The Bluebox Wow portable system will deliver the Blueview digital platform directly to passengers’ personal devices, offering a...
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau Retires (To Take French Classes?)
Air Canada announced that CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026, concluding a twenty‑year tenure that saw the carrier navigate the 2007‑2008 financial crisis, the COVID‑19 pandemic, and the Aeroplan acquisition. The board...
How AI Is Pushing Past Hotel Guest Personas
Hotels are rapidly deploying AI for pricing, forecasting, conversion and personalization, yet many hit a ceiling because they still rely on traditional guest personas. These personas compress diverse behaviors into average profiles, stripping away the individual variation and contextual cues...
You Hired a Revenue Strategist But You Are Using Them as a Clerk
Hotels often hire revenue managers for strategic insight, yet most of their mornings are spent manually pulling data from property management systems, OTA extranets, rate‑shopping tools, and STR reports. This clerical routine consumes two hours before any analysis begins, turning...
This Hugely Underrated European Capital Is Now More Popular Than Ever
Vilnius welcomed 1.5 million tourists in 2025, representing 51.7% of Lithuania’s population and a 4.4% year‑over‑year increase. A State Data Agency study shows 77% of visitors named Lithuania as their primary destination, with 90% rating their experience positively. The capital’s UNESCO‑listed...
This Tiny Amex Lounge In Fort Lauderdale Had A 150-Person Wait List — Travelers Will Queue For Anything Labeled Premium
A tiny 5,400‑square‑foot Escape Lounge at Fort Lauderdale’s Terminal 3 has attracted a waitlist of over 150 travelers, despite its modest amenities. The lounge, co‑branded with American Express, does not honor complimentary entry for Platinum cardholders and instead charges $45 per...
Patel Family Office Invests in $1 Billion Saudi Hotel Development Platform
The Patel Family Office and Saudi conglomerate Abdel Hadi A. Al‑Qahtani & Sons have signed a $1 billion agreement to launch AYARA, a vertically integrated hospitality platform. AYARA aims to develop 50 internationally branded business‑hotel projects, delivering between 5,000 and 7,000...
Spirit’s December and January Show Improvement, Future Schedules Slashed
Spirit Airlines released its December and January operating reports, showing a modest operating‑margin improvement over the bleak November figures but a decline again in January. Unit revenue rose to 11.1 cents per passenger in December before slipping to 10.2 cents in January,...
Lufthansa Flight Attendants Vote For Strike, Possibly During German Easter School Holidays
Lufthansa cabin crew have voted overwhelmingly for strike action, with 94% of mainline flight attendants and 99% of Cityline crew supporting the move. The union’s vote comes as Germany’s Easter school holidays, ending on April 13, approach, raising the likelihood...
QSRs Moving Beyond the Tech Vs. Human Debate
Quick‑service restaurants are moving past the binary tech‑vs‑human debate, treating technology as a partner rather than a replacement. Operators are investing heavily in kiosks, mobile ordering, AI upselling and integrated back‑of‑house systems, but the real gains come from aligning these...
Designing Food and Beverage for Two Economies
The restaurant industry is splitting into two distinct consumer economies—high‑income diners seeking premium experiences and price‑sensitive patrons demanding clear value. This bifurcation forces operators to abandon one‑size‑fits‑all strategies and design products, menus, and experiences for a specific economy. Precision product‑market...
American Express Platinum Changes: Events With AmEx To Be Removed, Uber VIP Replaced With Priority Support
American Express announced three updates to its Platinum card benefits effective in 2026. The "Events with Amex" perk ends on June 10, while Centurion lounge access will be restricted to five‑hour layovers and require the primary cardholder to be on...
Etihad Operates 66 Flights Ex-Abu Dhabi On Sunday, March 29, 2026
Etihad Airways resumed commercial flights three weeks after suspending operations when the Iran‑UAE conflict began on Feb. 28, and on March 29 it operated 67 passenger flights from its Abu Dhabi hub. The airline’s daily schedule now sits at roughly...
Alaska Buying JetBlue? Not So Fast
Alaska Air is eyeing JetBlue as a potential acquisition, attracted by the combined route map and East Coast foothold. The deal would give Alaska access to Boston, JFK slots, the Mint premium brand, and a fleet of A321LRs suited for...
Passengers Say Delta Regional Flight Was Held For CEO’s Daughter — And She Was Given Someone Else’s First Class Seat
Delta flight 4279 from Salt Lake City to St. George was delayed 53 minutes after boarding while crew waited for a late‑arriving passenger identified as the daughter of SkyWest CEO Russell Childs. Passengers were asked to relinquish first‑class seats, and one...
An American Influencer Has Achieved the Impossible By Uniting Europe in Defense of Ryanair After Viral Video Backfires
Boston‑based influencer Joleen Weiss posted a two‑minute TikTok after Ryanair staff in Porto removed her from a flight, claiming she missed check‑in and insulted gate agents. The video quickly hit 1.4 million views, prompting a wave of European users defending Ryanair’s...
Club Marriott’s Notice To Members About Closure Of The Program Effective May 31, 2027 (Closes For New Members April 1)
Club Marriott announced it will stop accepting new members on April 1 2026 and fully retire the program on May 31 2027. Current members will have their card benefits extended at no cost until the termination date, but no new vouchers will be issued....
Delta Had Empty First Class Seats — So The Gate Agent Held A Break Dance Contest
Delta Air Lines faced two empty first‑class seats at Salt Lake City, prompting a gate agent to stage a break‑dance contest for the upgrades. The airline now allocates only about 12 % of first‑class seats to complimentary upgrades, down from 81 %...
Cranky on the Web: TSA Chaos
Travel disruptions caused by TSA staffing shortages have reignited political debate, with President‑elect Trump promising higher pay for agents. Federal hiring freezes and stagnant wages have left many checkpoints understaffed, leading to longer security lines at major hubs while smaller...
U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Offer Increased to $750 Back
U.S. Bank has raised the Business Altitude Connect card’s welcome bonus to 75,000 points, redeemable for a $750 deposit after $6,000 of spend within 180 days. The card carries a $0 introductory annual fee, rising to $95 after the first...
Miles and Points On Sale — March 27 2026
A wave of limited‑time promotions across major travel loyalty programs is underway, offering steep discounts or massive bonus points for purchased miles and points. World of Hyatt, JetBlue, American Airlines, and dozens of others are slashing prices or matching purchases...
New Budget Train Launching Between 4 Major European Cities From Only $22
Dutch startup GoVolta has launched budget train services linking Amsterdam with Berlin and Hamburg, offering one‑way fares as low as €19 (≈ $22). The routes run three times weekly starting March 19‑20, 2026, with plans to increase to daily departures in summer 2026....
Press Release: AIX on What’s Redefining Cabin Innovation Across APAC
Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) released a new APAC cabin‑innovation report, outlining five trends reshaping aircraft interiors across the region. Ultra‑long‑haul routes are prompting sleep‑focused seats and wellbeing amenities. Passengers now demand seamless, high‑speed connectivity and personalized digital services. APAC carriers...
The Club Med Theory
The all‑inclusive resort model was launched in 1950 by Gérard Blitz and Gilbert Trigano in Majorca, quickly becoming a hit by eliminating cash transactions. Blitz’s insight was that removing price signals reduces cognitive load, offering guests a stress‑free experience rather...
Wars Reshape Travel: What the Iran Conflict Means for Europe
The escalating Iran conflict is reshaping European travel dynamics, sharply reducing demand for the Gulf Cooperation Council and United Arab Emirates as stopover routes falter and airfares climb. At the same time, softer sentiment toward the United States and rising...
Why Summer Strategy Starts Long Before Memorial Day
Hotel revenue leaders are mapping the summer calendar early, recognizing that the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day will be shaped by two major catalysts: Independence Day falling on a Saturday and the United States’ 250th anniversary. Both events...
Plugging the Profit Leak: Addressing Revenue Leakage in Restaurant Operations
Restaurant operators face mounting upstream cost pressures, from rising commodity prices to supply‑chain constraints that have already added roughly $75 million in unexpected expenses for major suppliers. These external shocks translate into thin, low‑single‑digit margins, where even minor invoice discrepancies, missed...
Earn Free Rental Days: ONE TWO FREE Promotion Returns From National Car Rental
National Car Rental’s Emerald Club is re‑launching its ONE TWO FREE promotion from April 6 to June 7 2026, letting members earn a free rental day for every two qualifying rentals of two to seven consecutive days. The program scales, granting additional free...
Why Best-of-Breed Beats All-in-One for Revenue Managers
Hotel IQ and RateGain have announced a strategic partnership that merges Hotel IQ’s internal business intelligence with RateGain’s competitive rate intelligence. The integration delivers a single‑sign‑on, real‑time view of pacing data and competitor pricing, powered by an AI engine that...