Etihad Introduces Destination Collection Amenity Kits with LANEIGE Partnership
Etihad Airways is rolling out a Destination Collection of 14 collectible Business Class amenity kits this summer, each featuring city‑inspired designs and unique serial numbers. The kits come in two styles, Pouch and Slim, with seven colorways representing destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, Lisbon and Atlanta. Etihad has partnered with Korean skincare brand LANEIGE to include hydration‑focused products like the Water Sleeping Mask and Lip Sleeping Mask. The initiative aims to turn a functional item into a design‑led, personalized travel experience.
Azamara Cruises Partners With Approach Guides
Azamara Cruises has teamed up with Approach Guides to roll out a suite of co‑branded marketing tools for travel advisors during Advisor Appreciation Month, running May 4‑31. The platform offers ready‑to‑use visual assets that advisors can instantly personalize and share with...
Trinity and Sculptor Buy Oceanfront Resort on Florida’s Gulf Coast for $835M
Trinity Investments and Sculptor Real Estate closed an $835 million acquisition of the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort on Florida’s Gulf Coast, financing the deal with a $690 million CMBS loan. The 27‑acre property includes 809 hotel rooms, two 18‑hole golf courses,...
Driving Sustainable Hotel Operations Through Connected Infrastructure
Hotels are turning to connected infrastructure—mirroring the real‑time data streams of modern cars—to unify property management, energy, and maintenance systems. By integrating PMS, EMS, AI and sensor networks, operators gain a single dashboard that reveals performance, occupancy and equipment health...
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Moment Partners with SCAT Airlines to Deliver Wireless IFE Across Fleet
Moment announced a partnership with Kazakhstan‑based SCAT Airlines to install its wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) system across the carrier’s fleet. The deal, signed on March 4, makes SCAT the first Central Asian airline to adopt Moment’s Flymingo Box, a compact, autonomous...
How Port Canaveral Is Powering Record Cruise Growth
Port Canaveral was named the world’s busiest cruise port in 2025, handling 8.6 million guests—a 13% increase over the prior year. Revenue has surged from $77.7 million in 2015 to $218 million today, driven by six terminals that accommodate 18 ships across seven...
Uber CEO Says Travel Rivals Like Expedia Can’t Match Its On-the-Ground Edge
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company’s on‑the‑ground presence in more than 70 countries gives it a distinct advantage in travel, especially for airport‑to‑city trips. He highlighted that over 100 million riders book airport rides each year and that 1.5 billion trips...
Cunard Offers Sweepstakes for Advisor Appreciation Month
Cunard is running a Grill Suites Sweepstakes from May 4 to June 30 to celebrate Travel Advisor Appreciation Month. Advisors who attend a May webinar, share a promotional post, and submit a deposited Grill Suite booking can win a seven‑night cruise aboard...
Now Live: Air France-KLM Flying Blue Improves Mileage Expiration Policy
Air France‑KLM’s Flying Blue program has overhauled its mileage expiration rules, effective May 4 2026. The new policy applies a uniform 24‑month inactivity clock to all miles, and any earning activity—flights, co‑branded card spend, or transfers from other points currencies—resets the clock....
US’s Spirit Airlines to Start Orderly Wind-Down, Sell Assets
Spirit Aviation Holdings, the parent of Spirit Airlines, filed a motion on May 4, 2026, to obtain emergency court approval for an orderly wind‑down after halting flights on May 2. The carrier cited a sudden $100 million surge in fuel costs...
How Digital Signage Is Changing Hospitality Customer Experience
Hospitality operators are turning to Pro AV and digital signage to create immersive, data‑rich guest experiences. Leaders at Almo Pro AV highlight a shift from isolated TVs to integrated ecosystems that blend audio, lighting, displays, and furniture. The trend emphasizes...
Windstar Cruises Launches New Advisor Marketing Tools
Windstar Cruises has teamed with Approach Guides to roll out co‑branded marketing pages that give travel advisors a personalized version of windstarcruises.com. The launch coincides with the addition of two Star Class vessels – Star Seeker, which entered service in...
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This European Airline Has Hotel-Like First-Class Suites—Including Double Beds
Lufthansa’s Allegris brand, launched in 2024, now offers a hotel‑like first‑class Suite Plus with a private door, ceiling‑high walls and two seats that convert into a double bed. The suite is included in the fare but single‑occupancy reservations incur a surcharge....
Brightline Taps Amadeus to Expand Advisor Access to Florida Rail
Brightline reported a 21% year‑over‑year increase in ridership, with March 2026 hitting a record 190,000 passengers and generating $23.6 million in revenue, up 14% from the prior year. The high‑speed rail service is now available on the Amadeus Travel Platform, allowing...
The 2026 World Cup Won’t Deliver Demand the Way Hotels Expected. Here’s How to Respond - By Nicola Graham
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is not delivering the hotel demand surge once deemed guaranteed; bookings across U.S. host cities are hovering near last year’s levels. Demand is arriving later, in smaller, match‑specific bursts, and travelers are showing heightened price...
How Video Marketing for Hotels Is Driving Direct Bookings
Hotels are turning to video marketing to replace static images and third‑party listings, aiming to boost direct bookings. Virtual tours, guest testimonial clips, and short social video ads engage travelers early in the planning process and keep them on hotel...
AKTG Globalizes 100 Club, Uniting Top Advisors in Chicago
Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group (AKTG) turned its biennial 100 Club conference in Chicago into a global gathering, inviting top advisors from the U.S. and abroad. The event showcased the full AKTG portfolio, highlighting Crystal’s first new‑build ship, Crystal Grace, slated...
FIFA World Cup Hotel Demand Falls Short of Expectations, AHLA Report Finds
Hotel bookings tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup are lagging behind early forecasts, with 80 % of surveyed properties reporting lower-than-expected occupancy. Visa hurdles and geopolitical concerns are curbing international travel, shifting demand toward domestic guests. Over‑allocation of FIFA room...
How Does AI Room Pricing Work for Small Hotels? A Guide to Stop Guessing Your Room Rates - By Femke...
Lighthouse’s AI‑driven Pricing Optimization helps small independent hotels set room rates using real‑time market data. The platform monitors competitor rates, local events, booking pace, occupancy and historical patterns, delivering hourly rate recommendations within user‑defined guardrails. Hotels that adopt the tool...
JetBlue Enhances Status Match: Get Three Months of Mosaic Status, Challenge to Extend Through 2027
JetBlue has upgraded its status‑match program, granting three months of Mosaic elite status to members holding qualifying tiers on seven major airlines. The enhancement specifically upgrades former Spirit Free Spirit Gold members to Mosaic 2 instead of Mosaic 1. During the trial, travelers...
Florida’s Luxury Hotel Scene: What’s New & Improved
Florida’s luxury hotel market is seeing major upgrades across Miami, Boca Raton, and Naples. In Miami, Minor Hotels will launch Anantara Miami Resort & Residences, a 50‑story mixed‑use tower slated for 2030 with 50 suites, 100 private residences and a...
The Future of Hotel Brand Conversions
Hotel brand conversions are emerging as a fast, cost‑effective alternative to ground‑up builds, allowing owners to reposition existing assets quickly. By aligning a property’s physical attributes with a suitable brand, operators can meet evolving guest expectations while conserving capital. Conversions...
Italian Travel Tech Startup Smartness Raises €47 Million In Series B Funding Round
Italian travel‑tech startup Smartness announced a €47 million (approximately $51 million) Series B round, led by existing backer XYZ Capital with participation from new investor ABC Ventures. The financing pushes the company’s post‑money valuation beyond €200 million, reflecting strong market confidence in its AI‑driven...
Antigua and Barbuda Gears Up for Caribbean Travel Marketplace
Antigua and Barbuda is set to host the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace from May 12‑15 at the American University of Antigua. CEO Colin James highlighted a coordinated public‑private effort to deliver seamless B2B meetings, media immersion...
New Orleans Hotel Industry Generates Nearly $9 Billion Economic Impact in 2025
The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Oxford Economics study shows New Orleans hotels generated nearly $9 billion in economic impact for 2025, supporting more than 51,000 jobs—about 19% of the city’s workforce. Hotel activity produced $5 billion of the city’s GDP and $1.2 billion...
CTO Presents 2026 Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Award Winners
The Caribbean Tourism Organization announced the 2026 Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Award winners during its Sustainable Tourism Conference in Belize. Turneffe Flats (Belize), Guyana Inni Lodge, Jamaica’s REDI II programme, and the Turks and Caicos National Trust were honored for excellence in...
Edmonton International Airport (YEG) Launches YEGplus – Canada’s First Airport Loyalty Program
Edmonton International Airport (YEG) unveiled YEGplus, Canada’s first airport‑wide loyalty program, allowing travelers to earn points on every dollar spent at the terminal. The free, spend‑based program features three tiers—Essential, Silver and Gold—each unlocking higher‑value perks such as parking upgrades...
Had Elite Status with Spirit? These Airlines Are Offering a Status Match
Spirit Airlines' shutdown left its Saver$ Club and Free Spirit elite members without a loyalty home. In response, Avelo, JetBlue, and Southwest are rolling out free or low‑cost status‑match programs to capture these high‑frequency flyers. Each match has specific eligibility...
From Safari to Beach: Air Tanzania Opens Seamless Travel Route to Seychelles
Air Tanzania has launched its first Dar es Salaam‑Seychelles flight, creating a direct link between Tanzania’s mainland and the Indian Ocean archipelago. The new route is positioned as a seamless corridor that combines iconic safari experiences with luxury beach vacations,...
United’s Premium Boeing 787s With New Cabins: Which Routes Do They Fly?
United Airlines has begun delivering a new fleet of 222‑seat Boeing 787‑9 Dreamliners, branded United Elevate, featuring an ultra‑premium cabin layout. The aircraft house 64 Polaris business seats—including eight Studio seats—35 Premium Plus seats and 123 economy seats. Currently four...
Eye on POS: Preferred Hotels Prefer Toast; NCR Voyix Expands at Stater Bros. Markets
Toast Inc. joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts' Alliance Partner Program, becoming an endorsed point‑of‑sale provider for the luxury hotel group’s 625 independent properties across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. The partnership opens a new hospitality revenue...
Buy $300+ Delta Gift Card, Get $20 Starbucks Gift Card: Good Deal?
Delta is running a promotion that gives a $20 Starbucks eGift card when customers purchase a Delta gift card of $300 or more, valid through May 11 2026. The bonus translates to roughly a 6.7% nominal return, but the purchase is processed...
Spirit Airlines’ Exit Removes 21.3 Million Seats From the U.S. Air Connectivity Network
Spirit Airlines announced it will cease operations on May 2, eliminating 21.3 million seats from the U.S. aviation market. The lost capacity represents 4.5% of domestic low‑cost seats and 1.4% of total U.S. connectivity through December 2026. Over 91% of the seats were...
Toast Announces New Alliance Partnership With Preferred Hotels & Resorts, The World’s Largest Independent Hotel Brand
Toast (NYSE: TOST) announced it has joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Alliance Partner Program, becoming the recommended point‑of‑sale and payments provider for the independent luxury hotel brand. The partnership covers Preferred’s portfolio of more than 625 hotels, resorts and residences...
At 100, Route 66 Still Ties the US and the World Together
Route 66 celebrated its 100‑year anniversary, reminding travelers that the historic highway still serves as a cultural bridge between America and the world. The centennial sparked a wave of restoration projects, with federal and state funds earmarked for pavement repairs, signage...
How This Travel Company's AI Rollout Drove a 73% Satisfaction Boost: A 5-Step Playbook for Your Business
Booking.com transformed its partner‑to‑guest communication with an agentic AI system called Smart Messenger, cutting response times from minutes to seconds. By building a Snowflake‑based data platform that incorporates ThoughtSpot, Airflow, Immuta, Arize and open‑source LangGraph, the company staged a two‑phase...
IHCL, Lemon Tree Hotels Topped Room Additions in 2025
Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) and Lemon Tree Hotels led the Indian hospitality sector in 2025, together accounting for roughly 4,600 of the 14,199 branded rooms added nationwide. IHCL opened 30 properties, contributing about 3,000 keys, while Lemon Tree launched...
DiamondRock Sells Courtyard Hotel in Manhattan for $33M
DiamondRock Hospitality Company sold its leasehold interest in the 189‑room Courtyard by Marriott New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue for $33 million. The price reflects a 6.3‑times multiple on the hotel’s projected 2025 adjusted EBITDA and a 13.3% capitalization rate on 2025 net...
LE: Latin America Pipeline Grows 6% YOY
Lodging Econometrics reports that Latin America’s hotel construction pipeline reached 755 projects and 113,663 rooms in Q1 2026, a 6% rise in projects and a modest 1% increase in rooms year‑over‑year. At quarter‑end, 300 projects covering 50,139 rooms are under construction,...
Act Fast: Transfer Amex Membership Rewards Points to JetBlue With a 10% Bonus
American Express is offering a limited‑time 10% transfer bonus to JetBlue TrueBlue, improving the standard 250:200 ratio to 250:220 points. The promotion runs until 11:59 p.m. MT on May 11, 2026, with a $0.0006 per‑point fee capped at $99. JetBlue points average about...
‘Golden Week’: Hong Kong Draws More Mainland Chinese Visitors but Spending Uneven
During the first three days of Hong Kong’s Labour Day “Golden Week,” mainland Chinese arrivals rose 4.8 % to 714,765, bringing total visitor numbers to 854,929. Hotel occupancy is expected to approach 90 % thanks to flexible travel patterns and high‑speed rail...
Hotel Review: Trunk (Hotel) Cat Street
A leading travel publication released a series of hotel reviews between April and May 2026, covering properties from the Park Hyatt Tokyo to the Four Seasons Madrid, Hopewell Hotel Hong Kong, and Ardbeg House Scotland. The roundup also includes design-focused pieces...
Miles & More Mileage Bargains for May 2026: Round-Trip Flights to Europe Starting at 25k Miles
Miles & More’s May 2026 Mileage Bargains let U.S. travelers book round‑trip award flights to Europe for as few as 25,000 miles in economy, 42,000 in premium economy, and 61,000 in business class. The program offers six routes—three U.S. gateways to...
Canadian Travel to U.S. Remains Under Pressure
RBC Economics reports Canadian departures to the United States fell sharply, with 29.1 million trips in 2025—a 25.4% drop from 2024—and January 2026 travel down about 23% YoY. The decline persisted into March 2026, when air‑and‑auto return trips were 7.6% lower....
Grand Opening of Centara Life Namba Hotel Osaka
Centara Hotels & Resorts has launched its second Japanese property, the 300‑room Centara Life Namba Hotel Osaka, in the bustling Namba district. The lifestyle hotel blends contemporary design with Thai‑inspired hospitality, offering flexible rooms, high‑speed Wi‑Fi, family and accessible options,...
Four Seasons Resort Nevis Offers Caribbean Residents a Summer 2026 Stay
Four Seasons Resort Nevis has launched a summer‑2026 promotion offering Caribbean residents a discounted rate of $395 per night for Nevis Peak View rooms from May 19 to October 31. The package includes a 10% discount on spa treatments, private...
How Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Uses Square to Power 103 Stores
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has expanded to 103 brick‑and‑mortar locations in 15 states, crediting Square’s integrated suite of loans, flat‑fee processing, reporting and marketing tools. The fintech partnership gave the company predictable cash flow, real‑time sales visibility and data‑driven menu...
What McDonald’s Looks for in a Payment Partner
McDonald’s has relied on Adyen as its primary payments partner for over five years, valuing the provider’s ability to operate at enterprise scale across 60+ markets. Adyen delivers an end‑to‑end technology stack that streamlines innovation, reduces operational friction, and supports...
Jumeirah Carlton Tower Takes to the Skies with a Celestial Celebration
Jumeirah Carlton Tower is launching an "Out of This World" programme for May, featuring a celestial‑themed floral façade called The Astrolabe. The installation, created by Chelsea in Bloom gold medallist Paul Thomas, will adorn the hotel from May 18‑24. Guests can...
FIRSTLINE Launches in Dubai to Turn Guest Influence Into Measurable Business Growth
Freedom International Group has launched FIRSTLINE in Dubai, a performance‑based loyalty platform for high‑end restaurants. The solution integrates with SevenRooms, allowing venues to track spend, referrals and rewards without adding upfront marketing costs. Backed by $2.5 bn in assets, the rollout...