.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
How Restaurants Can Once Again Become an Employer of Choice
Restaurant labor shortages have eroded the industry’s reputation as an employer of choice, with turnover now at historic highs. Associate professor Audrey Benet urges operators to adopt a "Miss Pat" mindset—personal, welcoming, and community‑focused—to rebuild belonging and psychological safety. She outlines four pillars of employee experience—belonging, safety, clarity, and communication—and stresses accountability, empowerment, and failure‑tolerant training. Implementing these cultural shifts can stabilize staffing, improve service quality, and protect sales margins.
Expedia Reports Domestic Travel Rises, Hotel Prices Fall in Key International Destinations for Summer 2026
Expedia’s "Unpack ’26 Summer" report shows a sharp pivot toward domestic vacations, with social‑media chatter about home‑based trips rising 77% year‑over‑year. Travelers are embracing “hotel hopping” and bleisure stays, especially around concerts, sports events and business trips. Major sporting fixtures...
Standards, Not Sentences: How to Make Agentic AI Work Across Travel - By Sylvain Roy
Sylvain Roy, CTO of Amadeus, argues that agentic AI will reshape travel only if the industry adopts shared standards rather than isolated solutions. He outlines the Model Context Protocol (MCP) as a first step toward AI interoperability, but notes its...
Inno Is Moving Into a Hotel: Three Fully Furnished Suites at Novotel
Belgian department‑store chain Inno has teamed with Accor’s Novotel brand to redesign three hotel suites in Brussels and Bruges using Inno’s product range. Over a six‑month makeover, the suites showcase linens, bath textiles, personal‑care items and décor, turning each room...
Alaska Airlines Launches Daily Non-Stop London-Seattle Route
Alaska Airlines has inaugurated a daily nonstop service between Seattle and London Heathrow, marking its second European destination this year. The route, operating from Heathrow Terminal 3, expands Alaska’s transatlantic footprint ahead of the summer travel surge. The airline previously launched...
Tui to Launch Gambia Flights and Packages From Birmingham Airport
TUI will start its first direct Birmingham‑Banjul service on 2 November, a six‑hour flight that adds a Midlands gateway to the Gambia’s winter‑sun market. All‑inclusive packages begin at £800 per person (about $1,016), covering flights, accommodation, transfers and luggage. The new...
CDC Approves TIF Loan for 111 W. Monroe
The Chicago Development Commission (CDC) has approved a $50 million Tax Increment Financing (TIF) loan to fund the hotel portion of the adaptive‑reuse project at 111 W. Monroe. The mixed‑use conversion will create a 308‑room hotel with extensive meeting space, two fine‑dining...
Josh Emett Joins Air New Zealand as Culinary Ambassador
Air New Zealand has named Michelin‑starred chef Josh Emett its Culinary Ambassador, tasking him with creating signature dishes for the airline’s premium long‑haul cabins. The new menu, debuting in October 2026, will showcase native ingredients such as venison, kūmara, and kahawai across...
GTHA Hosts 2026 Mini-Summit
The Greater Toronto Hotel Association convened more than 250 industry leaders at the Delta Toronto for its 2026 Mini‑Summit and AGM. Highlights included a mentorship‑focused keynote by Jamie Mason Cohen, a security briefing from Correia Security Resources, and data‑driven presentations...
CHC Grows Ascend Collection Hotel Portfolio
Choice Hotels Canada (CHC) has opened its newest Ascend Collection property, the Inn on Prince Hotel & Conference Centre, in Truro, Nova Scotia, just under an hour from Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The hotel offers a full‑service restaurant, complimentary breakfast,...
Cushman & Wakefield Releases Canadian Innsights Q1 2026 Report
Cushman & Wakefield’s Canada Hospitality Innsights Q1 2026 report shows national RevPAR rose 6.8% in the first quarter, surpassing earlier forecasts. The gain reflects stronger occupancy and rate growth across major markets. Indicators point to continued momentum into Q2 and Q3,...
Colliers Hotels Releases Q1 2026 INNvestment Canada Report
Colliers Hotels’ Q1 2026 INNvestment Canada report shows hotel investment volume rose 3% year‑over‑year, with Western Canada delivering a dominant 73% share of national activity. Major deals in British Columbia, such as the Versante Hotel sale and multiple Victoria transactions, drove...
Park Hyatt Toronto Hosts Parisian Chef
Park Hyatt Toronto’s Joni Restaurant hosted Michelin‑starred French chef Jean‑François Rouquette for a two‑night Global Chef Series event, delivering a multi‑course tasting menu that blended his contemporary French style with Ontario’s seasonal produce. The collaboration is part of the hotel’s...
Raffles Hotels & Resorts Debuts Luxury Property on Jeddah Corniche
Raffles Hotels & Resorts is launching its second Saudi property, Raffles Jeddah, on the historic Corniche waterfront with bookings opening May 25. The 182‑key hotel features 142 guestrooms, 40 suites and 120 branded residences, alongside two dining venues and a...
Etihad Offers 3kg Extra Baggage to Passengers Checking in Online
Etihad Airways is rolling out a seasonal incentive program through August 16 to encourage passengers to check in online or via remote services. Travelers who use the Morafiq app, website, or Etihad City Check‑In locations receive 1,000 Etihad Guest Miles and...
Valor Hospitality Launches Sustainability Strategy for UK Hotels
Valor Hospitality announced a UK‑wide sustainability program for its 40‑hotel portfolio, beginning with a commitment to achieve Green Key certification at each property by 2026. The plan targets energy, water, waste, biodiversity, and food‑and‑beverage operations while also enhancing stakeholder engagement...
Innside by Meliá Opens First Greek Outpost
Meliá Hotels International has launched Innside Elounda, the brand’s inaugural property in the Greek islands. The 86‑room resort, developed with Zeus Hotels Greece, sits on a hillside overlooking Elounda Bay and offers a mix of sea‑view rooms, private‑pool suites, and...
Europe’s Air Connectivity Stalls in 2025 as Airlines Face Mounting Regulatory and Cost Pressures
IATA data show Europe’s airline route network barely grew in 2025, expanding just 1% to 14,797 routes – a net gain of only 154 after 1,281 additions and 1,127 cancellations. The slowdown reflects high operating costs, heavy regulation, and rising...
Dublin Airport Achieves New Carbon Reduction Milestone
Dublin Airport has been awarded Level 4+ status in the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, positioning it in the top 13% of airports worldwide for carbon management. The accolade validates the airport’s systematic data collection, energy‑saving initiatives, and...
Capella’s New President Wants to Crack Luxury’s Top Tier Within a Year
Capella Hotel Group’s newly appointed president, Roland Fasel, has set a bold target to place the brand alongside ultra‑luxury peers such as Aman, Rosewood, Six Senses and Belmond within a year. He emphasizes a growth model built on scarcity, heritage‑site conversions and...
Oceania Cruises ‘Getting High-Fives’ From Clients with New Adults-Only Policy
Oceania Cruises has officially adopted an 18‑plus policy, eliminating children from its eight‑ship luxury fleet. The line says the shift aligns with its design, which lacks kid‑focused amenities, and has already drawn enthusiastic feedback from guests. While the existing ships...
Heathrow Baggage System Failure Raises Questions Over Operational Resilience
Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 baggage handling system failed on 15 May, delaying an estimated 20,000 bags and forcing some flights to depart without checked luggage. The outage, the fifth baggage‑related disruption at the hub this year, halted processing for several hours before...
Austrian Airlines Partners with Spafax to Elevate Inflight and Lounge Media Strategy
Austrian Airlines has teamed up with media specialist Spafax to commercialise its inflight and lounge advertising inventory. The partnership will roll out seat‑back pre‑roll video and lounge screen ads, aligning the media offering with international standards. Spafax will leverage its...
New Jersey Says Yes to Airbnbs During the World Cup
New Jersey is actively encouraging short‑term rentals ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, issuing a Local Finance Notice that reminds municipalities they can permit residents to host visitors. Over one million soccer fans are expected to converge on the...
WIZZ AIR DATA REVEALS EUROPE’S FASTEST GROWING FOOD LED SHORT BREAK DESTINATIONS FOR UK TRAVELLERS
Wizz Air’s latest booking analysis shows UK travellers are flocking to European short‑break cities with strong culinary reputations. From January to March 2026, Grenoble led the surge with a 44% jump, followed by Lyon (≈35%), Tirana (≈31%), and both Rome and...
Auko Eco-Wellness Lodges to Open in Phong Nha
Auko Eco‑Wellness Lodges will debut in the third quarter of 2026 with 30 all‑inclusive units nestled along the Son River inside the Phong Nha‑Ke Bang UNESCO World Heritage Site. The development blends luxury wellness programming with climate‑resilient architecture, using elevated...
JA Resorts & Hotels Announces Strategic Enhancements Across Its Dubai Portfolio
JA Resorts & Hotels announced a series of upgrades across its Dubai portfolio, including a façade restoration at JA Ocean View Hotel slated for May 2026, a revamp of Club Joumana at JA The Resort beginning this summer, and a...
Namron Hospitality Elevates Culinary Offerings Across Its Portfolio, Debuting New Concepts & Menus
Namron Hospitality, the boutique operator behind Mexico’s Michelin‑starred NÜ in Tulum, announced a wave of new culinary concepts and refreshed menus across its hotel portfolio. In Tulum, NÜ relaunches with a story‑driven tasting menu, while Climo introduces Mexican‑Italian coastal fare...
Enterprise Risk Management Best Practices for Restaurant Operations
Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is gaining traction among restaurant owners as a systematic way to identify and mitigate threats ranging from food‑safety violations to POS cyber‑attacks. By mapping operational, financial and reputational exposures, operators can move from reactive firefighting to...
Opinion: Tipping Could Be Killing Australia’s Service Culture
Australia’s historically tip‑free hospitality scene is shifting as payment‑terminal prompts make gratuities commonplace. Zeller data shows tip frequency rose 13% year‑on‑year in 2024, with the average tip climbing 25% to AU$25.20 (≈US$16.5). Melbourne tops the list, averaging AU$39.50 (≈US$26) per...
Is Japanese Airport Privatisation Starting to Pay Off? The Case of Fukuoka Airport Suggests Yes
Fukuoka Airport, Japan’s fourth‑busiest hub, was the third airport privatised in 2019. Despite being hit by the COVID‑19 downturn, the joint‑venture operator posted a $35 million net profit in FY2025, reversing a $6 million loss the year before. Passenger traffic has already...
Marriott Bets on Outbound Indian Travel Surge, Rewires Loyalty Into Experiences
Marriott International is betting on a surge of outbound Indian travelers, especially younger, affluent tourists heading to Southeast and East Asia. The hotel chain is overhauling its Marriott Bonvoy program to prioritize experiential rewards such as upgrades, local tours, and...
Emirates’ Latest Devaluation Increases Award Prices by 15% — But There’s a Silver Lining
Emirates Skywards announced a 15% increase in the mileage cost for premium‑economy, business and first‑class award tickets effective May 20 2026. The airline also introduced a new one‑way Business Saver award, priced at 59,000 miles on routes such as New York‑Athens, while economy...
Images: Agnes Scott Debuts Three Historic Homes as Short-Term Stays
Agnes Scott College in Decatur is entering the short‑term rental market by offering three restored historic homes on West College Avenue. The properties—Agnes Arbor, Irvine Place and Magnolia Hideaway—will be available starting June 1 with a two‑night minimum and nightly rates ranging...
The Importance of a Unified In-Room Experience
Cetis Inc. is promoting a unified in‑room experience for hotels, bundling phones, appliances, and branded elements into a single, coordinated solution. The company argues that consistency and reliability in guestrooms reinforce brand standards and simplify purchasing for operators. By delivering...
Get a 150% Bonus on Frontier Airlines Miles Purchases Through June 12 (1.08¢ Each)
Frontier Airlines is running a limited‑time promotion that adds a 150% bonus to purchased miles through June 12, 2026, slashing the effective price to just 1.08 ¢ per mile for purchases of 10,000 miles or more. The offer applies to any number of...
Airbnb Adds Hotels, Car Rentals. Chesky Says App Can Become an 'Amazon for Services'
Airbnb announced a major expansion of its marketplace, adding independent hotels, car‑rental services, grocery delivery and luggage storage to its app. The rollout includes a new incentive of up to 15% back in platform credits for bookings of these services....
Airbnb Expands Into Hotel Bookings and Even Grocery Deliveries
Airbnb is broadening its platform beyond short‑term rentals by adding hotel bookings, in‑app grocery delivery, airport pickups, luggage‑storage, and car rentals, all slated for launch this summer. The hotel rollout will feature boutique and independent properties in major markets such...
The Case for Keeping Some Friction in Travel
The article argues that friction in travel is not uniformly harmful and should be evaluated by type before being eliminated. It outlines four friction categories—barrier, legacy, discovery, and moat—and shows how automating the wrong kind can damage margins and loyalty....
Maxamation Combines AI and Human Expertise for Airline Revenue Growth
Maxamation has launched RM Flight Management, a managed revenue‑optimization service that blends AI automation with 24/7 human expertise. The offering promises airlines up to a 15% lift in revenue without the need to hire dedicated revenue‑management analysts. It targets carriers...
Antigua and Barbuda Hosts Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2026 Amid Tourism Boom
Antigua and Barbuda hosted the Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) 2026, reinforcing its status as a premier Caribbean tourism hub. First‑quarter 2026 stay‑over arrivals jumped 6.7% to 110,832, while cruise passenger forecasts rose 21.9% to 894,469. The government unveiled a $30 million...
Destinations International and IGLTA Launch LGBTQ+ Tourism Toolkit Focused on Traveler Values, Belonging and Community Impact
Destinations International and the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) have released a new toolkit, “Why Values Matter: A Destination Guide to LGBTQ+ Travelers,” to help destinations design inclusive experiences. The resource, built on research from Valuegraphics involving over 1,800 LGBTQ+...
Hyatt's New Award Charts Have Arrived — Here Are Our First Impressions
Hyatt has rolled out a revamped World of Hyatt award chart featuring five pricing tiers—Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper and Top. The update re‑categorized 112 hotels upward and 24 downward, causing point requirements to jump as much as 40% for many...
What I Booked Before Hyatt Devaluation
Hyatt announced a major award‑price devaluation, lifting redemption costs by as much as 70%. Anticipating the hike, the author secured five award stays—Park Hyatt New York, Paris, Tokyo, Vienna and Andaz Tokyo—before the new pricing took effect. He notes that points...
GBTA: Gaps Stall Progress Toward ‘Perfect Business Trip’
A new GBTA research report, conducted with Spotnana, Marriott and Direct Travel, surveyed corporate travel buyers in the U.S., Canada and Europe. While AI is seen as a future driver, 58% say it has had little impact so far, and...
Wendy’s Appoints Bob Wright as CEO
Wendy’s announced Robert D. Wright as its new president and chief executive officer, effective May 21, and added him to the board. Wright, who turned around Potbelly and previously served as Wendy’s executive vice president and COO, replaces interim CEO...
NEW: Use Your BA Amex 2-4-1 Companion Voucher with British Airways Holidays
British Airways has opened a limited‑time channel for the BA American Express 2‑4‑1 Companion Voucher, allowing cardholders to claim a 25% Avios rebate when booking a BA Holidays package. The voucher only needs to be valid at the time of...
MakeMyTrip Promotes AI Travel Assistant Myra with Aparshakti Khurana in New Ad
MakeMyTrip has rolled out two digital films starring Aparshakti Khurana and Manjot Singh to promote Myra 2.0, its AI‑powered travel assistant. The ads highlight Myra’s ability to manage itinerary choices, accommodation requests and payments through a conversational, voice‑enabled interface. Myra now supports eight...
New Australian Platform Connects Users with Local Experiences
Australian media startup The West Group is rolling out a creator‑led discovery app in New South Wales on May 26, 2026. The app blends geolocation with content from over 480 “West Ambassadors,” reaching roughly nine million followers, to showcase 1,500+ local businesses....
Agoda Introduces Single Checkout for Flights, Hotels and Activities
Agoda has unveiled a multi‑product booking engine that lets travelers purchase flights, hotels and activities in a single checkout. The new flow consolidates all components into one transaction and stores the details in the My Trips dashboard. By handling payment...