Olo Chooses Linked Eats as 3PD Profitability Partner
Restaurant technology platform Olo has selected Linked Eats as its preferred partner to boost profitability in third‑party delivery (3PD). Linked Eats, which powers over 40,000 storefronts, will provide Olo’s restaurant clients with real‑time data, AI‑driven pricing, revenue recapture and unified reporting. The partnership targets high commission fees, fragmented analytics and operational risks that plague off‑premise sales. Early results show California Pizza Kitchen recovered $160,000 in six months using Linked Eats’ Revenue Recapture tool.
IDeaS Updates Spotlight Marketing Solution
IDe aS unveiled a major upgrade to its hospitality marketing platform, Spotlight, adding a predictive "Potential to Influence" score that quantifies how responsive a market segment is to price and promotional changes. The solution, built on IDeaS' forecasting analytics, will...
Paloma Martinez Appointed Virgin Hotels Collection VP Operations, Americas
Virgin Hotels Collection has named Paloma Martinez as Vice President of Operations for the Americas. In her expanded role she will oversee the U.S. Virgin Hotels portfolio and flagship Virgin Limited Edition properties such as Necker Island and Branson Beach...
HBD Partners Joins Hotel Owner Conference as Supporter
HBD Partners, a London‑based hospitality recruitment consultancy, has secured Supporter status for the Hotel Owner Conference’s 2026 edition on November 3. The partnership aligns the firm’s executive search expertise with the summit’s focus on talent strategy and business growth for...
Shiji Expands Move Mobile Experience With Unified Platform
Shiji announced that its Move framework now spans the entire hotel ecosystem, linking Daylight PMS, Infrasys POS, and Meridian Experiences on a single mobile device. The cloud‑native platform lets staff handle check‑in, dining, spa bookings, upsells and payments in real...
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Announces Appointment of Amit Sripathi as Chief Financial Officer
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced that Amit Sripathi has been appointed chief financial officer, effective immediately, succeeding interim CFO Kurt Albert. Sripathi, who previously served as chief development officer for North America, brings deep finance, capital‑markets, and operational experience, having...
Buy Status for Less: Save up to 30% on JetBlue Mosaic-Qualifying Tiles Through March 18
JetBlue is offering TrueBlue members up to a 30% discount on elite‑status tiles through March 18, 2026, with purchase limits ranging from a single tile to 250 tiles. The discounted tiles can fast‑track travelers to Mosaic status levels, whose perks remain valid...
Red Lobster Hires Former P.F. Chang’s CEO as CFO
Red Lobster announced the appointment of Brad Hill as chief financial officer and executive vice president of transformation, alongside Kristen Briede as chief global development officer. Hill, who briefly served as P.F. Chang’s CEO in 2025, brings extensive finance and...
Qatar Acts Quickly to Protect Stranded Travelers Extending Visas and Offering Accommodation Relief
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior announced a free, automatic one‑month extension for all entry visas expiring between Feb 28 and Mar 3, 2026, after the country’s airspace was shut down amid Iran‑US tensions. Qatar Airways is allowing affected passengers to reschedule flights or...
Cendyn Unveils New Meta Hotel Ads to Drive Bookings Across Digital Platforms, Impacting Hotels in North America and Europe
Cendyn has added Meta Hotel Ads to its Digital Marketing Platform, enabling hotels to run AI‑driven, real‑time ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network. The ads display live pricing and availability, targeting high‑intent travelers based on behavior. Integrated with...
2026 Welcomes the Launch of Passenger Terminal Expo Asia with Industry Leading Advisory Board and Changi Airport Group Partnership
Passenger Terminal Expo Asia (PTE Asia) will debut on 23–24 September 2026 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, backed by a Host Airport partnership with Changi Airport Group. The event introduces a high‑profile Advisory Board featuring CEOs and senior leaders from...
JetBlue’s New Boston-Milan Service: A Direct Link to One of Europe’s Premier Business and Tourism Hubs
JetBlue Airways will launch daily seasonal flights between Boston Logan and Milan Malpensa on May 11, 2026, using Airbus A321neo aircraft and offering roughly 2,000 two‑way seats each week. The route makes JetBlue the second carrier serving Boston‑Milan, joining Delta,...
NCLH Adjusts Strategies After Capacity Missteps in Caribbean and Alaska Markets, Here’s All You Need to Know
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is confronting 2026 setbacks after expanding Caribbean capacity and launching a new homeport in Philadelphia without sufficient commercial support, leading to pricing pressure and lower profitability. Simultaneously, the Alaskan market’s growing capacity and heightened competition...
London City Airport Launches Consultation on Airspace Change Proposal
London City Airport has opened a public consultation on its Airspace Change Proposal, seeking comments on a new 4.49‑degree landing approach for select new‑generation aircraft such as the Airbus A320neo. The consultation runs from 2 March to 17 May 2026 and does not...
Up To 17-Hour Nonstop Flights: Saudia's 10 New Ultra-Long Routes In 2026
Saudia announced ten new nonstop ultra‑long‑haul routes for 2026, some stretching up to 17 hours, using the fuel‑efficient Airbus A321XLR. The carrier, the Middle East’s largest operator by flight count, will add services like Jeddah‑Los Angeles, Riyadh‑Santiago and Dubai‑Johannesburg, expanding beyond...
Choice Hotels Canada Announces Additions to Franchise Development Team
Choice Hotels Canada announced the appointment of Kris Crundwell and Michael Durante as regional vice‑presidents of Development, covering British Columbia/Yukon and the Atlantic provinces respectively. The hires come after Choice Hotels International’s full acquisition of the Canadian unit in July...
Demand for Canada Grows Within New Luxury Travel Platform
Exclusive Investments LLC launched The Exclusive Collective, a multi‑brand luxury travel platform that merges Exclusive Resorts, onefinestay and Inspirato to serve high‑net‑worth travelers. The platform emphasizes choice, community and flexible travel experiences across life stages. Canada’s demand is accelerating, highlighted...
The Burger Wars Get some New Life, Thanks to Social Media
McDonald’s unveiled the Big Arch, its biggest burger ever, and CEO Chris Kempczinski promoted it with a personal Instagram video. The post sparked criticism, with users calling the CEO’s reaction inauthentic and turning the clip into a meme. Burger King retaliated...
Winners and Losers From a Strange End to 2025
The latest end‑of‑2025 earnings reports reveal a stark split among U.S. retail and restaurant chains. While several large retailers posted double‑digit revenue growth, many discount and legacy operators saw earnings miss expectations. Tech‑enabled concepts outperformed traditional brick‑and‑mortar locations, and profit...
Pilot Travel Centers Launch Robust New Foodservice Program
Pilot Travel Centers, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, is rolling out a comprehensive foodservice overhaul, extending its full hot‑deli menu to roughly 400 locations and keeping 350 franchised fast‑food outlets open around the clock. The company introduced two proprietary concepts—Pilot eats...
Chef Sungchul Shim Infuses Korean Flavor Into a Times Square Steakhouse
Chef Sungchul Shim, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, opened Gui Steakhouse in Times Square a year ago, marrying classic American steakhouse traditions with Korean flavors and techniques. The restaurant features dry‑aged steaks cooked over a live fire of wood...
Keith Lee Jumps From Restaurant Influencer to Investor
Keith Lee, a food‑centric social media personality with over 20 million followers, has become an investor in Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, a fast‑food dumpling chain. The multi‑year partnership adds Lee to a celebrity‑rich investor group that includes Kevin O’Leary, RSE Ventures co‑founders,...
Japan: Kansai International Airport to Reopen Renovated Terminal 2 on 1 April
Kansai Airports announced that the domestic section of Terminal 2 at Kansai International Airport will reopen on 1 April 2026 after a major renovation. The upgrade, started in August 2025, responds to sustained passenger growth on Peach Aviation’s domestic routes. Enhancements include self‑service baggage...
Paradores and Spanish Tourist Office in the UK Host Trade Event
Paradores Hotels & Restaurants and the Spanish Tourist Office (UK) hosted a trade event at Manchester Art Gallery on 26 February, unveiling the upcoming Parador de Ibiza. The gathering attracted over 30 UK travel agents, highlighting the network’s nearly 100...
Hyatt’s Special Cancelation Policy For Globalists & Explorists: A Forgotten Perk
Hyatt’s World of Hyatt elite members—Globalist and Explorist—enjoy a special 24‑hour cancellation window, half the standard 48‑hour requirement. The benefit applies only at properties whose normal policy is 48 hours or less and excludes Vacation Club, Miraval, prepaid, and group‑rate...
Building a Global Hospitality Career Through Leadership and Service
Lindsey Goedeker, CRO of Actabl, recounts her hospitality journey from childhood hotel stays to global conference participation, highlighting mentorship from industry leaders like Barbara Bowden. She notes that women occupied roughly 25% of C‑suite positions in 2025, yet a “broken...
Intuitive Signals Next Phase of Platform Capabilities
Intuitive celebrates one year under Banyan Software, highlighting major upgrades to its iVector reservation platform. The system now features an open, extensible architecture that supports AI‑driven integrations and faster supplier onboarding. A new cruise‑booking module adds pricing and group allocation...
Is London’s Luxury Hotel Boom Outpacing Demand?
London’s luxury hotel sector faces a profitability squeeze despite occupancy rebounding to pre‑pandemic levels. A surge of 757 new luxury rooms in 2025 pushes total high‑end inventory to about 21,000, driving average daily rates down more than 7% YoY and...
Aurrigo to Provide Ground Handling at EMA
Aurrigo International, a Coventry‑based developer of autonomy software and autonomous vehicles, has been granted a ground handling licence at East Midlands Airport (EMA). The licence, issued under the Airports (Ground Handling) Regulations 1997 and CAA compliance frameworks, allows Aurrigo to provide...
Canary Technologies Launches Hospitality AI Agent Studio
Canary Technologies unveiled Hospitality AI Agent Studio, a platform enabling hotels to build, configure, and deploy AI agents tailored to operations. The studio offers pre‑built templates—Front Desk, Concierge, Reservations—and a custom builder for brand‑specific workflows. Leveraging Canary’s AI platform used...
WSHA and World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards Unveil Next Chapter of Partnership
The World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards have launched a multi‑year partnership that combines the Alliance’s annual Summit with the Awards ceremony into a single global platform. The integrated event will run each November,...
Making a Reservation for an Agent-First Business Model - Wyndham Hotels CEO Explains Why He's Checking-In on an AI Future
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has deployed Salesforce’s Agentforce in over 5,000 instances across its 8,300 properties, creating a unified Guest 360 platform that merges reservation, loyalty, and CRM data. The AI‑driven Agent Foundry gives human agents real‑time guest insights, slashing front‑office labor...
Accor Appoints New VP for Operations – New Zealand & Fiji
Accor has appointed Rob McIntyre as Vice President of Operations for New Zealand and Fiji, effective April 13, 2026. McIntyre joins from Singapore where he oversaw Accor’s operations, including the flagship Pullman Singapore Orchard. He previously served as General Manager of Pullman Auckland...
Air Congo Expands Regional Network Amid ATR72 Delays
Air Congo announced an aggressive intra‑African network expansion, adding routes to Johannesburg, Entebbe, Douala, Cotonou and Dar es Salaam between March and April 2026. The airline’s two new ATR‑72‑600s, leased from Ethiopian Airlines, are now expected in mid‑April due to testing and...
Indonesia Told to Prepare Destinations Before Seeking New Routes
Indonesia’s deputy home affairs minister Bima Arya urged provincial leaders to ensure destinations are fully prepared before lobbying for new air routes. He announced a pilot programme that will work with a select group of regional heads to boost local...
Agoda Launches Artotel Group Flagship Store on Its Platform
Agoda has launched Artotel Group’s first branded Flagship Store, consolidating over 100 Indonesian hotels onto a single dedicated page. The storefront leverages Agoda’s distribution network, customer insights, and promotional tools to boost Artotel’s brand visibility and simplify traveler discovery. By...
Tokyo Marathon Drives US$100m in Consumer Spending
The 2025 Tokyo Marathon generated an estimated ¥155 billion (about US$100 million) in incremental consumer spending over its three‑day weekend, according to Mastercard Economics Institute data. Merchant sales within a 10‑kilometre radius of the finish line were roughly seven percent higher than...
Somalia's Puntland Revokes Daallo Airlines Flight Permit
Puntland's autonomous government revoked Daallo Airlines' flight permit for all regional airports on March 1, 2026, citing safety concerns and civil aviation violations. The decision follows incidents where Daallo flights were denied clearance, leaving Puntland lawmakers and passengers stranded in...
Trip.com Adds Shinkansen Ticket Sales for International Travellers
Trip.com has secured agreements with Japan’s four major railway operators—JR East, Central, West and Kyushu—to sell Shinkansen tickets directly to international travelers through its multilingual platform. The service lets users select routes, dates, seat classes and pay online, with QR‑code...
From Silos to Synergy: How Data Sharing Is Transforming Airports
The aviation sector is moving from isolated legacy systems to open‑architecture platforms that enable real‑time data sharing among air traffic control, airlines, and airports. Searidge Technologies, a NATS subsidiary, showcased its Chorus platform powering tools like Intelligent Stand Manager, which...
Global Travel Leaders Formalise Cross-Sector Coordination Through the Global Resilience Network
Senior leaders from travel, finance, technology and government have launched the Global Resilience Network (GRN), a cross‑sector coordination platform active across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. GRN moves beyond traditional forums by providing an invitation‑only infrastructure that...
STORY Hospitality Makes Its Debut at ITB Berlin
STORY Hospitality, an Abu Dhabi‑based hotel group, made its first appearance at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade fair. The brand used the platform to showcase its narrative‑driven hospitality model, blending regional culture with contemporary design. It emphasized sustainable...
Lanzarote Focuses on Sustainable Tourism at ITB Berlin 2026
Lanzarote used ITB Berlin 2026 to position itself as a benchmark for sustainable and regenerative tourism. The island highlighted decades‑long policies such as strict building controls, renewable‑energy projects, and water‑management systems that protect its volcanic landscape. It emphasized a regenerative...
Sabre Unveils Once-in-a-Generation Company Rebuild and Its AI-First Platform at ITB Berlin 2026
Sabre announced the completion of a multiyear, AI‑first rebuild at ITB Berlin 2026, unveiling its unified Mosaic platform built on a cloud‑native, AI‑native architecture. The platform integrates over 50 petabytes of travel data and leverages Google Gemini to deliver agentic‑ready APIs...
Business Exchange
Copenhagen Optimization has installed two Better Airport modules at Brisbane Airport, delivering data‑driven forecasting and resource planning for security operations. The airport is simultaneously upgrading to CT Standard 3 screening, allowing passengers to leave laptops and aerosols in bags. Indonesia’s immigration...
All Hands on Deck as Travel Disruption Spreads in Asia
Airports across Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia cancelled dozens of flights as missile strikes in the Middle East disrupted air routes. Suvarnabhumi Airport halted 32 flights and set up dedicated waiting areas, while Singapore’s Changi and Kuala Lumpur International reported similar...
JRI Hospitality Acquires HCI, Adds 43 Freddy’s Locations
JRI Hospitality announced the acquisition of HCI Hospitality’s restaurant operations, adding 43 Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers locations to its portfolio. The purchase brings JRI’s total Freddy’s count to over 130 units across 18 states and expands its overall restaurant...
European Airlines and the Middle East: Strategic Exposure Amid Escalating Geopolitical Risk
The US‑Israeli air strikes on Iran on 28 Feb 2026 and Iran’s retaliatory attacks have reignited geopolitical risk for European carriers operating to and over the Middle East. While Europe’s overall exposure to the region remains modest, airlines are confronting immediate airspace...
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen to Begin Construction of Terminal 3 as Passenger Numbers Close in on 50mppa
Turkey’s Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is set to break ground on a new Terminal 3 this year as its annual passenger traffic approaches the 50 million mark. After a 17 % increase in 2025, the airport handled 36 % more passengers than in 2019,...
PHX Free Little Library Debuts at Phoenix Sky Harbor
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport opened the PHX Free Little Library in Terminal 3’s Culture Corner on March 2, celebrating Read Across America Day. The amenity is a joint effort by the airport, Phoenix Public Library and the Friends of the Phoenix...