Hilton's Record Hotel Openings and Pipeline Growth

My wife and I have four young children who have traveled with us all over the country.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, October 24, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

Nunavik is one of our Best Places to Go in North America in 2024, part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024—find even more travel inspiration here.

In a typical fall, western North Carolina rolls out a red, yellow and purple carpet of leaves, welcoming visitors to experience autumn along the high crest of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. This is not a typical fall.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) saw strong momentum in its expansion efforts in the third quarter. The hotel group added 17,500 rooms across 98 hotels, more than doubling its growth pace from the same period last year.

Royal Caribbean Group is opening a new port in Juneau, Alaska, a move it claims will help disperse foot traffic in the city’s downtown as residents continue to debate the cost and benefits of cruise ships. 

“As far back as I can remember, I knew I was different,” says Alexander Smalls. Growing up in a Gullah Geechee household in Spartanburg, North Carolina, the chef says he recognized the implication of those differences—in appearance, history, and cuisine. “I discovered early that my friends did not eat any of the foods that I ate. My foods were more akin to West Africa, you know, and very much pronounced in that way,” he says. It wan't until he moved to New York as an adult, that he assimilated the value of that diasporic connective tissue. “Food was a big part of cultural expression and identity of the African diaspora,” he says.

When the Universal Orlando Resort opened its first Harry Potter rides in June 2010, people waited six hours in 90 degree heat just to get in the gate. Demand overran expectations for months, leaving some visitors with a gridlocked vacation they vowed never to repeat.

Universal Orlando Resort has revealed an opening timeline for its highly-anticipated new theme park, Epic Universe.

Grindelwald, the iconic mountain town a train’s ride from Interlaken in south-central Switzerland, is renowned for its breathtaking alpine views of the Eiger and other prominent peaks. The Boutique Hotel Glacier perfectly captures that beauty from your room. The entire south side of the hotel is designed to showcase the stunning views of the Eiger North Face. From the bottom-floor spa to the ground-floor restaurant, floor-to-ceiling glass walls frame the scenery, while the rooms feature glass doors that span nearly the entire wall for an uninterrupted view. While the hotel blends into the traditional alpine chalets surrounding it, its elegant, modern updates give it a unique charm. Dating back to 1864, Hotel Glacier effortlessly marries history with contemporary luxury, nestled beautifully against the mountain and local farmhouses.

Victory Cruise Lines will launch a new “LakeLorian” program in 2025 in partnership with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. 

Global Hotel Alliance, which runs a shared loyalty program for about 40 independent hotel brands, reported robust growth in the third quarter, with double-digit gains in performance across key measures.