Sean Oneill travel tips

Hilton said on Monday it had launched a program to match aspiring hotel owners with capital.

Sam Nazarian’s SBE is returning to the hotel business: It said Monday it was planning to offer new “smart lifestyle” hotels as part of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’s Registry Collection, a soft brand.

Hotel brand marketers continued last year to buy commercials on old-fashioned broadcast TV — especially for live sports events, award snows, and TV news — despite more attention shifting to streaming platforms.

Hoteliers in many U.S. markets in 2022 and 2023 found travelers willing to pay higher room rates post-pandemic. Robust pricing allowed many operators to keep pace with inflationary operational costs and debt service payments.Yet strong demand wasn’t enough. Last year, profit margins contracted 1.3 percentage points, and gross operating margins may continue to be pressured in 2024.

Rising hotel room rates in the U.S. have stopped contributing to broader inflation. Hotel prices declined in December by 0.5% year-over-year.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, January 9. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Hilton has named its newest hotel brand LivSmart Studios by Hilton, the company said on Tuesday. It’s Hilton’s 19th brand and an extended-stay apartment suites hotel concept.

The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is revamping its loyalty program in March, replacing its Grazie Rewards program.

Choice Hotels is about to begin a year-long U.S. marketing campaign to raise awareness for its brands. Ads will air on linear and streaming TV and platforms like Spotify as part of a multi-million dollar effort.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, January 4. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The 2024 prospects for Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and Wyndham look bright. That’s according to a report released on Tuesday by David Katz, a managing director at Jefferies Research.

Traveler sign-ups for hotel loyalty programs have soared in the past five years, and Hilton and Marriott have enjoyed some of the greatest gains.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, December 21. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The retailer Tommy Bahama is best known for its Hawaiian shirts and board shorts. But the yacht-owning multi-millionaires who like the brand’s easy breezy clothes have wanted a similarly ultra-chill hotel to slip into.

Australia’s Federal Court has ordered Airbnb to pay about $10 million ($15 million Australian) in penalties after violating consumer protection laws through misleading pricing, said the country’s competition watchdog on Wednesday.

Choice Hotels International’s hostile buyout offer of rival Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has entered a new phase: recriminations.

Alex Lasry has been sworn in as the new deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lasry will report to Brian Beall, director of travel and tourism, who started on May 8.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, December 20. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

A class-action lawsuit against Accor, the Paris-based hotel giant, accuses it of having not disclosed so-called junk fees.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts‘ board of directors said in a filing on Monday it had unanimously rejected Choice Hotels International’s unsolicited exchange offer last week to acquire it.

Minor Hotels, a Thai-based operator of luxury hotels, made a global splash in 2018 when it took majority control of NH Hotels, a Madrid-based chain of upscale hotels, in a deal valued at about $2.6 billion (€2.5 billion).