Deanna Ting

Signs that this experiment wasn't going well were already evident. But given that the online travel agencies aren't faring so well, either, at the moment, we wonder: Does this mean there might be something fundamentally wrong with this type of intermediary relationship? How do hotels and online travel agencies need to evolve to survive then?

Technology can be a benefit, but it can also be a pain point when it comes to organizing and executing a meeting. Planners weigh in on what frustrates them most, and offer some solutions.

Are 30 brands enough for one hotel company to have? They might be, for now, but we wouldn't rule out the possibility of wanting to add more in a year or two, especially in that red-hot midscale space.

Foreign investment in U.S.-based hotel companies is a trend that continues. Even more interesting here is that Sansiri is also choosing to invest in so many other diverse businesses. How they plan to bring all those investments together eventually should be interesting to watch.

Tech companies need to get out of the lab and test their products in the real world, meeting planners say.

From "asset recycler" to "asset light," Hyatt is beginning to embrace a favorite industry strategy for making more money.

Can technology make meetings and events safer? The answer is yes, but there's far more we can — and should — be doing as well to ensure everyone's safety, from stricter gun laws to improved hospitality training.

It's not something a lot of people want to think about, but with large gatherings increasingly becoming a target for violent attacks, meeting and event planners have to step up their security tools and protocols.

The bigger question, however, is whether these campaigns will still work in 2017 and beyond; offering discounted rates can only last for so long. Hotels need to start thinking about how they can ensure this momentum continues in the long run without having to use discounted rates.

It'll be interesting to see what works better for relatively smaller hotel companies like Loews, Red Lion, and even Hyatt with each of their respectively divergent business strategies: traditional asset ownership; totally asset-light; and asset recycling.