Deanna Ting

As our poll from last month showed, it's probably a smart move to launch a new brand that doesn't have the word "Trump" anywhere near it.

Marriott is already one of the biggest players in the hospitality industry and in a few months, it'll be the biggest. Whatever the company decides to do — whether that's speaking up for LGBT rights and issues or pushing more direct bookings — is having a larger impact on the industry as a whole, and we spoke with CEO Arne Sorenson for his take on those issues, and other big challenges facing hospitality.

It's still a little too early to call this, but it's understandable why Airbnb and other alternative accommodations providers can have an advantage on peak nights: their supply is flexible, whereas the number of hotel rooms is not.

Airline loyalty programs have offered TSA PreCheck as a perk, but this marks the first time a hotel company has done so. Here's hoping the PreCheck program, embattled by TSA budget cuts, will improve enough to become a real, tangible perk for travelers.

Before you write off the idea of staying in a dorm past the age of 22, you may want to take a look at these new co-living arrangements popping up around the world.

The big question on everyone's mind is what will happen if and when the market takes another downturn. And if it does, who will have the upper hand? Airbnb? The online travel agencies? Or the hotels?

Meeting the needs of today's modern business traveler is something a lot of brands are attempting to do these days, some more successfully than others. While some of Crowne Plaza's ideas might not be overtly groundbreaking, this reinvestment in the brand is vital to its future success if it wants to compete against the other big brands vying for road warriors' loyalty.

Renaissance Hotels' approach to telling the story of the modern business traveler is refreshing and relatable, appealing to the types of universal interests all travelers share, whether that's food, music, or simply a desire to get to know the place they're in.

What's the most overused travel marketing buzzword out there? Our vote goes to "experience" (although "authentic" isn't too far behind.) Love it, or love to hate it, "experience" isn't not going away anytime soon. Here's why.

Don't know if you've noticed it, but we definitely see a trend: Merger or not, Starwood isn't letting up on its brand development investments anytime soon. It'll be interesting to see how much it can differentiate a legacy brand like Le Meridien when positioned against Marriott's Renaissance Hotels or AC Hotels brands.