Marriott has realized it has been been leaving money on the table by primarily catering to expense-account travelers and vacationers in the luxury and upscale segments.
Barry Sternlicht sees trouble brewing for big hotel chains. The Starwood founder warns that nimble upstarts will steal their market share one social media post at a time.
Hyatt's latest soft brand will enable independent hotels to join the group's loyalty program and get access to its booking system while keeping their local character.
Ascott got its start providing extended stays for corporate travelers. But it hasn't opened enough properties in places where people dream of vacationing. So expect it to buy resorts.
Highgate is pivoting Viceroy away from just creating urban boutique hotels. Viceroy will also now chase the elite at resort destinations. Expect more branded residences, too.
A new forecast from hotel broker JLL hits a note of optimism at a time when some critics worry Thai tourism is hitting the skids. Expect people to do fewer hotel deals in Thailand this year, but for those deals to be bigger.
Typically, in mergers, the bigger fish swallows the smaller one, stamping its quirky innovations into corporate conformity. This deal is attempting something different.
Wyndham CEO Geoff Ballotti said recent "uncertainty could be relatively short-lived." He highlighted a potential boom from Trump administration spending on "big beautiful highways" and "big beautiful bridges."