Travel's Reopening and Coronavirus Recovery

Extended Stay America's significant hotel ownership, an industry anomaly these days, drove it to sell, or at least that was the C-suite argument. Buildings are getting old and need a lot of money to renovate. Major shareholders aren't buying that argument.

You likely won't earn a flood of points this way, but Marriott's Uber link-up is the latest in an ongoing travel loyalty program push to enable members to earn points outside the traditional streams like hotel stays or miles flown.

The Tropicana is no longer the shiniest resort on the Las Vegas Strip, but it gives Bally's Corp. a much-desired presence in the heart of Sin City.

The new bipartisan tourism subcommittee, co-chaired by senators from tourism-dependent states, kicked off Tuesday with testimony from travel executives on U.S. tourism's biggest recovery challenges ahead — and that in itself is another big light in the tunnel alongside vaccines.

A travel labor shortage isn't what anyone was expecting during a pandemic, but traveler confidence heading into the summer heavily outpaces the ability of many business owners to call back furloughed workers or hire more people from overseas.

Struggling hospitality companies keep taking the insurance companies to court over denied claims during the pandemic. They're highly unlikely to win.

The pace of hotel development in the Middle East has fallen for more than a year, but companies aren't shying away from introducing new brands to the region. If it can sustain its winter travel appeal — and that's a big if — expect the development pendulum to swing in a positive direction.

Exclusivity going public, like SoHo House's initial public offering, is a further signal luxury brands are poised for a major upswing on the other side of the pandemic.

It's a backyard tourism boon for the often-overlooked U.S. territory in the Caribbean, where more Americans are flocking. USVI's successful Covid-control could also lead to the first use of in-country vaccine certificates to revive carnival later this month — while tackling local vaccine resistance.

Passengers traveling with wheelchairs are a billion-dollar industry often ignored by the airlines. Most passengers with disabilities plan trips with friends or family, with the determining factor being the ease of accessibility for wheelchairs. Trains and buses can accommodate. Airlines are long overdue.