Luxury Travel

Choice Hotels realized years ago that Comfort Inn's look was outdated. The company has to hope that spending billions on renovations and new marketing materials will make the brand successful again.

A sustained dispute between the United States and China will do plenty of damage to the American luxury retail industry.

As well-traveled Americans and international visitors look for their next adventures, travel advisors are pointing them to the allures of the open road. Fueled by an increase in high-end lodging options in the American West, more luxury travelers will shift gears and opt for driving rather than flying.

An expected drop in Chinese tourism to the United States won’t just impact hotels and restaurants. In fact retail may take the biggest hit.

Emirates has fired the first salvo in the unbundling of business class fares. Now you can buy just the seat, with none of the other trimmings that travelers are used to with top-tier carriers. It's a pragmatic strategy, one that gives more choice to travelers. The tension will now be maintaining that great luxury brand halo and still letting the premium cabins do the marketing hard yards for the carrier.

It's good to see that the Philippines keeps cracking down on developments to ensure they are in line with environmental and easement issues, even those at the ultra-premium end of the spectrum. But that's not the only challenge Banwa faces.

Sometime those without any baggage are the clearest thinkers.

The trend for groups of family and friends to celebrate birthdays and other milestones with travel is growing in scope. It's a likely niche for many travel advisors to pursue.

One could find Best Western's boutique hotel strategy confusing on price comparisons, but it’s the customer’s choice if they want to pay for the experience.

Ambitious first-time hoteliers are forging some of the most intriguing hospitality experiences. The power of the beginner's imagination combined with knowledge and passion from other industries is adding up to exactly what the most jaded travelers want.