The World's Top Hotel Brands Are Quietly Building a $40,000 Cruise Category
GTC 2026 booking data shows hotel brand voyages averaging $40,000 now represent 5% of cruise bookings, driven by land-based brand loyalists cruising for the first time.
News
When AI Serves the Guest, Hospitality Wins
A luxury hotel GM with 20+ years of experience argues AI amplifies rather than replaces hospitality professionals, citing Hilton's AI Planner, Be My Eyes partnership, and operational forecasting as real-world examples.
By Chintan Dadhich, Complex General Manager, Hilton
New Report Shows Americans Are Reimagining Summer Travel, Not Canceling It
AHLA survey of U.S. travelers finds 56% still plan a summer trip despite rising costs, with travelers prioritizing hotel stays over cutting back on shopping, dining, and entertainment.
The Elser Hotel & Residences Launches Guest-Centric Mobile App with Innspire and Expands Digital Technology Innovations
The Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami launched a guest app with Innspire featuring mobile check-in, digital keys via Salto, a digital concierge, and AI-powered security upgrades across the 49-story property.
Why great guest experiences start before check-in
Dream Inn Santa Cruz's Director of Sales and Marketing shares how human-led reservations, pre-arrival outreach, and storytelling convert OTA visitors into direct bookers and build multi-generational guest loyalty.
Karen Stephens, Chief Marketing Officer, Revinate, Inc.
International Luxury Hotel Association's INSPIRE 2026 Returns to Orlando This December
ILHA INSPIRE 2026 will gather 900–1,000 luxury hotel executives in Orlando on Dec 15–16, with keynotes from Marriott's Tina Edmundson and Club Med's Carolyne Doyon covering investment, AI, wellness, and F&B strategy.
2026 HSMAI Adrian Awards Open for Entry
HSMAI opens entries for the 2026 Adrian Awards, celebrating the competition's 70th anniversary with 34 categories and new Best-of segments; deadline is September 15, 2026.
Book the Restaurant, Then the Room: OpenTable Reveals the 2026 Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in America
OpenTable's 2026 Top 100 Hotel Restaurants list coincides with data showing hotel restaurant bookings by travelers up 13% YoY, plus an upgraded AI Concierge tool now live on its homepage.
Peregrine Hospitality Adds Hotel Yountville and Bardessono Hotel & Spa to Management Portfolio
Peregrine Hospitality adds two Yountville luxury properties, the 80-key Hotel Yountville and 65-key LEED Platinum Bardessono Hotel & Spa, to its U.S. management portfolio.
Jersey Banks and Lyon Porter of Urban Cowboy on Nostalgia, Community, and Building Hotels That Feel Like Home
Urban Cowboy founders Lyon Porter and Jersey Banks discuss their 12-year journey across multiple locations, zero marketing spend, and plans for larger properties including a beach location and branded residences.
GBTA Applauds U.S. Passage of Legislation to Strengthen Security and Improve Passenger Experience
GBTA welcomed House passage of the SAFEGUARDS Act and One Stop Pilot Program Extension Act, which restore TSA security fee funding and reduce redundant international screening.
Great Guest Rooms, Improved Hotel Upkeep Drive Surge in Hotel Guest Satisfaction, JD Power Finds
JD Power's 30th annual study finds North America hotel guest satisfaction up 13 points to 665/1,000, with value, F&B, and facilities leading gains across all nine segments.
Employees who feel overqualified view more work tasks as unreasonable
Penn State research finds hospitality employees who feel overqualified are more likely to view tasks as unfair, increasing turnover intent, but respectful managers reduced these perceptions by 28%.
Capital Projects Are About More Than Construction; They're About Protecting the Guest Experience
A Newport Hospitality Group VP of Capital Projects outlines how effective hotel capital planning goes beyond construction to protect asset value, guest experience, and long-term operational efficiency.
By Sheri Rountree, Vice President of Capital Projects, Newport Hospitality Group
HVS U.S. Hotel Development Cost Survey 2026
HVS's 2026 survey reports per-room development costs across six U.S. hotel product types based on 2025 construction budgets, with a median of $213,000 per room and luxury reaching over $1.6M.
By Luigi Major, Managing Director, Advisory of HVS Americas, HVS
The Towel That Came Home
A narrative case study of an 180-room Atlantic coast hotel that lost roughly $12,000 annually for eight years due to linen diversion by a trusted housekeeping director, exposing the cost of single-person inventory control.
By David Lund, The Hotel Financial Coach, David Lund
U.S. hotel results for week ending 4 July
U.S. hotels posted strong year-over-year gains for the week of 28 June–4 July 2026, with RevPAR up 10.9% to $106.66, boosted by America 250 celebrations in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.
Crescent Hotels & Resorts Welcomes Populus Denver to its Portfolio
Crescent Hotels & Resorts adds Populus Denver, the U.S.'s first carbon positive hotel, to its Latitudes Collection, bringing the 265-key Studio Gang-designed property under its management.
AXIS Architecture + Design completes the Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles, a landmark hospitality project combining adaptive reuse with new-build hotel development
AXIS Architecture + Design completed the 173-room Hilton Arcadia, merging a new six-story tower with a converted office building across 153,000 sq ft of hospitality space inspired by Santa Anita Park's Art Deco heritage.
GBTA Holds Annual Business Meeting for 2025, Announces 2026 Board Election Results
GBTA's 2025 Annual Business Meeting covered financial performance and org highlights, and announced five newly elected Board of Directors members starting August 5 at Convention in Chicago.