Marketing

🏨 Travel and tourism firms aim to maximize PAX numbers, focusing on paid media to boost bookings. SEO provides ROI-focused firms with 'free' traffic, despite the challenges posed by Google updates and AI. In March 2024, Google announced improvements to quality ranking and updated spam policies for better search results in 2025. Independent brands compete with aggregators by targeting specific languages/regions and creating helpful, multilingual content to rank higher and earn local backlinks.

🌿 Loews Hotels introduced Freshly Rooted, a sustainable culinary program serving salads with locally sourced ingredients. Mark Weiss, SVP of food, beverage, and design, emphasized support for local farms and natural, healthy ingredients. The program, featuring regional harvests and artisanal ingredients, includes dishes like Beet & Citrus Salad (Loews Arlington Hotel), Local Burrata Salad (Loews Miami Beach Hotel), and others, aiming to expand into banquets and meetings.

🏖️ In the evolving US travel loyalty landscape, 44% of professionals see differentiation as a challenge (iSeatz, 2025). The experiential travel market is expected to surpass $3 trillion, with 89% of providers reporting higher demands (Flywire, 2024). Heritage and bravecations have engaged 61% and 67% of travelers, respectively (Marriott, 2025). The industry is shifting from transactional rewards to unique experiences, with 23% of consumers willing to spend more for exclusivity (Tipping Point report, year unspecified).

🏨 Choice Hotels International, Inc. opened its 70th Clarion Pointe hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Currently, 43 hotels are in the pipeline, with 27 expected to open in 2023 in locations such as Galveston, Texas, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Clarion Pointe, launched in 2018, offers modern amenities, food and beverage options, fitness essentials, on-demand TV casting, and is part of the Choice Privileges rewards program. Cathy Hartman emphasizes Clarion Pointe’s appeal in the competitive midscale segment for both travelers and hotel owners.

🏠 Emerald Hospitality Group and Regis Group partner to open three dining concepts in London's Daily Telegraph building by late 2025. Casa Como, an Italian-themed ground floor space, includes a salumeria, restaurant, bar, and 60-seat terrace. The seventh floor will feature "Everything On Fire," offering a selection of premium meats prepared on an open-flame grill. An Asian fusion concept with Japanese, Thai, and Chinese influences, set across the eighth and ninth floors, will include a sushi counter, robata grill, and rooftop bar with panoramic views. Interiors designed by Lazaro Rosa Violan Studio.