Miscellaneous

📚 Edward Mady discusses his insights from baseball in his latest discussion. He introduces his new book, "Honing the Human Edge." For additional resources, listeners can explore Hospitality Daily's platform, engage with content on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram, or subscribe for daily episode summaries and insights delivered via email.

🗺️ April/May 2025, the best hotels list featured 42 global hotels, with only nine being hard brands. Examples include Populus in Denver and Hotel Hana in Paris. Independent hotels often provide unique experiences compared to known brand hotels like SIRO One Za’abeel in Dubai versus Jumeirah Emirates Towers. Barry Sternlicht, speaking at NYU IHIF in June, noted the rise of independent startups, and Hailey Bieber sold her beauty brand for $1 billion, illustrating market dynamics. 💼📊

📰 Every week, the HON team offers an expert perspective on hospitality. Members gain access to exclusive content, including industry insights and job opportunities. Join the community to explore this comprehensive ecosystem and stay informed about the latest trends and developments.

🌊 Explora Journeys, part of the MSC Group, launched a new digital initiative for travel advisors in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and Germany on July 2025. This includes free access to digital marketing tools in collaboration with Rallio. Advisors can use brand-approved content for social media and track performance. The initiative also enhances their partnership with Approach Guides, supporting advisors with co-branded landing pages and resources to boost luxury travel sales.

📈 The U.S. economy added 147,000 jobs in June, dropping the unemployment rate to 4.1% from 4.2%. June marks the 54th consecutive month of job growth. Eating and drinking establishments added 6,500 jobs, compared to 27,400 in April and May. As of May 2025, full-service restaurant jobs are 226,000 (4%) below pre-pandemic levels, while quick-service jobs exceed by 115,000 (2.5%). Uneven recovery persists: Idaho (16%) and Nevada (14%) lead, while Massachusetts and West Virginia lag (-6%).

🏨 Luxury hotel group paid $200K to McKinsey for a flawed members club strategy. Key frameworks include: 1. Hotels with Full-Service Clubs (e.g., Aman NYC) focus on exclusivity, premium rates, and ancillary fees. 2. Private Dining Clubs (e.g., Doubles Club) use invite-only dining, annual dues, and F&B margins. 3. Clubs with Hotels (e.g., Soho House) emphasize lifestyle, global fees, and travel perks. 4. Clubs without Hotels (e.g., Chez Margaux) focus on F&B, low infrastructure, and community building. 5. Legacy Clubs like NYAC thrive with generational memberships and non-profit structures. Mistakes arise from unclear identity and incoherent strategy.

🍴 Artistry Restaurants is set to open its third Boca location on July 14 in Lake Mary, Florida. This 5,600-square-foot venue accommodates 189 guests with indoor and outdoor seating. Key personnel include Derek Bornstein as GM, Megan Centeio as assistant GM, and Francisco Arroyo as executive chef. Artistry oversees 50+ restaurants across five states under seven brands. Plans include three new Oak & Stone locations in Cape Coral, Winter Park, and McKinney, Texas.

🍳 Manchester Airport's private terminal, aether, unveils its new spring–summer menu by acclaimed chef Adam Reid. Debuting November 2024, the refreshed menu includes lighter, shareable dishes with local produce from suppliers like Pollen Bakery and Cheshire Smokehouse. Meals start at £65 per guest. For children (0–12), there’s a 25% discount. Dining and transfer packages start at £230 per person. This innovative, elevated airport experience is available for Jet2, TUI, Ryanair, and easyJet passengers.

✈️ In 2023, travelers spent over 2 hours researching flights, averaging 128 minutes, and visited 141 webpages per trip, up from 38 in 2013. In the U.S., the figure soared to 277 pages. Three out of four travelers find comparing flight prices too time-consuming, leading to airlines and hotels being viewed as the second most misleading industry in pricing transparency. This issue is not just about transparency but a growing mistrust. AI may streamline booking but won't fix trust issues.

🏃️ The 112th Tour de France in 2025 stays entirely within France, passing through 34 departments and featuring 39 stage cities. With nearly 12 million spectators and coverage in 190 countries, host cities pay €65,000 for a stage start and €110,000 for a finish. Returns are up to five times the fees, with economic benefits reaching €500,000 monthly. Lille hosts the departure on July 5, with hotel bookings at 90% capacity, 35 points above average, and prices 40% higher.