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Every April, the hospitality industry undergoes a green makeover. But lately, the gap between symbolic gestures and measurable action has become impossible to ignore. This shift is forcing us to rethink what Earth Day actually stands for: Is it a 24-hour marketing window, or a blueprint for the future? Leading brands are moving away from "performative" eco-friendliness in favor of structured, outcome-driven initiatives. We’re seeing this evolution in action across the globe: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui offered guests immersive and engaging experiences designed to spark reflection. These activities were part of their sustainability initiative, known as the “Planet Pillar,” and highlighted themes of environmental stewardship and supporting the local community. easyHotel London Victoria introduced an "Earth Day Energy Challenge", aimed at lowering electricity consumption compared to the 2024 baseline. As a result, they succeeded in reducing their energy usage by approximately 24.5%. Flora Hotels took several eco-friendly steps across their properties. They dimmed non-essential lighting, encouraged recycling through visible stations and digital menus, and engaged guests with an educational “Eco Guest Challenge” campaign. However, GCSTIMES believes that the real test begins on April 23. The true industry leaders are those embedding sustainability into their DNA rather than treating it as a seasonal campaign. This means moving past "feel-good" messaging and doing the heavy lifting: Setting rigorous targets for resource management, investing in renewables, and ditching single-use materials for good. In the end, Earth Day shouldn’t be the finish line. The hotels that truly stand out today aren’t the ones planting a single ceremonial tree; they are the ones quietly redesigning the machinery of hospitality to work for the planet 365 days a year.

This article answers the question: Why should you avoid making excuses in customer service? Answer: When employees focus on solutions rather than excuses, customers feel supported and respected, turning negative service moments (complaints) into opportunities to build loyalty. Imagine calling a company for customer support for a complaint or a problem, and the customer support agent takes care of it with a positive attitude and no excuses. That’s what we hope for. That’s what turns a Moment of Misery™ (complaint) into a Moment of Magic . The Oxford Languages’ definition of the word excuse as a noun is “a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.” Vocabulary.com defines an excuse as “an explanation for something that went wrong. When we give an excuse, we’re trying to get someone to cut us some slack.” I don’t mind an explanation as to why a problem happened, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. If you choose to give an explanation about why a customer is complaining, follow up with these nine words: “Here’s what we are going to do about it.” That ensures it will be seen as an explanation and not an excuse to hide behind. My friend and business author Sam Silverstein is the expert in the “no excuses” mentality. It really comes down to one word: accountability. We sat down for an interview on Amazing Business Radio to discuss his new book, No Excuses for a Day , and how accountability and a “no excuses ” mindset apply to customer service. Sam says, “Every excuse a company makes chips away at credibility.” That’s the silent killer of company trust. Excuses are the opposite of taking responsibility. However, when you stop making excuses, you start finding solutions. That’s what customers want. Taking responsibility is the answer. The problem may not be your fault, but it presents an opportunity to make it right for the customer. And you get to be the hero. Sam says, “As long as you get to say, ‘here’s what I’m going to do about it,’ then the customer knows you’re not trying to shirk your ownership of the situation. You’re here to help them, and that’s what you want them to feel." The title of Sam’s book is No Excuses for a Day , and that’s the challenge. Can you go for one day without making an excuse? Here’s what Sam suggests: Make the commitment the night before to go all day without making an excuse. Tell a friend or colleague at work, and have them call you out if you make an excuse. If you accidentally make an excuse, don’t beat yourself up over it. Learn from it and then start over. Knowing that an explanation can be interpreted as an excuse, simply follow it up by saying, “And here’s what I’m going to do about it. ” After the first day, try a second day. Then a third. Make it a habit. When excuses disappear and solutions take their

Wednesday brought a striking sentiment reversal in business travel, a substantive European hotel deal, and one of the more grounded scaling conversations the industry has produced in a while. The GBTA data lands at a moment when the gap between leisure demand strength and corporate travel caution is widening. IHG's PentaHotels move is the largest European conversion deal of the week. And C-Hotels' Inge Decuypere offers the kind of practical insight that rarely makes it into the press release cycle. Business Travel Optimism Fell 18 Points Since January — Europe Has Flipped to Net Pessimism GBTA's April poll, drawn from 539 industry professionals across buyers, suppliers, and intermediaries worldwide, shows a sharp deterioration in business travel sentiment since the start of the year. Overall optimism fell from 59% in January to 41% in April, while pessimism nearly tripled from 9% to 24%. The shift is most severe in Europe, where the balance has fully inverted: January showed 58% optimistic versus 14% pessimistic, and April shows just 21% optimistic against 38% pessimistic. North America remains net positive but has also weakened, from 59% optimistic to 45%. Geopolitical instability is the dominant factor, cited by 79% of all respondents as a top travel-related risk, rising to 92% in Europe versus 72% in North America. Among buyers, 76% say current conflicts are having a moderate or significant impact on travel and meetings decisions, with organizations reporting route changes, regional travel suspensions, and duty of care policy revisions. On the supply side, revenue expectations have deteriorated sharply: just 35% of suppliers now expect revenue to increase in 2026, down from 47% in January, while 27% expect revenue to decline compared to only 7% at the start of the year. One finding cuts against the trend: 70% of buyers say travel management becomes more important during periods of disruption, and 41% say their organization is proactively implementing AI use cases to support smarter decision-making. Read the analysis → IHG Signs 11 Former PentaHotels Across Germany, Belgium, and France IHG entered long-term franchise agreements for 11 hotels currently operating under the PentaHotels brand, adding 1,808 rooms to its European portfolio. Six hotels with 1,125 rooms are in Germany, including Leipzig, Bremen, and Wiesbaden. Four properties with 497 rooms are in Belgium, including Brussels Airport and Brussels City Centre. One hotel with 186 rooms sits at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The properties will convert to Holiday Inn, voco, and Garner brands by H1 2027, with the deal also marking Garner's debut in Belgium. The hotels are owned by a joint venture between Ogilvy Management and Ironstone Group, with financing from Castlelake and Goldman Sachs. IHG SVP and Managing Director Europe Karin Sheppard said the deal reinforces the company's confidence in European conversion opportunities and the commercial pull of its brands and loyalty programme. IHG now has more than 1,230 open and pipeline properties across Europe, with nearly 50 open Holiday Inn hotels in Germany alone. Read the analysis → A Decade of Scaling C-Hotels: What Actually

Growth in hospitality is rarely linear. It’s a series of inflection points – moments where yesterday’s solution no longer holds up tomorrow. In the latest Matt Talks Hospitality podcast episode , Mews CEO, Matt Welle, sits down with Inge Decuypere, Co-Owner of C-Hotels, to unpack what it takes to scale from a handful of properties into a cohesive, high-performing hotel group. The conversation is grounded in experience – ten years of growth, experimentation and tough decisions. For hoteliers looking to expand or optimize operations, here are some of the lessons worth paying attention to. Growth changes everything – especially how you operate The shift from independent hotel to multi-property group doesn’t happen overnight. But when it happens, it forces a rethink of almost every part of the business. For C-Hotels, that moment came earlier than expected. Moving from smaller properties to a larger, more complex operation introduced new layers – more staff, more structure and more need for effective coordination. What followed was inevitable: centralization. “We realized that we couldn't make all those decisions ourselves, ” ’ Inge says. “We had to put some layers between everything and centralize certain functions and have a good back office.” This is where many growing hotel groups struggle. Decentralized decision-making works at small scale, but quickly becomes inefficient as complexity increases. The solution is not just more structure – it’s smarter structure, supported by the right systems. Data is the backbone of better decisions As operations scale, intuition alone stops being enough. Data becomes the difference between reactive and proactive management. Put simply: “If you want to make the right decisions, you need a good data.” C-Hotels built a connected tech stack to support this shift, combining PMS, revenue management, guest experience and financial analytics tools. The goal wasn't complexity for its own sake, but clarity. The impact is tangible: faster decisions, better forecasting and a clearer view of performance across properties. This is a key takeaway for operators, and one that goes a long way to defining success at scale. Growth without visibility is risk. Growth with real-time insights is control. Technology should simplify – not overwhelm One of the more practical insights from the conversation is how C-Hotels approaches technology adoption. In a world where new features and integrations are constantly released, the temptation is to implement everything at once. But that’s rarely effective. Inge’s approach is more measured: “We roll things out always step by step. We pilot it in one hotel, we gather some feedback, and if we see that it works, then we scale it to the others.” This test-and-scale approach reduces risk and ensures that new tools actually deliver value before being rolled out group-wide. Any project like this requires ownership. After all, technology doesn’t drive transformation on its own. Assigning clear responsibility for innovation ensures that tools are not just adopted, but embedded into daily operations. At C-Hotels: “We have one person in our hotel group who tracks all the updates… and translates them into practical

London, UK - IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has entered into long-term franchise agreements for 11 hotels across Germany, Belgium and France. The hotels will be converted to IHG’s Holiday Inn, voco and Garner brands, bringing more choice to IHG’s guests across Europe. Germany: 6 hotels (1,125 rooms) across key destinations such as, Leipzig, Bremen and Wiesbaden Belgium: 4 hotels (497 rooms), including Brussels Airport and Brussels City Centre France: 1 hotel (186 rooms), conveniently located at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport This portfolio will debut Garner, IHG’s midscale conversion brand, in Belgium, and strengthen IHG's portfolio in Germany to almost 50 open hotels for this brand. Powered by IHG’s leading commercial engine, each property will benefit from stronger brand visibility, increased direct bookings and the IHG One Rewards global loyalty programme, helping to capture both domestic and international demand. The 11 hotels are expected to join IHG’s system in the first half of 2027. This agreement reinforces our strong confidence in the attractiveness and growth potential of the European hotel market for IHG, and underlines the appeal of our leading brands and enterprise for conversion opportunities. We’re delighted to partner with Ironstone Group and Ogilvy Management to welcome 11 high-quality hotels into our portfolio – all in prime city‑centre and key airport locations. Together, we share a clear ambition to deliver outstanding guest experiences to key city locations. As we expand our voco, Garner and Holiday Inn brands, we’re delighted to offer guests even greater choice – backed by IHG’s trusted brands and scale. Karin Sheppard, SVP & Managing Director Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts Supported by IHG Hotels & Resorts, we are delighted to convert 11 hotels across Germany, Belgium and France under the Holiday Inn, voco and Garner brands. Together, we are committed to providing exceptional hospitality and tailored services that meet the evolving needs of travellers across Europe. Partnering with a world-renowned hospitality company such as IHG enables us to convert these properties quickly and seamlessly, ensuring we can meet the demands of our domestic and international visitors in these prime locations. Thomas Bralower of Ironstone Group IHG has more than 1,230 open and pipeline properties across Europe, delivering exceptional hospitality experiences through its diverse brand portfolio. This includes more than 190* open hotels in Germany, 70* in France and 17* in Belgium. The new signings will add to a further 264* properties in development across the region. The 11 hotels are currently operated under the PentaHotels brand and will be owned by a joint venture between Ogilvy Management and Ironstone Group, two specialist real estate and hospitality investment firms, with financing provided by Castlelake and Goldman Sachs. The hotels will be managed by Bralower & Loewe Hospitality Partners S.à r.l., a Luxembourg-based hotel management company established by the joint venture to operate branded hotels in partnership with leading global hotel companies. Bralower & Loewe's strategy is focused on working with European property owners to enhance the operational performance

[Dallas, Texas - 21 April 2026] – Mews the operating system for hospitality, has been selected by Zion White Bison Resort , award-winning luxury glamping and recreational vehicle (RV) destination near Utah’s Zion National Park, to unify operations, deliver a seamless guest experience, and support continued growth. In just five years, Zion White Bison has become one of the leading glamping resorts in the United States, offering luxury teepees, covered wagons and cliff dwellings alongside more than 150 full-hookup RV sites. However, managing two distinct accommodation types meant operating two separate property management systems, creating operational complexity and a fragmented guest experience. By moving to Mews, the resort will consolidate its glamping and RV operations into a single platform. With one system for reservations, guest profiles and property performance, the resort will simplify daily workflows and create a more connected guest journey. “We’ve been searching for a system that could truly support both our glamping and RV operations for months,” said Katelin Gollaher, CEO of Zion White Bison Resort . “What stood out with Mews was not just the technology, but the strong customer support and the ability to bring everything into one place. Having a single booking engine and unified system will make a huge difference for both our team and our guests.” The move to Mews will also modernize key parts of the guest and operational experience. Integrated group booking tools will simplify multi-unit reservations and billing, while a more intuitive booking experience will help guests easily find and select the right stay. Operationally, Zion White Bison will implement Flexkeeping, a Mews Company, to streamline housekeeping and maintenance across more than 190 spaces, improving task tracking, automation and team productivity. The resort has also selected Atomize, Mews’ revenue management solution, to optimize pricing for its higher-yield glamping units and drive more effective revenue strategies across the property. “Zion White Bison is redefining what a modern resort can look like,” said Michael Coscetta, President of Mews . “By bringing glamping and RV operations into one system, they’re removing complexity, building a stronger foundation for growth, and giving both guests and staff a single, consistent experience from booking and check-in to on-site service and follow-up." Looking ahead, the resort plans to continue expanding its offering with new guest experiences and continued development across the property. Mews will give the team flexibility to scale confidently without the limitations of disconnected or legacy systems. About Zion White Bison Resort Zion White Bison Resort is a luxury outdoor resort located at 400 UT‑9 in Virgin, Utah, just minutes from Zion National Park. Recognized as one of the top five glamping resorts in the United States, the property offers luxury teepees, cliff dwellings, covered wagons and spacious, full‑hookup RV sites, alongside resort‑style amenities including an outdoor pool, laundry facilities, river walking trails, pickleball courts, a fishing pond, Bison Mercantile and the Zion Corridor Park & Ride shuttle. The resort is home to three white and one brown bison plus calves in its on‑site sanctuary,

Latest GBTA industry poll finds optimism waning ─ especially in Europe ─ as geopolitical concerns emerge as the top factor influencing business travel spending, trip volume and meetings decisions, while AI gains momentum as a strategic tool Alexandria, VA - Global business travel is continuing at a steady pace into 2026, but with significantly more caution, less confidence and more operational complexity than at the beginning of the year. Organizations are still pressing forward with trips, spending and meetings, yet are doing so amid escalating conflicts, higher costs and growing disruption. The shift can be seen across regions but is most pronounced in Europe, where industry pessimism now outweighs optimism as broader geopolitical conflicts are increasingly shaping travel routes, safety considerations, and meetings decisions worldwide. In parallel, the travel manager role is increasingly strategic, including leveraging AI as a key enabler of smarter decisions and stronger organizational impact. This is according to findings released today by the Global Business Travel Association ( GBTA ) from its April business travel industry sentiment poll reflecting perspectives from over 500 corporate travel managers, travel suppliers and intermediaries worldwide. Results broadly show a more cautious outlook compared with GBTA’s January poll , with organizations actively adjusting why and how they are traveling for work now. What we’re seeing is not a broad pullback from business travel, but a more deliberate and carefully managed approach to it. Organizations continue to travel and meet – and innovate – but they’re doing so while adapting to rising costs, operational friction and escalating geopolitical tensions. These pressures are reshaping how, where and why companies are traveling now—making experienced business travel professionals more critical than ever to keeping travelers safe, navigating risk and disruption, and controlling budgets so organizations and people can continue to connect and do business. Suzanne Neufang, Chief Executive Officer of GBTA Risks and Regional Impacts: Geopolitical Tensions Now the Dominant Concern Geopolitical instability has become the most significant external risk influencing business travel decisions in 2026, according to April poll respondents. Nearly eight in ten respondents (79%) now cite geopolitical instability and conflict as a top travel-related risk, making it the industry’s leading concern globally. The impact is especially visible in Europe, where more than 9 in 10 respondents (92%) identify geopolitics as a primary risk, compared with 72% in North America. Current geopolitical conflicts, including tensions involving Iran and the Middle East, are having tangible impacts on industry outlook and operations: 76% of buyers say geopolitical conflicts are having a moderate or significant impact on their organization’s business travel and meetings decisions. Travel suppliers report even greater impact, with more than four in five (83%) indicating these conflicts are materially affecting their customers. Organizations report real-world consequences, including route and itinerary changes (50%), suspension of all travel to/within the region (50%), and re-evaluation of duty of care policies (36%). Outlook and Optimism: Confidence Drops Since January, Especially in Europe Overall industry optimism has weakened considerably since the start of the year. Just 41% of