Regulatory and Legal Affairs

🍴 Nourish Scotland, a food policy NGO, proposes a 'national restaurant service' to tackle health inequality, food insecurity, and climate change in the UK. Their upcoming report "Public diners: the idea whose time has come" advocates for state-subsidized eateries offering quality, ethically sourced food. Citing poor diets as a leading cause of preventable ill health, Nourish Scotland draws inspiration from the 2,000+ wartime British Restaurants established by Winston Churchill in 1940. Dr. Christian Reynolds supports the initiative, highlighting positive health, economic, and sustainability outcomes.

🏨 On August 27, 2024, numerous Booking.com customers reported paying for accommodations that were actually non-existent, with many struggling to get refunds. Issues were attributed to outdated listings and potentially fake properties, underscored by negative reviews despite some suspicious perfect ratings. Booking.com, as an intermediary, does not verify the properties, placing responsibility on the accommodation provider.

🚨 On August 26, 2024, protests and graffiti against tourism emerged as locals react to the travel industry's "race to the bottom." Short-term rentals expand, increasing costs and displacing residents. The industry's survival hinges on local support, now jeopardized. Solutions require a balance between tourism economy benefits and social, infrastructural modernization. International cooperation is crucial for a sustainable industry. In ten years, some destinations may recover, others might not.

📄 On April 23, 2024, the FTC issued a rule to ban noncompete agreements, which was halted by Texas Judge Ada Brown on August 20, 2024, following legal challenges. The AHLA praised the decision that hinders FTC overreach on a practice traditionally governed by state law. The blocked rule, initially set for a September 4, 2024, start, faced opposition from business groups emphasizing over 200 years of state regulation.

🏨 Marriott recently licensed the Sonder brand for its long-stay property portfolio. Sonder, a tech-led long-stay brand, experienced IPO difficulties but saw its share price double after announcing a strategic agreement with Marriott and securing $143 million in new funding. The partnership enhances Sonder's appeal to real estate owners by combining its product with Marriott's distribution network. This move signals a potential shift towards hotels becoming more consumer-focused brands.

💰 In Washington, the GSA announced fiscal year 2025 per diem rates for federal workers, effective October 1, 2024. Lodging allowance increases by $3 to $110/day, and meals/incidental expenses by $9 to $68/day. The hike is estimated to bring $100 million to the hotel industry. The new standard per diem rate totals $178/day. The AHLA, led by interim President and CEO Kevin Carey, sees this as a victory, highlighting the importance of government travel revenue for hotels.

🚂 Amtrak to restore Gulf Coast route connecting Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, halted since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Mobile City Council approved $3 million funding, part of the total $178.4 million budget, including federal grant and state contributions. Service will include twice-daily trips, stopping in four Mississippi cities, with hopes to launch by February 2025, ahead of Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

📦 Security researcher Grant Smith began investigating a mass-smishing campaign early this year after his wife inadvertently entered her credit card details on a fraudulent USPS package delivery scam website. Smith, the founder of Phantom Security, discovered 438,669 unique credit card entries on 1,133 domains operated by a Chinese-language group, with victims across the United States—California leading with 141,000 entries. In total, over 1.2 million pieces of information were collected, including over 50,000 email addresses. Smith reported his findings at the Defcon security conference and handed evidence to USPS investigators and a US bank. The scam, known as the Smishing Triad, sends 50,000 to 100,000 messages daily and sells their smishing kit on Telegram for a $200-per-month subscription.