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🍴 Bret Thorn is the Senior Food & Beverage Editor at Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999, and hosts the podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn." He won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and was IFEC president in 2005. Thorn's career includes roles at The New York Sun, Asia Times, and Manager magazine. A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University, he studied at Nanjing and Peking universities, and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Thorn resides in Brooklyn, NY.

🏆 U.S. hotels in host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are seeing a surge in bookings and average daily room rates (ADR). As of December 12, 2025, bookings for the U.S. vs. Paraguay match in Los Angeles on June 12 rose 80.5%, with ADR up 21.4%. For the England vs. Croatia match in Dallas on June 17, booking volumes grew 113.65%, with a 5.6% rise in ADR. The World Cup Final in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19 saw ADR increase by 72.42%, and bookings by 102.10%.

Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., 18 December 2025 — The release of the FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule on December 5 triggered an immediate surge in short-term rental booking activity across host…

💻 Agnelo Fernandes, CEO of Cote Hospitality, shares insights from a recent trip to Northern California on the evolving role of technology in the hospitality industry. He emphasizes the critical shift towards AI-driven personalization and its impact on operational efficiency. With financial and operational pressures, there's a need to rethink labor and data strategies. This discussion highlights the non-negotiable aspects of adapting to rising expectations and tighter margins for industry leaders.

🌍 In 2026, the travel industry is shifting from tracking past metrics to focusing on predictive analytics. Key trends include save rates on social content, TikTok travel trends, AI travel queries, and Pinterest wishlists. Notably, Pinterest recorded over 1 billion travel searches and 10 billion saves in one year. These signals help travel marketers allocate budgets efficiently and launch campaigns when interest peaks, offering a competitive edge in predicting travel demand.

📈 Dec 17, 2025, Google emphasizes that AI-powered search in the hospitality industry relies on traditional SEO fundamentals like strong content and clear information. No special "AI SEO" exists; successful strategies still depend on high-quality content and trustworthy websites. AI search impacts will vary among hotels, offering new discovery opportunities, especially for younger travelers. Google maintains that its model focuses on directing traffic to original sources, not replacing them.

📈 PwC's Hospitality & Leisure: US Deals 2026 Outlook reported a 40% increase in deal volume in Q3 2025 compared to Q1 and Q2. Although deal volumes mirror 2024, average transaction size fell by 55%. Key trends in late 2025 included focus on luxury, digital segments, and gaming. AI integration and data quality are emphasized for 2026. Loyalty ecosystems are now valued as asset classes, with strategic clarity essential for value creation.

📅 In the hotel industry, overbooking strategies involve selling more rooms than available to counter no-shows, cancellations, and early departures. Intentional overbooking, driven by data and forecasting, maximizes occupancy and revenue. Accidental overbooking, often due to operational errors, can harm reputation. Benefits include minimizing revenue loss and achieving full occupancy, while risks involve negative guest experiences and legal issues. Successful strategies require big data, partnerships, and staff training to balance profit and guest satisfaction effectively.

💻 Atriis and Travelport successfully launched Travelport NDC within the Atriis ecosystem, enhancing corporate travel booking. The integration, now available to all Atriis customers, offers full NDC booking and servicing capabilities, including search, booking, seat selection, and ticketing. This collaboration, involving Atriis, Travelport, and BTP Group, focuses on modernizing airline retailing for corporate travel. Atriis plans further NDC expansion through 2026. Omri Amsalem and Damian Hickey highlight the partnership's innovative impact on corporate travel.