[AFAR] Michelin Unveils New Hotel Ratings, Michelin “Keys”
Only 11 hotels in the United States were awarded Michelin’s highest distinction as part of the company’s newly announced hotel rating system. The system is similar to Michelin’s restaurant guide but instead of stars, hotels are given “keys”: three denoting the top honor, or an “extraordinary stay”; two marking hotels that are deemed “exceptional”; and […]
[AFAR] Airbnb Just Banned Security Cameras Inside Rentals
The new indoor-camera ban takes effect April 30, but it’s unclear how much will change under the updated privacy policy. For Meg St-Esprit, seeing cameras inside Airbnb vacation homes she has stayed at with her husband and their four kids “creeped me out.” The Pittsburgh-based writer says a newly implemented camera ban is smart, adding […]
[New York Times] $1,780 to Spend the Night in a ‘Cocoon’? Hotels Are Betting on Sleep Tourism.
To sleep, perchance to dream. Or if not dream, at least to feel vaguely rested the next day, especially on vacation. Is that too much to ask? For many people, yes. The United States is tired, according to the National Sleep Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, and there is a […]
[Morning Brew] Why Do the Biggest Hotel Chains Create So Many Different Brands?
When you’re planning a trip, it may seem like you’re wading through a sea of endless hotel options, but many of those hotel brands are hiding a secret – they’re owned by the same company. Why do hotel mega-chains spend so much time and money creating these different brands? We’ve got the answer. BU SHA […]
[NPR Marketplace] 2023 was a big year for the hotel industry. Has its recovery peaked?
InterContinental Hotels Group — which owns Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and others — reported on Tuesday that it had good earnings in 2023. The company made more money per room last year and increased its profits to over $1 billion for the first time. 2023 was a big recovery year for a lot of hotels, but is […]
[Fast Company] May is the new July; Norway is the new Italy: How extreme heat is changing tourism
Climate change could forever alter how people travel. After visiting Sicily last summer, Leora Halpern Lanz, assistant dean of Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration, immediately decided that she wanted to go back this year. But it turned out to be a very different experience during a summer of record-breaking heat. Due to fly into […]
Insider – New York City is enforcing a ‘de facto ban’ on Airbnb. Will travelers be better off without it?
Airbnb isn’t fun anymore and new rules only make it worse… New York City’s new requirement that a host is on-site will likely deter potential Airbnb customers, according to Makarand Mody, BU SHA associate professor of hospitality marketing. “Nobody wants a host in there,” professor Mody told Insider. “I think over time, as more entire […]
Hotel brands give club-floor lounges a rethink — for owners and guests
Hotels Magazine (October 27, 2023) Since the pandemic, three factors have had an impact on lounges, according to associate professor of the practice at SHA, Kaushik Vardharajan. One is guest loyalty, as the spaces became more crowded like their airport counterparts because they were open to guests holding co-branded credit cards and others not staying […]
BU Today – The Pandemic Changed How We Eat, Travel, Tip. Now Things Are Changing Again
It wasn’t all COVID’s fault, but the pandemic profoundly changed how we eat, travel, and even tip—it upended the entire hospitality business. When the pandemic started in March 2020, hospitality, like a lot of other industries, all but stopped. People stayed home, didn’t travel for business or pleasure, and didn’t eat out. Workers were laid […]
Airbnb regulations will make your next New York City trip even more expensive
Regulation is once again dangling over the short-term rental sector, best known for vacation rentals found on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. Places like Maui, Hawaii, and Atlanta cap how many units a host can list online. Other cities like Paris limit the number of days a host can rent out a unit. New York City’s […]