IHG HOTELS & RESORTS recently reached two milestones. The first was opening its 6,000th hotel, and the next was the opening of 25 Holiday Inn Express Hotels with its new Formula Blu 2.0 design.
The 6,000 Club features a collection of newly opened hotels with a global reach of 17 brands. It was was commemorated by IHG CEO, Keith Barr, at the New York Stock Exchange on June 7 when he rang the bell to signal the close of trading, a statement said.
The new additions to its portfolio in the past five years include luxury & lifestyle brands Six Senses, Regent and Vignette Collection; Premium brand, voco hotels; Essentials brand, avid hotels; and Suites brand, Atwell Suites. Hotels in the 6,000 Club included the Candlewood Suites Nashville South, owned by Minesh Deva, and Hotel Indigo NYC Wall Street, owned by Atlas Hospitality led by Raj Guru as managing member and director of development, Vinod Chand as managing member and systems director and Paul Patel as director of operations.
“I’m incredibly proud of our IHG Hotels & Resorts teams for reaching a milestone of 6,000 hotels open around the world and would like to thank our owners for their collaboration and our guests for their love and trust in our brands. Every single property we open is a cause for celebration as we offer guests unrivaled experiences in amazing locations and give owners even more reasons to work with us," Barr, said. "Our new partnerships will connect more of our IHG One Rewards members with memorable moments, as travel continues to return. With over 1,800 hotels in our pipeline, I’m looking forward to IHG’s next chapter of growth and to celebrating plenty more milestones to come.”
The company announced a series of multi-year sports and entertainment partnerships for IHG One Rewards members that will connect travelers at events around the world, including Major League Soccer, European Professional Club Rugby and music festivals across the US and UK.
According to the statement, IHG is set to grow its portfolio by a further 30 percent, with more than 1,800 hotels already in its development pipeline.
Formula Blue 2.0
Recently, IHG Hotels & Resorts opened more than 25 Holiday Inn Express properties featuring its Formula Blue 2.0 interior design across the U.S. and Canada.
It first released the Formula Blue design in 2014, bringing the now familiar trademark elements of open check-in, enclosed breakfast bar, and guest room refreshment zone to hotel owners and millions of travelers. Formula Blue has been the most popular design initiative in the brand’s 30-year history and is now in more than 1,200 hotels in North America.
IHG now has 25 Holiday Inn Express properties featuring its Formula Blue 2.0 interior design across the U.S. and Canada. Since its launch in 2014, the original Formula Blu is now in more than 1,200 hotels in North America. Pictured are the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Valencia-Santa Clarita in Valencia-Santa Clarita, California, owned by Neil Patel, and the Holiday Inn Express White Marsh in White Marsh, Maryland, owned by Keyur Patel.
“Holiday Inn Express is our fastest growing brand because of our focus on investing in a design and brand experience in areas where it matters most to guests. We’re focused on making design changes that, based on consumer insights, impact booking decisions and continue to offer great owner value," said Stephanie Atiase, vice president, Global Brand Head for Holiday Inn Express.
“I have owed hotels for 14 years and partnered with IHG for much of that time. In fact, one of our first hotels when my dad and I started our company was an IHG property. My Holiday Inn Express has performed strongly as an investment and is popular for travelers coming through the Valencia-Santa Clarita market," said Neil Patel, owner, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Valencia-Santa Clarita in Valencia-Santa Clarita, California. "Working with IHG to upgrade our property to the next iteration of the Formula Blue design was a great experience and I love welcoming guests into our new and improved spaces. As a regional owner, I really appreciate the cost savings aspect that Formula Blue 2.0 delivered without sacrificing the quality provided to the owner.”
Keyur Patel, owner of the Holiday Inn Express White Marsh in White Marsh, Maryland, said the hotel remains a more than just a business.
“Like many of my fellow owners, my brother Ketul and I grew up in the hotel business and it’s still a family business for us today. We built our very first Holiday Inn Express in 1999, and our strategy has always been to build and operate quality hotels," Keyur said. "My wife Heeral and I worked closely with the IHG team to incorporate the Formula Blue 2.0 design at the new White Marsh hotel and the results have been fantastic. Our favorite part is the public area which now has regionalized artwork done in a programmatic way. The entire design just feels better.”
A PETITION FOR a referendum on Los Angeles’s proposed “Olympic Wage” ordinance, requiring a $30 minimum wage for hospitality workers by the 2028 Olympic Games, lacked sufficient signatures, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar. The ordinance will take effect, raising hotel worker wages from the current $22.50 to $25 next year, $27.50 in 2027 and $30 in 2028.
Mandatory health care benefits payments will also begin in 2026.
The L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress sought a referendum to repeal the ordinance, approved by the city council four months ago. The petition needed about 93,000 signatures but fell short by about 9,000, according to Interim City Clerk Petty Santos.
The council approved the minimum wage increase for tourism workers in May 2023, despite opposition from business leaders citing a decline in international travel. The ordinance requires hotels with more than 60 rooms and businesses at Los Angeles International Airport to pay workers $30 an hour by 2028. It passed on a 12 to 3 vote, with Councilmembers John Lee, Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez opposed.
The L.A. Alliance submitted more than 140,000 signatures in June opposing the tourism wage ordinance, triggering a June 2026 repeal vote supported by airlines, hotels and concession businesses.
AAHOA called the ruling a setback for Los Angeles hotel owners, who will bear the costs of the mandate.
"This ruling is a major setback for Los Angeles' small business hotel owners, who will shoulder the burden of this mandate," said Kamalesh “KP” Patel, AAHOA chairman. "Instead of working with industry leaders, the city moved forward with a policy that ignores economic realities and jeopardizes the jobs and businesses that keep this city's hospitality sector operating and supporting economic growth. Family-owned hotels now face choices—cutting staff, halting hiring, or raising rates—just as Los Angeles prepares to host millions of visitors for the World Cup and 2028 Olympics. You can't build a city by breaking the backs of the small businesses that make it run."
Laura Lee Blake, AAHOA president and CEO, said members are proud to create jobs in their communities, but the ordinance imposes costs that will affect the entire city.
“Even with a delayed rollout, the mandate represents a 70 percent wage increase above California's 2025 minimum wage,” she said. “This approach could remove more than $114 million each year from hotels, funds that could instead be invested in keeping workers employed and ensuring Los Angeles remains a competitive destination. The mandate increases the risk of closures, layoffs and a weaker Los Angeles."
A recent report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association found Los Angeles is still dealing with the effects of the pandemic and recent wildfires. International visitation remains below 2019 levels, more than in any other major U.S. city.
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AHLA Foundation is partnering with ICHRIE and ACPHA to support hospitality education.
The collaborations align academic programs with industry workforce needs.
It will provide data, faculty development, and student engagement opportunities.
THE AHLA FOUNDATION, International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education and the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration work to expand education opportunities for students pursuing hospitality careers. The alliances aim to provide data, faculty development and student engagement opportunities.
Their efforts build on the foundation’s scholarships and link academics to workforce needs, AHLA said in a statement.
"We're not just funding education—we're investing in the alignment between academic learning and professional readiness," said Kevin Carey, AHLA Foundation president and CEO. "These partnerships give us the insights needed to support students and programs that effectively prepare graduates to enter the evolving hospitality industry."
ACPHA will provide annual reports on participating schools’ performance, enabling the Foundation to direct resources to programs with curricula aligned to industry needs, the Foundation said.
Thomas Kube, incoming ACPHA executive director, said the partnership shows academia and industry working together for hospitality students. The collaboration with ICHRIE includes program analysis, engagement through more than 40 Eta Sigma Delta Honor Society chapters and faculty development.
“Together, we are strengthening pathways to academic excellence, professional development and industry engagement,” said Donna Albano, chair of the ICHRIE Eta Sigma Delta Board of Governors.
Fragmented systems, poor integration limit hotels’ data access, according to a survey.
Most hotel professionals use data daily but struggle to access it for revenue and operations.
AI and automation could provide dynamic pricing, personalization and efficiency.
FRAGMENTED SYSTEMS, INACCURATE information and limited integration remain barriers to hotels seeking better data access to improve guest experiences and revenue, according to a newly released survey. Although most hotel professionals use data daily, the survey found 49 percent struggle to access what they need for revenue and operational decisions.
“The Future of Hotel Data” report, published by hospitality data platform Hapi and direct booking platform Revinate, found that 40 percent of hoteliers cite disconnected systems as their biggest obstacle. Nearly one in five said poor data quality prevents personalization, limiting satisfaction, loyalty and upsell opportunities.
“Data is the foundation for every company, but most hotels still struggle to access and connect it effectively,” said Luis Segredo, Hapi’s cofounder and CEO. “This report shows there’s a clear path forward: integrate systems, improve data accuracy and embrace AI to unlock real-time insights. Hotels that can remove these technology barriers will operate more efficiently, drive loyalty, boost revenue and ultimately gain a competitive edge in a tight market.”
AI and automation could transform hospitality through dynamic pricing, real-time personalization and operational efficiency, but require standardized, integrated and reliable data to succeed, the report said.
Around 19 percent of respondents cited communication delays as a major issue, while 18 percent pointed to ineffective marketing, the survey found. About 10 percent reported challenges with enterprise initiatives and 15 percent said they struggled to understand guest needs. Nearly 46 percent identified CRM and loyalty systems as the top priority for data quality improvements, followed by sales and upselling at 17 percent, operations at 10 percent and customer service at 7 percent.
Meanwhile, hotels see opportunities in stronger CRM and loyalty systems, integrated platforms and AI, the report said. Priorities include improving data quality for personalized engagement, using integrated systems for real-time insights, applying AI for offers, marketing and service and leveraging dynamic pricing and automation to boost efficiency, conversion and profitability.
“Clean, connected data is the key to truly understanding the needs of guests, driving amazing marketing campaigns and delivering direct booking revenue,” said Bryson Koehler, Revinate's CEO. “Looking ahead, hotels that transform fragmented data into connected data systems will be able to leverage guest intelligence data and gain a significant advantage. With the right technology, they can personalize every interaction, shift share to direct channels and drive profitability in ways that weren’t possible before. The future belongs to hotels that harness their data to operate smarter, delight guests and grow revenue.”
In June, The State of Distribution 2025 reported a widening gap between technology potential and operational readiness, with many hotel teams still early in using AI and developing training, systems, and workflows.
Hyatt partners with Way to unify guest experiences on one platform.
Members can earn and redeem points on experiences booked through Hyatt websites.
Way’s technology supports translation, payments and data insights for Hyatt.
HYATT HOTELS CORP. is working with Austin-based startup Way to consolidate ancillary services, loyalty experiences and on-property programming on one platform across its global portfolio. The collaboration integrates Way’s system into Hyatt.com, the World of Hyatt app, property websites and FIND Experiences to create a centralized booking platform.
World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points on experiences booked through Hyatt websites, including wellness programs, cultural activities, ticketed events and local collaborations, the companies said in a statement. Members can also access FIND Experiences, which includes activities and auctions where points can be used to bid on events.
"In our search for an on-brand platform to power experiences and tap into ancillary revenue opportunities, Way's collaboration has been a true unlock for us," said Arlie Sisson, Hyatt’s senior vice president and global head of digital. "After a thorough evaluation of potential solutions, Hyatt chose Way to power the next chapter of our digital strategy by streamlining operations, elevating brand differentiation, enhancing personalization and, most importantly, delivering care at every touchpoint in the guest journey."
The Way initiative spans Hyatt’s portfolio, covering cabana rentals, in-room amenities and partnerships with local providers, the statement said. Way’s technology supports real-time translation, more than 100 currencies, multiple payment methods and data insights to help Hyatt manage operations globally.
"Hyatt set a high bar and Way is proud to bring their vision to life," said Michael Stocker, Way’s co-founder and CEO.
"The platform supports enterprise needs while preserving the guest experience."
U.S. CMBS delinquency rate rose 10 bps to 7.23 percent in July.
Multifamily was the only property type to increase, reaching 6.15 percent.
Office remained above 11 percent, while lodging and retail fell.
THE U.S. COMMERCIAL mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate rose for the fifth consecutive month in July, climbing 10 basis points to 7.23 percent, according to Trepp. The delinquent balance reached $43.3 billion, up from $42.3 billion in June.
Trepp’s “CMBS Delinquency Report July” showed multifamily led the increase, with its delinquency rate rising 24 basis points to 6.15 percent. Lodging fell 22 basis points to 6.59 percent and retail declined 16 basis points to 6.90 percent. Office delinquencies edged down to 11.04 percent after hitting a record 11.08 percent in June.
Loan-level analysis showed $4.4 billion in loans became newly delinquent in July, exceeding $3 billion that cured. Mixed-use, retail and office each accounted for more than $800 million of newly delinquent loans.
The seriously delinquent share, 60+ days, foreclosure, REO, or non-performing balloons, rose to 6.93 percent, Trepp said. Excluding defeased loans, the overall delinquency rate would be 7.41 percent.
A separate report from Lodging Econometrics showed the global hotel pipeline at 15,871 projects, up 3 percent year-over-year, totaling 2,436,225 rooms, up 2 percent.