Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

New Arizona boutique hotel will feature COVID-19 related safety features

Asian American owners plan to open The Tuxon this summer

TWO ASIAN AMERICAN hoteliers in Tucson, Arizona, are taking a chance that their new boutique hotel will open this summer to crowds looking for a safe escape from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tuxon will be the first hotel under Marriott International’s Design Hotels brand in Arizona when it opens and will be designed with cleanliness and safety measures in place.

The 112-room Tuxon, owned by Vishal and Sunny Patel, will incorporate elements of the local Mexican and Native American cultures as well as displays from local artists with a desert theme. It also will provide remote check-in options that promote social distancing.


"We continue to take all of the proactive steps needed to ensure a safe and clean environment,” Vishal said. “Prioritizing the health and safety of our employees and future guests remains of the upmost importance."

The Tuxon also will implement Marriott’s new cleaning protocols, set by its newly formed Global Cleanliness Council, from the beginning of its operations. Other COVID-19 inspired safety features include a a V-shaped, open-air design that allows guests to park near their rooms for entry without going through the lobby. It’s also arranging the furniture in the lobby to allow for more space.

"We've spent a lot of time thinking through from a safety standpoint first and foremost for our employees, our team, which includes our various partners, and then certainly our guests," Sunny told USA Today.

The boutique hotel’s focus on providing a local experience led to its inclusion in the Design Hotels collection, said Markus Schreyer, Design Hotels' senior vice president for the Americas and business innovation. More than 400 hotels apply to join the portfolio every year but only 5 percent are approved.

"As our first member in Arizona, we can't wait to share this hotel and the incredibly rich destination with our global community,” Schreyer said. “Originals Vishal Patel and Sunny Patel have tapped into exactly the values we hold: a socially-centered hub deeply rooted in its surroundings."

The hotel’s other amenities include a cactus garden and desertscape along with a boomerang-shaped pool. Nearby attractions include Sentinel Peak, known as the "birthplace of Tucson," along with hiking and bicycle trails. However, Vishal and Sunny are aware of the difficulty of opening in the current environment.

"We’re fully expecting it to be tough sailing early on as travel still is in the process of bottoming. But I think we have an amazing product and there's nothing like it in Tucson and I think that between how our property is set up and how we are positioned, I think we expect to do very well over time," Vishal Patel told USA Today.

More for you

Red Roof partners with FreedomPay to streamline payments in 700+ U.S. hotels
Photo credit: Red Roof

Red Roof taps FreedomPay for 700+ hotels

Summary:

  • Red Roof is contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its 700+ U.S. hotels.
  • The company will gain an integrated solution, improved service, cost savings and efficiency.
  • The company is investing in people and technology to advance the brand, president Zack Gharib told Asian Hospitality.

RED ROOF IS contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its portfolio of more than 700 hotels in the U.S. The company will receive an integrated payment solution, upgraded service, cost savings and operational efficiency, according to a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gen Z Shifts Hotel Shopping: Tech, Experiences & Values

Survey: Gen Z redefines hotel shopping

Summary:

  • Younger consumers are redefining hotel discovery through platform-hopping and peer input, according to SOCi.
  • Fragmented search and discovery are reshaping how trust is built.
  • About one-third of consumers aged 18–34 report less brand loyalty than a year ago.

GEN Z IS RESHAPING hotel shopping through multiple platforms, peer input and real-time research, according to SOCi, a marketing platform for multi-location businesses. Unlike previous generations who relied on a single search engine or map app, the younger consumer moves through a series of smaller decisions - starting on TikTok, checking Reddit or Yelp and ending with a Google Maps search.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotel Tech Advances; Outpaces Operational Readiness

Report: Tech outpaces readiness in hotels

  • A gap is growing between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel teams still early in AI use.
  • Distribution teams are evolving with limited resources and uneven investment in talent and automation.
  • The report outlines how commercial teams in hospitality are managing transformation.

THERE IS A widening gap between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel staff still early in using AI effectively, according to “The State of Distribution 2025” report. Despite the availability of technology, training, systems and workflows remain in development.

The second edition of the industry benchmark report—published by NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and its Hospitality Innovation Hub, in collaboration with RateGain Travel Technologies and HEDNA—noted that as traveler expectations rise, aligning people, processes and platforms is becoming a driver of performance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peachtree Group's Residence Inn by Marriott under construction in downtown San Antonio, topping out milestone reached, June 2025

Peachtree tops out San Antonio Residence Inn

Peachtree Hotel to Open in Summer 2026 with 117 Extended-Stay Rooms

PEACHTREE GROUP HELD a “topping out” for its Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown San Antonio, Texas, marking completion of the structural phase of the 10-story, 117-room hotel. The property, co-developed with Austin-based Merritt Development Group, is scheduled to open in summer 2026.

The extended-stay hotel will be owned by Peachtree and managed by its hospitality management division, the company said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India plane crash 2025
Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP

Air India reducing flights after deadly crash

AIR INDIA WILL reduce international service on widebody aircraft by 15 percent through at least mid-July, according to media reports. The decision comes less than a week after the June 12 crash of an Air India airliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 246 but left one survivor among the passengers.

The airline said the reduced service due to the safety inspection of aircraft and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have disrupted operations, resulting in 83 flight cancellations over the past six days, according to ABC News. Passengers can either reschedule their flights at no additional cost or receive a full refund.

Keep ReadingShow less