Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

NYU International Hospitality conference postponed

The event will now be held in November due to the COVID-19 pandemic

THE 42ND ANNUAL NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference has been postponed. It is the latest major conference to be delayed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally scheduled to be held May 31 to June 2, the conference, hosted by the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, will now be held Nov. 11 to 12.


“After careful consideration and to ensure the health and safety of conference attendees and panelists in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference’s executive planning committee has chosen to postpone the conference,” the organizers said in a statement.

The announcement came days after Hunter Hotel Advisors decided to cancel its Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta for 2020. That conference had originally been postponed from March shortly after the pandemic was officially declared by the World Health Organization.

The NYU conference will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis with the same content as originally planned. Conference prices will also be adjusted for a more compact format. A full agenda will be available in early fall.

The event’s virtual CEOs Check In panel will be held on June 2 at 2 p.m. and will be moderated by Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels & Co. and co-chairman of the board of Loews Corp. Panelists include David Kong, president and chief executive officer of Best Western Hotel Group; Keith Barr, CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group; Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of  Hilton; and Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International.

More for you

Deloitte value-seeking report 2025

Study: Consumers seek value over low prices

Summary:

  • Consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, pushing brands—including hotels—to adapt, Deloitte finds.
  • Economic uncertainty and inflation are driving caution and shifting views on pricing and spending.
  • Value-seeking by generations: 49 percent of Gen X, 43 percent of Boomers, 40 percent of Millennials and 44 percent of Gen Z.

AMID ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY and inflation, U.S. consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, favoring brands with added benefits, according to a Deloitte study. This shift is reshaping the market as companies, including hotels, adapt to changing expectations.

Keep ReadingShow less
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
Twin Cities Pipeline Flow Hits 15‑Year Low: Major Impact

Report: Twin Cities pipeline at 15-year low

Minneapolis–St. Paul Hotel Pipeline Falls to 15-Year Low in 2025

FEWER THAN 250 HOTEL rooms were under construction in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro at the start of 2025, the lowest level since 2010, according to Marcus & Millichap. The limited pipeline, however, signals strong demand for existing inventory.

Marcus & Millichap’s “2025 Hospitality Investment Forecast for Minneapolis–St. Paul” projects metro-wide occupancy will rise for a sixth straight year to 59.4 percent, above the past decade’s average but still below pre-pandemic levels.

Keep ReadingShow less