Hotel & Accommodation Why the Best Hedge Against Global Chaos Is a Very Large Hotel Company March 24, 2026 Soka Rick Namo "Uncertainty is the only certainty we have," Maalouf told the audience of industry leaders. "Every year, I am unsure what the uncertainty will be, but it happens." This perspective reflects…
Hotel & Accommodation Announcing First Round of Speakers for Skift Global Forum 2026 March 24, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The 2026 lineup arrives at a critical juncture for the industry. By 2026, the travel sector will have fully integrated generative AI into the customer journey, grappled with the long-term…
Hotel & Accommodation OpenAI Hires Meta’s Dave Dugan to Lead Global Ad Solutions as ChatGPT Pivots Toward a Monetized Search Future. March 23, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The strategic hiring of Dave Dugan, the former vice president of global clients and agencies at Meta, marks a definitive turning point for OpenAI as it transitions from a high-growth…
Hotel & Accommodation SC Capital Partners Acquires Fusion Hotel Group to Fuel Pan-Asian Hospitality Expansion. March 23, 2026 Soka Rick Namo In a landmark move that signals a significant consolidation within the Southeast Asian hospitality investment landscape, Singapore-based private equity real estate firm SC Capital Partners has officially announced its acquisition…
Hotel & Accommodation Chinese Inbound Travel to the United States Rebounds as February Figures Mark Post-Pandemic High. March 21, 2026 Soka Rick Namo After years of struggling to recover, Chinese inbound travel to the U.S. is showing signs of life, marking a significant turning point for a sector that has been among the…
Hotel & Accommodation The Narrowing Price Gap Between Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Conventional Jet Fuel: Geopolitical Volatility and the Path to Decarbonization March 20, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The price gap between sustainable aviation fuel and conventional jet fuel is narrowing, as oil market shocks from the Iran war push fuel prices higher across the board, fundamentally altering…
Hotel & Accommodation Accor Shares Plunge as Short-Seller Alleges Hotel Giant’s Role in Trafficking Ukrainian Children. March 20, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The global hospitality landscape was sent into a tailspin on Thursday as shares of Accor, Europe’s largest hotel operator, experienced a precipitous decline following the release of a damning report…
Hotel & Accommodation Google Doubles Down on AI Commerce with Universal Commerce Protocol as OpenAI Retreats from Direct Transactions March 20, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The landscape of generative artificial intelligence is undergoing a significant strategic bifurcation, as the world’s leading AI laboratories and search giants stake out opposing positions on the future of "agentic"…
Hotel & Accommodation Trump Administration Expands Visa Bond Pilot Program to 12 Additional Countries in a Move That Could Stifle Inbound Travel. March 19, 2026 Soka Rick Namo In a move that further tightens the borders of the United States and introduces significant financial hurdles for international visitors, the State Department announced on Wednesday that it is expanding…
Hotel & Accommodation H World Group Accelerates Expansion into China’s Lower-Tier Cities as Transport Infrastructure Fuels New Tourism Frontiers March 19, 2026 Soka Rick Namo The strategic landscape of the Chinese hospitality sector is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by a massive overhaul of national transportation infrastructure that is effectively redrawing the map of domestic…
