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What changed in hospitality & travel regulation and policy this week?
Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.
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Members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) conducted hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., during their 2026 National Leadership Advocacy Conference.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗03
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signaled a potential end to the ban on drinking alcohol in football stands in England and Wales, suggesting a trial period to address perceived discrimination compared to other sports.
Read at theguardian.com ↗04
The U.S. State Department issued a 'reconsider travel' advisory for the entire Middle East on September 19, 2026, citing regional instability and security threats.
Read at thestreet.com ↗05
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) held its 2026 National Leadership & Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., on September 15–16, 2026.
Read at lodgingmagazine.com ↗What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in hospitality & travel this week?
The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.
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KKR has sold a portfolio of 16 Four Points Flex by Sheraton hotels located across 11 cities in Japan to an unnamed global institutional investor.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗07
Royal Caribbean has entered into a $3 billion agreement to acquire a stake in Sandals.
Read at globallegalpost.com ↗08
The Board of Directors of MGM Resorts International reaffirmed its commitment to the company's standalone strategy on September 24, 2026.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗09
Newmark has arranged a $482.5 million loan for Stockman Development LLC to fund the construction of The Stockman, Auberge Collection, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Read at lodgingmagazine.com ↗10
San Francisco-based startup Dextr AI, founded by Sajid Shariff and Scott Arnold in July 2025, has raised $6.7 million in seed funding led by Elevation Capital.
Read at crunchbase.com ↗11
Barry Diller, chairman of People Inc., announced on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, that the company is withdrawing its bid to acquire the remaining shares of MGM Resorts International.
Read at variety.com ↗12
Royal Caribbean is nearing a deal to acquire Sandals Resorts for more than $6 billion.
Read at ft.com ↗13
Sloan Dean, the former CEO of Remington Hospitality, has launched a new startup called AI Hospitality Group (AIHG) based in Dallas.
Read at skift.com ↗8 of 13 funding and m&a events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What products launched in hospitality & travel this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
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Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced that the company is rebuilding as an AI-native organization to accelerate growth and compete with OTAs and hotels.
Read at skift.com ↗15
Five Guys reached a milestone of 2,000 stores worldwide on September 25, 2026, with the opening of a new location at Universal CityWalk in Universal Orlando Resort, Florida.
Read at qsrmagazine.com ↗16
Qantas Airways is preparing to launch ultra-long-haul flights under its Project Sunrise initiative, connecting Sydney to London in October 2027 and Sydney to New York by mid-2028.
Read at thestreet.com ↗17
The Walt Disney Company has announced peak ticket price increases for its Walt Disney World theme parks in Orlando for the first 10 months of 2027.
Read at thestreet.com ↗18
Lighthouse argues that generic AI models like Claude and ChatGPT are insufficient for hotel commercial strategy due to a lack of real-time data and revenue management logic.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗19
Revolut has launched 'Pay with Smile', the UK's first facial recognition checkout system, which allows customers to pay without cards or phones.
Read at retail-systems.com ↗20
Stayntouch has completed the migration of its cloud-based Property Management System (PMS) across all seven Imperial London Hotels properties.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗21
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced at the Skift Global Forum 2026 that the company's experiences business in Paris has achieved 6x year-over-year growth.
Read at skift.com ↗8 of 38 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What financial results were reported in hospitality & travel this week?
Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.
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Cracker Barrel CEO Dave Deno announced that the restaurant chain plans to increase menu prices by 3% or more in 2027 to offset inflation.
Read at thestreet.com ↗23
CoStar data indicates that the U.S. Average Daily Rate (ADR) reached a record high of $179.30, with RevPAR increasing by 10.4% for the week ending September 25, 2026.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗24
In August 2026, the Canadian hotel industry recorded its eighth consecutive month of growth driven by rising room rates.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗25
Starbucks announced on Thursday, September 24, 2026, that it will close 250 underperforming stores across North America as part of a company-wide restructuring.
Read at commercialobserver.com ↗26
TGI Fridays has reduced its U.S. restaurant footprint to 71 locations as of September 2026, following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in late 2024.
Read at fastcompany.com ↗27
The Qatar Investment Authority has established a new division, Doha Investment, to manage over 40 domestic assets, including Qatar Airways and Qatar National Bank.
Read at semafor.com ↗28
U.S. hotels recorded a 10.4% increase in RevPAR for the week ending September 19, 2026.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗29
CBRE reported that hotel investment in the Asia Pacific region reached $8 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a 21% year-over-year increase.
Read at hospitalitynet.org ↗8 of 11 financial results events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What court rulings and legal actions hit hospitality & travel this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
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The State Administration for Market Regulation in China has launched antitrust investigations into units of Alibaba and Meituan.
Read at retail-systems.com ↗31
Danny Nozell, the manager of the late Dolly Parton, has filed for a restraining order against Bryan Seaver, Parton's nephew and former head of security.
Read at variety.com ↗32
A Village Inn restaurant franchisee, managed by Lloyd D. Lehan IV, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for five locations in Florida.
Read at thestreet.com ↗33
VI Oldsmar LLC, a franchisee of the Village Inn restaurant chain in Oldsmar, Florida, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 18, 2026.
Read at foxbusiness.com ↗What research was published in hospitality & travel this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
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Circana published a report in April 2026 analyzing the impact of global disruptions, specifically the Middle East-driven fuel crisis, on the Australian foodservice industry.
Read at circana.com ↗35
Skift and McKinsey released their seventh annual research report on September 25, 2026, analyzing the evolving travel booking journey.
Read at skift.com ↗36
A survey conducted by Hyatt in September 2026 reveals that travel loyalty programs are increasingly influencing vacation planning and payment behaviors.
Read at lodgingmagazine.com ↗37
Ireckonu released research on September 24, 2026, in Amsterdam, highlighting that hotels lose the opportunity to re-engage up to 20 percent of guests due to fragmented data.
Read at lodgingmagazine.com ↗38
On September 23, 2026, at the Skift Global Forum in New York, representatives from IHG, Priceline, and McKinsey & Company discussed findings from a new report titled 'Winning Hearts in an Age of Infinite Travel Choices.' The report, produced by Skift Research and McKinsey & Company, highlights that most travelers continue to search for deals and reconsider their options even after completing a booking. The discussion featured insights from Heather Balsley, Traci Mercer, and Margaux Constantin regarding the evolution of the modern travel booking journey.
Read at skift.com ↗5 of 9 research events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What incidents and outages hit hospitality & travel this week?
Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.
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Ten climbers are missing following an avalanche that struck a base camp on the Himlung Himal peak in Nepal.
Read at bbc.co.uk ↗40
An explosion destroyed a building near the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, on September 26, 2026, resulting in at least two deaths.
Read at bbc.co.uk ↗41
A 28-year-old British mountaineer died after falling approximately 61 metres while descending from the Torrecerredo peak in the Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain.
Read at theguardian.com ↗42
A threat actor is utilizing AI agent frameworks Strix, Cairn, and Hermes to compromise online retailers and steal credit card data.
Read at bleepingcomputer.com ↗43
Hurricane Polo strengthened off the Pacific coast of Mexico on Monday, September 21, 2026, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Read at insurancejournal.com ↗44
Colombian authorities declared a public calamity due to wildfires, including a major blaze in the tourist town of Villa de Leyva that affected approximately 290 hectares.
Read at theguardian.com ↗What partnerships were announced in hospitality & travel this week?
Partnerships, integrations and joint projects announced this week.
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Landingplace Hotels has launched the Borderless Hotel Alliance, an independent hotel affiliation platform based in Bluffton, South Carolina.
Read at lodgingmagazine.com ↗1 of 11 partnerships events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.