Sean O'Neill

3 weeks ago | skift.com | Sean O'Neill

CoStar Group, which tracks about 85,000 hotels worldwide, downgraded its U.S. hotel industry growth projections for 2025, citing first-quarter underperformance and mounting economic uncertainty. The new forecast comes despite fresh signs of stability after weakness in March and April. "Top-line performance is still growing even in the current environment," said Amanda Hite, president of STR, CoStar's hospitality data unit, in an interview.

3 weeks ago | skift.com | Sean O'Neill

Hilton is betting on luxury hotels as it chases affluent travelers worldwide who want more aspirational redemption options in its loyalty program. The hotel giant reached a milestone Monday with its 1,000th luxury and lifestyle hotel opening globally. It said it expects to add more than 150 luxury and lifestyle properties this year, equivalent to roughly three new hotels per week.

4 weeks ago | skift.com | Sean O'Neill

Hyatt Hotels on Friday will launch a new "soft brand" called Unscripted by Hyatt, targeting independent hotels that want access to the chain's marketing muscle while keeping their local, non-chain flavor. Katie Johnson, vice president and global brand leader, said in an exclusive interview with Skift that about 40 hotels globally are in talks to join the new brand. Most of this first wave of hotels will be conversions of existing independent properties rather than new builds.

1 month ago | skift.com | Sean O'Neill

A cascade of tourist tax proposals is sweeping across the UK after Edinburgh became the first British city to approve a 5% hotel bed tax starting July 2026. Edinburgh's move, announced last August, has triggered a wave of similar tourist tax proposals across Britain as cash-strapped local governments eye taking a cut of tourism revenue while making it costlier to visit.

1 month ago | skift.com | Sean O'Neill

The U.S. Senate and House passed legislation this week that would affect the take-home pay of tipped workers, including hundreds of thousands of hotel employees who provide housekeeping, food and beverage, bellhop, and concierge services. The topics of tips and taxes and are politically sensitive. Many of the hotel companies we reached out to didn't want to speak about it. But here's what the industry's hope is: Tax-free tips might make the country's 2.17 million hotel jobs more appealing.