Hospitality & Leisure

Queens – October 15, 2026 -- Metropolitan Park, the $8.1 billion sports and entertainment district led by Hard Rock International and Steve Cohen, has committed $10 million to the new Jackson Heights community center of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, seeding a $33.8 million public-private funding package.

Developers count the $10 million toward a $1 billion community benefits package

The investment is part of Metropolitan Park's more than $1 billion in community benefits. It served as the seed funding for the facility's total capital stack, which combines private and public money from state, city and federal sources.

Los Angeles – October 15, 2026 -- Chubby Group has closed a $50 million Series A led by Prysm Capital at a $500 million valuation and signed a letter of intent to acquire 47 U.S. GEN Korean BBQ restaurants and four development sites from GEN Restaurant Group (Nasdaq: GENK) in a transaction valued at up to $100 million.

The round is Chubby's first institutional funding. The restaurant operator behind Chubby Cattle, Wagyu House, The X Pot, NIKU X, Chubby Skewers and Chubby Bowls says the deal would make it one of the largest Asian dining groups in the U.S.

GEN deal includes $1.5 billion convertible note and perpetual brand license

GEN will hold a note convertible into Chubby Group equity at a $1.5 billion valuation as part of the consideration. Chubby will receive a perpetual license to the GEN brand. Closing remains subject to definitive agreements, license and lease transfers, and regulatory approvals.

Medellín – October 15, 2026 -- Medellín welcomed 1.2 million foreign tourists in 2025, and the tourism sector generated an economic impact of five trillion pesos ($1.552 billion), according to the city's Department of Tourism and Entertainment.

The department says international arrivals to Colombia's second-largest tourism hub, behind only Bogotá, are growing at nearly 10% annually.

U.S. travelers make up 33% of foreign visitors to Medellín

Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, Peru and Panama follow the United States among the main source countries. Foreign tourists stay four to six nights and spend an average of about 210,000 pesos (around $66) per night, mainly on gastronomy, culture, shopping and wellness.

The true visitor count is believed to be higher than arrivals at José María Córdova International Airport. Many tourists enter Colombia through Bogotá or Cartagena de Indias and then travel inland to Medellín.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- Oracle Red Bull Racing and ecommerce company Rokt have retained five of six drivers for the second season of their all-female Rokt Red Bull Racing Esports team, with half of the 2026 roster drawn from the Rokt the Rig talent program.

Rokt the Rig attracted more than 7,000 entries at launch. Three of the six drivers are now graduates: Annemarie DePasquale (US), Rebecca Morrell (UK) and new signing Cythia Lok (Hong Kong). Two graduates raced in the team's inaugural 2025 season.

Team keeps five returning drivers and adds one newcomer from Hong Kong

The 2026 line-up is Paige Daughenbaugh (US), DePasquale, Bel Wells (US), Lok, Mia Rose (Australia) and Morrell. Lok is the only new driver. The five returnees start the season with a full year of competition behind them.

Charlotte -- Chartwells Higher Education will mobilize more than 320 campuses on October 21, 2026, with a collective goal of donating 50,000 meals nationwide through its United Through Food initiative.

Dining teams, students and campus partners will run awareness events and giveback activations on the same day. The initiative is a yearlong platform built around three campaign moments, aimed at food security, food waste reduction and simple ways for students to get involved.

Survey data shows 56% of students struggle to access food

Chartwells cites the 2026 Campus Dining Index, which found that 56% of students experience challenges accessing food. CEO Eva Wojtalewski said the program makes it easy for students, dining teams and campus partners to act together.

Atlanta – October 15, 2026 -- Popmenu has launched Spotlight Menu, a video-led menu product that pairs its SEO and AEO tools with Instagram-style dish videos, as U.S. consumers cut restaurant spending to an average of $100 a week from $115 in June 2025.

The product is aimed at helping restaurants rank higher in Google and AI searches and win more orders. Popmenu serves more than 12,000 restaurants globally.

Popmenu survey finds 82% of U.S. diners favor menus with photos and reviews

In a 2026 Popmenu survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 82% said they are more likely to choose restaurants whose online menus feature photos and reviews over text-only menus. The same share said they are more likely to order a dish that has a video than one with only a photo.

Zagreb – October 15, 2026 -- Bilateral trade between Croatia and Serbia reached nearly EUR 1.9 billion in 2025, according to the Croatian Chamber of Economy, and tourism and business professionals from both countries met in Zagreb to turn that base into deals tied to EXPO 2027 Belgrade.

Zagreb event pairs panel with speed-networking for hospitality partnerships

The "Visit Expo B2B Networking" event combined business presentations, a panel discussion and targeted B2B meetings. The panel, "Opportunities and Impact of EXPO 2027", covered openings for tourism and regional businesses. A speed-networking session let participants discuss potential hospitality and tourism partnerships.

San Francisco – October 14, 2026 -- Revinate has launched what it calls hospitality's first data activation platform, built on 1.25 billion guest profiles, with the global release of Revinate Pathways, Revinate Vault and a new version of Revinate Chat. The company says 60% of its customers report an ROI of 20X or more on the platform.

The launch targets a gap between AI adoption and results. In h2c's AI Opportunity Study 2026, 91% of hotel chains said they use AI, but only 13% reported a measurable return so far. Revinate says the releases advance its move into the enterprise segment, where major hotel brands are already customers.

Bethesda – October 14, 2026 -- Embassy Suites by Hilton Dulles Airport in Herndon, Virginia, has new ownership and management, with a renovation of guest suites, public spaces, meeting facilities and amenities scheduled to begin in 2027.

Hotel keeps Embassy Suites by Hilton flag and Hilton Honors participation

The all-suite property near Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) will continue to operate under the Embassy Suites by Hilton brand and remain part of the Hilton Honors loyalty program. The announcement was distributed by B. F. Saul Company Hospitality Group. The release does not name the new owner or disclose a transaction value.

Atlanta – October 14, 2026 -- Slutty Vegan has converted its Fulton Street restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, into its first operating franchised location, handing ownership to Destiny Correa, the general manager who ran the site for nearly five years.

Founder gifts the store and waives two fees

Founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes gifted Correa the store outright. Slutty Vegan also waived both the initial franchise fee and the recurring marketing fee that new franchise partners typically pay. The brand cited Correa's years-long commitment as the reason.

Correa helped build Fulton Street into one of the brand's flagship restaurants. The location now operates under her ownership.

"I walked into this store five years ago as a manager, and now I'm walking back in as the owner," Correa said.