Hospitality, Travel & Events

Southlake, Texas – September 21, 2026 -- Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR) has moved nearly 80 customers into piloting or full production on its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a year after launching the technology that lets AI agents book, sell and service travel directly on the company's data and inventory.

Sabre launched its MCP server in September 2025, a full year ahead of rivals now announcing similar agentic AI plans

The server acts as a connective layer allowing AI agents to transact directly against Sabre's travel data and inventory. Clients using the technology include Virgin Australia, Flight Centre, and Internova — spanning its Global Travel Collection, Nexion, ALTOUR and Travel Leaders Network brands — with the company citing real bookings and cost savings already realized.

Shanghai – September 21, 2026 -- Hotel & Shop Plus Shanghai 2027 will span 210,000 square meters and host more than 2,000 brands, positioning it as one of Asia's largest trade platforms for the hotel, retail, office and public-space sectors. The event, organized by Sinoexpo Informa Markets, is scheduled for March 30-September 21, 2026, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre and is projected to draw over 130,000 professional visitors.

Las Vegas – September 21, 2026 -- Circa Resort & Casino and Circa Sports have signed a multi-year deal to become the first Founding Partner of the Las Vegas Athletics, securing designation as the Official Resort and Sportsbook of the MLB club ahead of its new ballpark opening in 2028.

Circa becomes the A's first Founding Partner as the club builds its Las Vegas footprint

The agreement names Circa and Circa Sports as an Official Resort and Sportsbook of both the Athletics and the future Las Vegas Athletics Ballpark. Marc Badain, president of the Athletics, said the partnership builds on Circa's prior support of the club during its time in West Sacramento and marks a step toward a distinctly Las Vegas fan experience.

Knoxville – September 21, 2026 -- Blue Ridge Fitness Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of CR Fitness Holdings, opened Crunch Bearden on Saturday, September 19, marking a $5 million investment and the company's second Tennessee location.

New 46,819-square-foot club debuts Crunch's 3.0 design in Knoxville

Located at 4581 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919, the facility introduces Crunch Fitness's latest 3.0 club format to the market. The center includes a Hot Studio, Ride Studio, dedicated Abs & Glutes Room, functional training areas, HydroMassage, tanning, and full-service locker rooms.

Grantsville, Utah – September 21, 2026 -- PV3 Enterprises has poured more than $50 million into the former Utah Motorsports Campus since acquiring the 511-acre site earlier this year, rebranding the facility as West Desert and reopening it to the public after a 20-year run under its original ownership.

PV3 Enterprises returns the 511-acre campus to local Utah ownership

The Tooele County facility, located 30 minutes from Salt Lake City, first opened in 2006 as Miller Motorsports Park. Mark Hancock, Managing Partner of PV3 Enterprises, said the rebrand marks "a new lap" for the venue following its sale to the Utah-based investment group.

Arusha – September 20, 2026 -- Tanzanian tourism operator Ernest Magesa has commercially commissioned SafariOS, a conversational AI concierge built on technology from Brand Engagement Network Inc. (Nasdaq: BNAI), through its African venture Skye Africa Intelligence (Pty) Ltd.

Hotel guest assistance marks the first commercial deployment

The initial release handles property information, housekeeping and room-service requests, dining and transport guidance, and escalation to a human agent when needed. Skye plans to extend the same conversational layer to restaurants, excursion providers, safari operators and onward travel bookings as more businesses join the platform.

Sarasota – September 20, 2026 -- Chicken Salad Chick will open its third Southwest Florida restaurant on September 29 at 6650 Fruitville Road in the Fruitville Farms shopping center, marking the brand's first location in Sarasota County.

First 100 guests in line win free chicken salad for a year

The chain's grand-opening giveaway offers the first guest in line at 10:30 a.m. one free large Quick Chick portion weekly for a year, while guests two through 100 receive the same portion monthly for a year. Additional daily promotions through October 3 include free Tervis Tumblers, grocery totes and Chick Coolers for the first 50 guests each day who purchase a two-side meal or equivalent.

Pasay City, Philippines – September 20, 2026 -- The Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) 2026 closed with PHP 594,712,138.50 in sales leads, a 20.12 percent increase from the PHP 495.09 million recorded in 2025. The government-organized travel trade event, held at Conrad Manila, concluded on September 9.

New York and Hong Kong – September 20, 2026 -- CSTS Enterprises, an integrated media, entertainment, sports, and travel technology group, has appointed Steven Rockefeller III to its Advisory Board, adding a sixth-generation Rockefeller family member with private markets and cross-border investment experience to guide the company's expansion strategy.

Rockefeller brings private capital and China market expertise to CSTS strategy

Rockefeller currently serves as Director of Portfolio Management at Pondmoon Capital, sourcing and structuring private market investments across real estate, hedge funds, secondary markets, and alternative assets. He is also involved in developing Fieldwood, a master-planned private golf club and residential community in Westchester County, New York, and advises CodersTrust, an international education technology platform, on growth, fundraising, and institutional partnerships.

Singapore – September 20, 2026 -- Trip.Biz, the business travel arm of Trip.com Group, unveiled Agent ONE, an AI suite that cuts average trip booking time from 45 minutes to 2 minutes and reduces approval wait times from over an hour to under 3 seconds.

The announcement came at Transform 2026, a half-day summit held at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, that drew 200 senior leaders from travel, procurement, finance and HR functions across multinational corporations.