Hospitality, Travel & Events

Washington – November 04, 2026 -- The National Restaurant Association has named immigration reform, the Credit Card Competition Act and stable food and beverage trade policy as its three priorities for the 120th Congress, after 42% of restaurant operators failed to turn a profit in 2025.

Operators absorb costs as customer traffic softens

Restaurants employ 15.7 million people across nearly 1 million locations, making them the second-largest private employer in the nation. They drove more than 5% of GDP in 2025, according to the Association. Customer traffic has weakened as guests scrutinize spending, and operators have often absorbed higher costs rather than pass them on.

Association CEO Michelle Korsmo said operators face "increasing costs and decreasing margins."

Swipe fees rank as the third-highest operator cost

The agenda has three planks:

Villach – November 04, 2026 -- The Leading Spa Award 2026 has gone to 64 wellness hotels across six European countries, with German and Austrian properties taking 50 of the 64 titles, according to organizer Leading Spa Resorts.

Germany leads the 2026 winner table with 27 hotels

Germany accounts for 27 awarded properties and Austria for 23. Italy follows with 10 winners, Switzerland has 2, and Norway and Bulgaria have one each.

The Alpine region and the DACH markets dominate the list. Germany, Austria and Switzerland together hold 52 of the 64 awards.

Guest votes decide the annual award

The Leading Spa Award is presented annually as an audience prize. It rests on ratings and votes from wellness guests, not on a jury verdict. The organizer names quality, personal hospitality and sustainable recuperation as the criteria the award stands for.

LAS VEGAS – November 03, 2026 -- Red Rock Resorts (NASDAQ: RRR) swung to a third-quarter net loss of $17.7 million, against net income of $76.9 million a year earlier, after booking $79.1 million of share-based compensation tied to its 50th anniversary stock awards.

Net revenues rose 2.8%, or $13.1 million, to $488.7 million from $475.6 million in the third quarter of 2025. The net result fell $94.6 million year on year. The company also booked $6.9 million of other one-time 50th anniversary expenses.

Adjusted EBITDA falls 4.3% to $182.6 million despite higher revenue

Adjusted EBITDA declined $8.3 million from $190.9 million. The 2026 figure includes $5.8 million of one-time anniversary expenses. The company granted the stock awards to substantially all full-time and part-time employees.

HOCHATOWN – – November 03, 2026 --

Short-term rental agent Cathy Craig of The Short Term Shop has closed 72 cabin sales worth $51.0 million so far in 2026, already exceeding her full-year 2025 total of 54 closings and $38.4 million.

Craig's career volume reaches 226 cabins and $163.6 million since December 2021

Since late 2021, Craig has helped investors buy 226 Airbnb and VRBO cabins in Broken Bow and Hochatown, McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Closings from December 2021 through October 2026 total $163.6 million. Her clients' median purchase price is $650,000.

Over the past 12 months, she has completed 88 closings worth $62.2 million. The 2026 year-to-date count is a third above the 2025 full-year count of 54.

NEW YORK – November 03, 2026 -- Lindblad Expeditions Holdings (NASDAQ: LIND) reported record quarterly net income available to stockholders of $24.2 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026. The result compares with a net loss of $49 thousand in the same period of 2025.

Total revenue rose 12% to $269.2 million, an increase of $29.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA climbed 12% to $64.1 million, up $6.9 million year over year.

Lindblad segment lifts net yield 6% to $1,398 on 91% occupancy

Lindblad segment tour revenues grew 11% to $153.4 million, adding $15.8 million. Occupancy reached 91%, up from 88%, on a 4% increase in available guest nights. Segment Adjusted EBITDA rose $4.3 million to $37.1 million.

Higher fuel costs, more voyages and increased marketing spend partly offset the gains. Royalties also rose following the final royalty rate step-up under the National Geographic agreement.

Irvine – November 03, 2026 -- K1 Speed, the indoor kart racing operator, has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with 10-year-old driver Zayne Burgess, who has won 11 of 16 races in 2026 and is targeting Formula 1.

Burgess posts 15 podiums in 16 races this season

Beyond the 11 wins, Burgess finished second four times. His 2026 titles include the WSK Super Master Series, Trofeo Andrea Margutti and the Italian Championship. He raced in Europe in the Champions of the Future Academy in 2025.

Youngest driver in the top 10 takes second at the IAME World Final

At the IAME World Final in Viterbo, Italy, Burgess entered at short notice with no prior testing in the Mini X30 category and an unfamiliar engine. Against 72 drivers from 39 nationalities, he finished top three in every qualifying heat, including one win. He then took second in the final as the youngest driver in the top 10.

Honolulu – November 03, 2026 -- Renue Hawaii has launched a low-moisture commercial carpet restoration program that promises drying times under 2 hours and targets luxury hotels, resorts and convention venues on Oahu ahead of the peak winter travel season.

Program follows IICRC and AATCC protocols for high-traffic hospitality flooring

The program is built to comply with Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) Commercial Carpet Maintenance standards and American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) technical protocols. It covers woven and synthetic installations, with particular focus on large hospitality ballrooms.

ZHONGSHAN – November 03, 2026 -- Elephant Sculpture Art Co., Ltd. (ESAC) will use IAAPA Expo 2026 in Orlando on Nov. 17-20 to pitch its themed family entertainment center (FEC) design approach to operators, investors and developers, led by its roughly 5,000-square-meter WUNPARK project in Shanghai.

ESAC books Booth W1433 at Orange County Convention Center for Nov. 17-20

The Zhongshan-based design and construction company plans to meet FEC operators, themed entertainment investors, commercial property developers and industry partners from North America and other regions. Project teams planning to build, renovate or upgrade are invited to arrange discussions with ESAC before the event.

Austin, Texas – November 02, 2026 -- Oasis Management, whose funds own about 9.6% of Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN), a stake worth more than half a billion dollars, has launched a proxy contest. It is seeking two board seats at the ski operator's annual meeting on December 14, 2026, and argues that the stock has lost more than $8 billion in market value over five years.

Oasis has nominated Robert Chapek and M. Ashton Hudson and is urging shareholders to vote for them on its BLUE proxy card. It also launched a campaign website and published an open letter to shareholders. Oasis founder Seth H. Fischer said the aim is to make Vail Resorts better, "not break it up."

NEWTON, Mass. – November 02, 2026 -- Sonesta International Hotels Corporation will add 19 Boyd Gaming casino resorts, with more than 9,700 hotel rooms, to its distribution platform under an exclusive strategic affiliation announced with Boyd Gaming Corporation.

The first phase is the launch of the Boyd Collection, which also brings 600,000 square feet of meeting and event space onto Sonesta's platform. The collection will appear on Sonesta's signature list of brands, giving Boyd properties exposure to visitors of Sonesta.com. Boyd properties will stay available on Boyd's traditional distribution channels.

Sonesta gains full-service resort inventory in regional markets

Sonesta travelers get direct access to Boyd resorts for leisure and business travel in key regional markets. Boyd customers gain access to Sonesta's distribution platform, its expanding brand portfolio and the Sonesta Travel Pass loyalty program.