Hospitality, Travel & Events

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.

NEW YORK – November 03, 2026 -- Equinox appointed Brendan Whitworth, most recently CEO of Anheuser-Busch, as Chief Executive Officer, as a completed refinancing gives the luxury fitness operator more than $1 billion of capital planned for investment in its club portfolio, member experience and growth initiatives. Whitworth also joins the Equinox Board as a Director.

Spevak moves to Chairman after leading Equinox since 1999

Harvey Spevak, who has run Equinox since 1999, becomes Chairman. He said he was personally involved in recruiting Whitworth and has known him for several years.

Whitworth held several commercial leadership roles at Anheuser-Busch, including Chief Sales Officer, before becoming CEO. He previously held senior commercial roles at PepsiCo and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He holds an economics degree from Bucknell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Shanghai – November 03, 2026 -- Yum China Holdings (NYSE: YUMC; HKEX: 9987) grew third-quarter operating profit 13% year over year to $451 million on revenue up 8% to $3.5 billion, and raised its 2026 net new store target to more than 2,400. Revenue growth was 2% excluding foreign currency translation. Diluted EPS rose 20% to $0.91, or 12% excluding F/X and 8% when mark-to-market equity investment effects are also stripped out.

Record 692 net openings push store count to 19,989

Yum China opened 692 net new stores in the quarter, a quarterly record, and franchisees opened 44% of them. Total stores reached 19,989 at September 30, 2026, with 19% operated by franchisees. The company now expects to surpass 20,500 stores this year, with a 40-50% franchise mix of net new stores for both KFC and Pizza Hut.

Capital expenditure is guided at approximately $600 million to $700 million for 2026.

Orlando – November 03, 2026 -- Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: XHR) raised its full-year 2026 guidance after third-quarter Adjusted EBITDAre rose 26.0% to $53.2 million and Adjusted FFO per diluted share climbed 56.5% to $0.36.

Same-Property RevPAR rises 12.5% on higher occupancy and rates

Same-Property occupancy reached 70.0%, up 380 basis points year over year. Same-Property ADR increased 6.4% to $264.00, lifting Same-Property RevPAR 12.5% to $184.75. Same-Property Total RevPAR gained 12.7% to $325.71.

Same-Property Hotel EBITDA grew 29.3% to $60.2 million, and the margin widened 295 basis points to 22.9%. Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Diego, Santa Clara, Pittsburgh, Houston, Key West and Orlando led RevPAR growth.

Chairman and CEO Marcel Verbaas said results "significantly surpassed our expectations," citing group and corporate transient demand plus leisure demand from several large events.

Dallas and Fort Worth – November 03, 2026 -- The oneworld alliance's branded lounge at Seoul Incheon International Airport has been named "Asia's Leading Airline Lounge - Business Class" at the World Travel Awards for a second consecutive year. The lounge receives 150,000 guests annually.

World Travel Awards select winners through a vote of professionals and travellers

Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards cover the travel and hospitality sectors. Winners are chosen in a voting process that includes both travel professionals and travellers.

Gerhard Girkinger, oneworld's vice president of Customer Experience & Airports, attributed the result to consistent service quality for the lounge's annual visitors.

ATLANTA – November 03, 2026 -- Scientific Games will present its instant games, digital portfolio and retail technology at the World Lottery Summit in Sydney from November 9-12, targeting lottery executives, product managers and technologists from more than 75 countries.

Scientific Games builds its Sydney exhibit around connecting retail and digital play

The company's Powering Possibilities exhibit at the International Convention Centre combines instant games, digital games, loyalty, CRM, player marketing and retail technology. Data and analytics inform game creation and personalize engagement across channels, the company said. Chief Communications & Brand Officer Beth Bresnahan said the goal is helping lotteries build stronger player relationships and create new opportunities for responsible growth.

Hamburg – November 03, 2026 -- The German dance school trade association WDTU will present its award to Andrea Berg on Saturday, November 7, while dance schools nationwide run a three-hour Discofox marathon for charity.

WDTU honors Berg for the most self-written Discofox titles

The Wirtschaftsverband Deutscher Tanzschulunternehmen (WDTU) is recognizing Berg for her commitment to the dance school industry and her contribution to Discofox. The ceremony takes place on World Dance Day at the "Hazienda" venue of Hotel Sonnenhof in Kleinaspach, Berg's hometown.

The association cites her three-decade career and her status as the artist with the most self-written Discofox titles. It describes her as the most successful artist in German chart history. According to the jury, her music brings people of all ages onto the dance floor and has kept the style alive in dance schools and clubs across generations.

CORAL SPRING – November 02, 2026 -- Ocean Signature Resorts has opened Ocean Allure Eden Bay, a 444-suite, adults-only (18+), all-inclusive resort in Trelawny, Jamaica, converting the former Ocean Eden Bay into the flagship of its Ocean Allure collection.

The property sits 40 minutes from MBJ Airport, near historic Falmouth. It targets couples, corporate incentive groups and social gatherings.

Every guest gets a dedicated concierge, regardless of room category

The resort applies its Comprehensive Concierge Service to all 444 suites. Each guest is paired with a concierge for itineraries, private dining and spa bookings. The service runs 24/7 and includes 24-hour in-suite dining and valet parking.

LONDON – November 02, 2026 -- EXPO 2027 Belgrade is courting tour operators at WTM London with a pitch built on more than four million expected visits over 93 days, as Serbia seeks to turn the first Specialised Expo in the Western Balkans into bookable travel products.

The exhibition runs from 15 May to 15 August 2027 and has confirmed more than 140 international participants. Organizers are asking travel partners to build dedicated visits, group packages and itineraries that combine Belgrade with other parts of Serbia in their 2027 portfolios.

Serbia's inbound tourism grew 6.5% in the first eight months of 2026

Serbia recorded 3.13 million tourist arrivals between January and August 2026, up 6.5% year-on-year. Foreign overnight stays rose 5.8% to 4.33 million.

Overnight stays by UK visitors climbed 8.7%, a faster rate than the overall foreign total. That gives the London showing a concrete source-market rationale.