Read the latest hotel industry news from around the Americas region.

Marriott International President Stephanie Linnartz is stepping down from her role in February to join athletic apparel brand Under Armour as president and CEO, reports HNN's Bryan Wroten.

"It has been one of the most significant and best experiences of my life to build a career at Marriott," Linnartz said in the release announcing her departure. "I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had to play a role in the company's growth and industry leadership. I am thankful for the support and friendship of Mr. Marriott, Arne Sorenson, David Marriott and Tony Capuano through the years.”

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention enacted a policy effective Jan. 5 requiring all travelers coming to the U.S. from China, regardless of their nationality or vaccination status, to show negative COVID-19 tests.

China's "lack of transparency about its outbreak — and, in particular, its failure to track and sequence variants and subvariants that are circulating within its borders," prompted CDC official to make this decision, the New York Times reports.

Executives with MGM Resorts International finished the $1.075 billion sale of the operations of The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to Hard Rock International, HNN's Bryan Wroten reports. MGM expects $815 million net cash proceeds from the transaction.

"Hard Rock will operate the property under The Mirage name through a three-year license from MGM Resorts until its renovation and rebranding to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas," according to news releases from both companies."

Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest Airlines, told ABC's Good Morning America the airline will reimburse passengers for travel-related costs following significant flight cancellations and delays, particularity during the weeks of Christmas and New Year's Day.

Refunds will cover "rental cars, hotel rooms, meals, booking customers on other airlines," CNN reports.

• Crescent Real Estate purchased the 189-room Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver for $69.75 million. Hotel-focused real estate investment trust Xenia Hotels & Resorts was the seller, according to CoStar records.
  
• Catania Hospitality Group sold the 48-room historic Dan'l Webster Inn in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
• Fontainebleau Development has named Brett Mufson as president and CEO of Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The hotel is currently under construction and is expected to debut in the fourth quarter of 2023. Mufson remains president of Fontainebleau Development.
  
• Jeremy See has been promoted to the role of chief commercial officer at HEI Hotels & Resorts.
  
• Delaware North purchased the 322-room Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn in Tusayan, Arizona.
• HCW purchased the 127-room Hyatt Place Phoenix Gilbert. HCW plans to make upgrades to the hotel.
• McClinton Heil has been named general manager of hotel operations at Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek, in Denver.
  
• Cambria Hotels opened the 101-room Cambria Hotel Savannah Downtown Historic District.
• Hilton opened the newly constructed 261-room Hilton Santa Marta in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia. The hotel features five dining experiences and more than 11,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.
• All-Inclusive by Marriott in partnership with Blue Diamond Resorts opened the 1,005-suite Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun, an Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort.
• The 167-room Aloft Playa del Carmen opened as the third Aloft hotel in the Mexican Caribbean.
• Playa Hotels & Resorts, which owns, operates and develops all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, opened two new Jewel Resorts in the Dominican Republic. The Jewel Punta Cana has 620 rooms and the Jewel Palm Beach features 500 guest rooms.

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