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1. Budget-conscious travelers shift to buses
Higher airfares and the demise of Spirit Airlines have pushed more travelers to buses, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Cost-conscious travelers drove a noticeable uptick in bus travel almost immediately after Spirit ceased operations.
"Within the first week of Spirit’s demise in early May, Flix North America, which operates the Flixbus and Greyhound lines, said it saw a 30% increase in passengers from the previous year across the roughly 130 routes that overlapped with Spirit," the newspaper reports. "Online search activity rose by 20%."
2. Bass Pro Shops buys resort in Florida Keys
Bass Pro Shops has announced it has acquired the Cheeca Lodge.
No price was included in the news release announcing the deal for the 27-acre resort, but The Real Deal reports the property had been marketed by previous owners Northwood Investors for $300 million. Northwood will continue to operate the property.
Bass Pro Shops also donated half of the property to the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation.
3. Rebel Hotel Company looks to grow in ultra luxury
With real estate investors increasingly interested in smaller properties where they have more control over the experience, Rebel Hotel Company President and CEO Brian Sparacino said his company has shifted more focus into the ultra-luxury segment to give those owners an option for third-party operations, CoStar News' Bryan Wroten reports.
The company has launched a new division called Reserve Collection Resorts & Hotels, which marks their third vertical following full-service hotels and focused-service hotels.
“We saw the opportunity to align with investors who are seeking that type of solution and support and decided now or never to launch the Reserve Collection of Rebel, and it's been exciting so far,” Sparacino said.
4. UK prime minister to resign
Major losses in local elections has spurred Labour Party leaders in the U.K. to seek new leadership, and current British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he's stepping down from his position atop the party and plans to vacate the prime minister position by September, the Washington Post reports.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” he said. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”
5. One person killed, 1,700 evacuated in Dominican Republic hotel fire
A hotel in the Dominic Republic caught fire Friday, killing one person and evacuating another 1,700 people, Reuters reports.
The cause of the fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic, is still under investigation.
The individual killed was a 46-year-old Italian woman identified as Francesca Valentino, according to local authorities.