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1. Holiday spending set to see big drop
A new PwC survey is projecting the biggest drop-off in spending this holiday season since the pandemic, fueled largely by a pull back of Gen Z consumers, Reuters reports.
The news outlet reports "shoppers on average plan to spend about $1,552 per person, down 5.3% from last year." Back in 2020, average spending fell 7.6% to $1,187.
In all, 84% of the 4,000 consumers surveyed in June and July planned to cut back spending over the next six months.
"Consumers are approaching holiday purchases more deliberately, deciding what matters most, where to scale back and what feels worth the splurge," PwC said.
2. JD Power: Consumers want better food and beverage from hotel operators
J.D. Power released its 2025 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark this morning, noting hotel guests want better food and beverage from hotel operators along with better facilities maintenance. Guestroom quality and staff service maintained satisfaction levels, though.
"More than three-fourths — 77% — of guests in branded hotels run by the largest third-party management companies choose to dine in the hotel, up from 73% in 2024," a news release announcing the results read. "Yet, guest satisfaction declines significantly for quality of food, cleanliness of dining area(s), food and beverage presentation and ambiance."
Atrium Hospitality claimed the top spot for the overall customer satisfaction index ranking, followed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Columbia Sussex and Davidson Hospitality Group.
3. How First Hospitality has transformed its commercial strategy team
One of the biggest changes for hotel companies in recent years is a move from a traditional revenue-sales-marketing structure to integrated commercial strategy, and First Hospitality's Jenna Fishel said that move has been a positive one for her company.
Speaking on the latest episode of the CoStar News Hotels podcast, Fisher said it's created a more collaborative environment, which wasn't always the case.
“When I was in a revenue-management role, it was very easy to look on the other side and point the finger, blame results on sales versus owning everything,” she said. “When I moved into the [senior vice president] role and oversaw sales, I quickly learned what a value all our sales team members are and what a big impact they have on the business, and it’s much harder than it looks.”
4. Radisson lays out France growth plans
Radisson Hotel Group has announced the company has reached 34 hotels in operations or under development in France, which remains collectively one of the hottest tourism destinations across the globe. Sister publication Business Immo reports the Belgian hotel company's growth in the country is in part through partnerships with Covivio and Byron Capital.
Key recent openings include the Radisson Resort Cannes. The Banke Opéra Paris, A Radisson Collection Hotel is slated to open late in 2026, with The Hôtel Beaux-Arts Bourges, A Member of Radisson Individuals, scheduled to open in 2027.
5. Workers strike at Houston Hilton
Workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston kicked off a nine-day strike on Labor Day, The Houston Chronicle reports. The previous contract for the roughly 400 workers with Unite Here Local 23 that are now on strike expired in June.
The property is owned by Houston's destination marketing organization Houston First Corporation and operated by Hilton.
Unite Here Local 23 Texas chapter President Franchesca Caraballo said workers are pushing for what they see as a living wage, setting the floor for pay at $23 an hour.