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1. Pakistan, UN Seek Flood Relief
Record-breaking floods caused by weeks of heavy rains in Pakistan have affected more than 33 million people and killed more than 1,160 since mid-June. The country and the United Nations requested $160 million in emergency funding to combat the floods Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
More than 1 million homes have been damaged or destroyed; the country’s farmland has had the same fate, the AP reports.
“Let’s stop sleepwalking toward the destruction of our planet by climate change,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said in a video message to an Islamabad ceremony launching the funding appeal. “Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”
2. Labor Day Travel to Set Record Highs
Several travel companies are projecting the number of U.S. travelers this Labor Day weekend will surpass pre-pandemic levels and break some records, Reuters reports. Hopper, a travel booking app, projects 12.6 million travelers will fly from Thursday to Monday, a 22% increase from 2019 passenger volumes.
Short-term rental platforms, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, have 1.76 million nights booked, a Labor Day weekend high. There could be some correlation between the record short-term rental bookings and the record high hotel rates, as the average price for a domestic hotel this weekend is up 32% compared to 2019 and 6% compared to 2019, the news outlet reports.
"People are being a little bit more resistant to the higher prices, and they're booking different types of accommodations as opposed to hotels," said C. Patrick Scholes, Truist equity analyst.
3. Hotels' Golf Packages On Par With Demand
Golf increased in popularity during the pandemic due to its built-in social distancing, and hotels and resorts have taken notice, offering more packages catered to golfers, HNN’s Dana Miller reports.
Packages sometimes include complimentary offerings such as transportation to nearby golf courses and golf club rentals along with programming centered around golfing. The demand for these packages have increased within the past year, Miller reports.
“[We're] trying to captivate all these people who want to come and golf," said Grant DeMoss, director of golf at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. "From what I've heard talking to [hotel-level employees], a lot of people come up from across the state and they do a tournament. It's a different culture up here in those times because everyone is here for golf, which that's not always the case. When you get a bunch of golfers together, they enjoy camaraderie."
4. US Consumer Confidence Rises in August
After three consecutive months of declining consumer confidence, the think tank Conference Board announced an increase in its consumer confidence index from 95.3 in July to 103.2 in August, CNN reports.
“In the first half of the year, there were shocks to consumers from gas prices, the stock market and mortgage rates,” said Bill Adams, senior vice president and chief economist at Comerica Bank. “Consumers look very reassured that the direction has stopped getting worse.”
5. Hotel Employees Granted Flexible Hours
The pandemic altered the traditional workday, and some industries seeking to fill labor holes, including the hotel industry, are giving prospective employees the flexibility to set their own hours, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The changing practice has allowed employees to work a few days a week and take on four-hour shifts, the newspaper reports. Hoteliers view the shift as an advantage to their industry.
“It’s not a nine-to-five job,” said Michael Jacobson, president of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. “We have shifts starting every hour of the day.”