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1. Hoteliers prepare for a bumpy ride
That STR lowered its full-year 2025 revenue per available room forecast to -0.1% came as a shock to attendees of this year's Hotel Data Conference, but it also came with a sense of validation for many revenue managers and commercial strategists, the CoStar News Hotels team reports.
"I'm sorry to say, we've seen the best this year," STR President Amanda Hite said. "The second half of the year is going to be tough. The next six months are really going to be rocky and probably not feel so great, because we saw the bulk of our growth in the first half of the year, unless you're a luxury hotel."
For video and podcast recaps, photos and other takeaways from the first day of the Hotel Data Conference, click here.
2. European hotels to sue Booking.com
Thousands of hotels are banding together in a class-action lawsuit against Booking.com, alleging the online travel agency has been distorting the market for decades, the Guardian reports. The Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes in Europe has extended its deadline for hotels to join the suit until Aug. 29.
The suit claims Booking.com extracted the "best price" pledge from hotels under pressure to keep them from offering lower prices than on the OTA platform, according to the article.
“European hoteliers have long suffered from unfair conditions and excessive costs. Now is the time to stand together and demand redress,” said Alexandros Vassilikos, president of the association.
In an emailed statement to the Guardian, Booking.com said the association's claim is "incorrect and misleading," adding that is has not received formal notice of the lawsuit.
3. Tech issue delays more than 1,000 United Airlines flights
United Airlines had to ground plans Wednesday because of technology problem, leading to more than 1,000 delayed flights, the Associated Press reports. Though the airline was able to resolve the issue, some disruptions continued into Thursday.
The problem occurred in the system the airline uses for flight information that then goes into other systems, such as those that calculate weight and balance as well as tracking flight times.
The tech problem affected all flights headed to Chicago as well as those at United hubs in Denver, Newark, Houston and San Francisco.
4. US expects $50 billion a month from tariffs
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said he expects the U.S. will collect at least $50 billion a month in tariff revenue, the Washington Post reports, citing an interview on Fox Business Network. The U.S. collected $30 billion in tariff revenue last month.
At ports of entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection collects the tariffs from the companies importing foreign goods, according to the article. That money then goes to the general fund, which is under the control of Congress.
President Donald Trump and many Republicans have said they plan to use the tariffs primarily to pay for a portion of the national deficit. Trump has also suggested sending rebate checks to Americans, which would require Congressional approval.
5. US weekly jobless claims ticks up by 7,000
The U.S. Department of Labor reported initial jobless claims for the week ending Aug. 2 rose by 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 226,000, according to Reuters.
"The latest data on new claims indicates employers are not yet turning to large-scale layoffs as the economy loses steam but are managing through attrition," the news agency reports. "That has helped keep the unemployment rate, at 4.2% in July, relatively low even while job growth has slowed. Declining labor supply amid the White House's immigration crackdown is also helping to stave off a jump in the jobless rate."