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1. Massive tech outage affects travel, other companies
An outage from Amazon Web Services that began at around 3:11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday affected much of the internet across the world, reports CNBC. The leading cloud infrastructure provider's status page said there were issues with its Domain Name System, which loads webpages and applications by translating website names to IP addresses.
AWS issued an update at around 5 am ET, later reporting “significant signs of recovery.” By 6:35 am ET, AWS reported that the issue had been “fully mitigated." Since the outage took place in the early morning hours, it was the United Kingdom and European countries, several hours ahead, that were mostly affected.
Travelers on both United and Delta airlines reported not being able to check into their flights or find their reservations, according to CNBC.
2. New poll finds growing concern for job market
Americans are growing more concerned about the job market under President Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. PBS News reported that 47% of adults in the United States are “not very” or “not at all" confident they could find a good job, which represents an increase from 37% of respondents in October 2023.
The poll also found that 36% of those surveyed said that electricity bills are a major source of stress. Meanwhile, over half of respondents said groceries were a big source of financial stress. A significant portion cited housing, healthcare and gasoline prices as financial stressors.
"The poll found that 36% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy," reads the article. At around the same point in President Joe Biden's presidency in October 2021, an AP-NORC poll reported a 41% approval by U.S. adults.
3. Hotel investors to seek clarity on demand in earnings calls
Third-quarter earnings season kicks off this week for public hotel brand and ownership companies. Analysts say that investors are looking for details about demand and consumer performance in an uncertain environment, CoStar News' Bryan Wroten reports.
Michael Bellisario, senior research analyst at Baird Capital, said investors of hotel brand companies and real estate investment trusts want to know more about the dynamics at play behind hotel performance during the quarter.
“There’s lots of cross currents and good and bad consumer data points, and lots of consumer-focused stocks have not done well,” he said. “Investors are simply trying to figure out what’s going on, specific to hotels, but just more broadly what is the health of the consumer.”
4. Hyatt announces its first hotel in Zambia
The first Hyatt-branded hotel in Zambia is planned to open thanks to a management agreement with an affiliate of ASB Hotel Properties and Albwardy Investments, the EU-Africa Chamber Group reported in a press release. The full-service Hyatt Regency Lusaka The Pamodzi in Lusaka in Zambia will reopen in 2026 under its new brand association following renovations.
“We are delighted to work with ASB Hotel Properties, Albwardy Investments and Pamodzi Hotels PLC to bring the Hyatt Regency brand to Zambia in 2026,” Stephen Ansell, managing director of Middle East and Africa at Hyatt, said in the release. “This signing is a fantastic milestone as we continue growing our brands in Africa, showcasing our commitment to enhancing our brand presence in the region and expanding our Classics Portfolio in new destinations.”
The hotel is expected to have 170 rooms and suites, as well as meeting and event space.
5. Cruise travel expected to peak again in 2026
More Americans are expected to take cruises next year than ever before, according to AAA and Tourism Economics data in a report from USA Today. An estimated 21.7 million U.S. travelers are predicted to opt for cruise travel, an increase from the 20.7 million forecasted for 2025.
“These numbers reflect the growing demand for ocean cruises among U.S. travelers,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a news release. “Our travel agents see this every day when booking dream vacations for AAA members. Whether it’s an anniversary trip to relax in the Caribbean or a family reunion to explore Alaska, ocean cruises offer variety, convenience, and lifelong memories.”
The top destination is again the Caribbean, which is expected to host 72% of the cruise trips for Americans. Alaska and the Mediterranean are the next-most popular destinations with 7% and 5% of American passengers predicted to cruise those regions, respectively.
This would mark the fourth consecutive year of record passenger number for the cruise industry.