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1. China's economy slows in July
The Chinese economy slowed significantly in July, a potential sign that the trade war with the U.S. is starting to have an effect, the New York Times reports. Industrial production was up 5.7% year over year in July, but was down from 6.8% in June.
The Times reports that retail sales and investment also decreased and fell short of economists' projections. Fu Linghui, spokesman and chief economist of China's National Bureau of Statistics, said tariffs and other factors led to the slowing in July.
“The international environment in July was complex and severe, with the continued impact of trade protectionism and unilateralism,” he said.
2. Italian hotel data breach could affect tens of thousands
The Italian government is warning hotel guests who stayed at 10 different Italian hotels that they may be victimized in a cyber heist that saw more than 90,000 documents for sale, The Record reports.
Included in the documents are "high-resolution scans of identity-confirming materials used during check-ins, including passports and other forms of official ID cards," the news outlet reports.
“It is not ruled out that further cases could emerge in the coming days. This data, once stolen, can be used for fraudulent purposes: from creating false documents to opening bank accounts, to social engineering attacks and digital identity theft, with potentially serious consequences for the victims, both financially and legally,” the Agency for Digital Italy said.
3. Pair of recently opened NOLA hotels prioritize authenticity
Groogrux Hotels recently opened two hotels in the historic Garden District in New Orleans, The Blackbird Hotel in 2024 and The Garden District Hotel in June. Both properties serve the purpose of bringing modern, upscale experiences to the neighborhood, CoStar News' Natalie Harms reports.
“When it came to thinking about the hotels, [the owners] were obviously struck by the city's beauty and culture, but also planned these hotels out really based on a void that they saw locally in the hospitality landscape relative to a lack of truly relevant, luxurious accommodations that were authentic reflections of the spirit of New Orleans," said Adam Patenaude, president of Dallas-based Dreamscape Hospitality, the management company overseeing both the properties.
4. Chinese hotels take to the streets to sell food
At least 15 high-end Chinese hotels are taking to the streets and hawking food in an effort to make back some revenues lost from weaker consumer demand, cuts to corporate and travel budgets and a lack of banquet reservations, Reuters reports.
"These days, it’s not that people will come just because you lower prices or offer discounts — they simply don’t come at all," said Anwen Xu, sales director at the Beiyuan Grand Hotel in Beijing, explaining the need to find new income streams.
Reuters reports that China's catering revenue grew 0.9% year over year in June, down from 5.9% in May. Accommodation industry profits in Beijing dropped 92.9% year over year in the first half of 2025.
5. Summer travel increasingly presents challenges for airlines
Shifts in travel behaviors have made summer travel — specifically in the third quarter — more unpredictable for airlines, CNBC reports. Some travelers are flying in May or June when school is let out, which is getting earlier and earlier. Demand for flights to Europe is being pushed out to the fall due to high temperatures in popular tourist markets.
Airlines have been removing more flights off the schedule in order to account for this lack of demand in months such as August. This just further drives up the cost of airfare, which was up 0.7% in July year over year.