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Accor announced it has launched Emblems Collection, a portfolio of unique luxury hotels and resorts, according to a news release. The collection's first property is the Guiyang Art Centre Hotel expected to open December 2022 in Guizhou Province, China.

"The hotels we will feature in Emblems Collection are those sought out by travelers who appreciate high-end, boutique-style experiences, as well as by hoteliers who cherish the independent brands they've built while desiring the benefits that come with a global partner,” Accor Chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin said in the release.

The company plans to grow the collection to 60 properties by 2030.

Hotel owners in New York City hope international travel and the holiday season will give their occupancy levels a bump through the end of the year, but current signs indicate it won't be as much as in previous years.

The holiday season is typically a large source of revenue for hotels in the city during the quarter, the article states. According to data from STR, CoStar’s hospitality analytics firm, New York hoteliers in 2019 charged the second-highest rates of the year during the first two weeks of December. The highest rates were during the last week in September when the United Nations General Assembly met.

Travel analytics company ForwardKeys told the Times that international flight bookings for New York City were down 45% as of Nov. 15 compared to 2019. Bookings for December were down 33% in a similar comparison.

United Kingdom-based Invel Real Estate Partners sees opportunities to grow its hospitality footprint in Greece, reports HNN’s Terence Baker. The company has invested approximately 150 million euros ($168.7 million) in Greece and Cyprus over the last 12 months.

“Due to the Greek economy being particularly dependent on the tourism sector, COVID-19 had a detrimental impact on the financial position of many hoteliers, despite the efforts of the government to support businesses," said Alex Pipilis, Invel’s principal and head of acquisitions for Greece and Cyprus. “The withdrawal of liquidity, high employment costs and the collapse of Thomas Cook in 2019 have all put pressure on the hospitality market. The above factors have resulted in a number of distressed opportunities in the hospitality sector."

With the expected travel demand for the first Thanksgiving since COVID-19 vaccines became available, U.S. airlines and airports will be tested by a surge in travelers, the New York Times reports. The Transportation Security Administration expected to screen about 20 million travelers at airports over the 10 days starting Nov. 19.

“For many people, this will be the first time they’ve gotten together with family, maybe in a year, year and a half, maybe longer, so it’s very significant,” said Kathleen Bangs, a former commercial pilot who is a spokeswoman for FlightAware, an aviation data provider. “If it goes poorly, that’s when people might rethink travel plans for Christmas. And that’s what the airlines don’t want.”

Lisa Barbstein, public affairs specialist for the TSA, said the federal employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate will not affect holiday travel as 93% of TSA employees are in compliance.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he would nominate Jerome Powell to serve a second consecutive term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Wall Street Journal reports. The president will also nominate Fed governor Lael Brainard to serve as vice chairwoman of the bank’s board of governors.

“Put directly, at this moment both of enormous potential and enormous uncertainty for our economy, we need stability and independence at the Federal Reserve. Jay has proven the independence that I value in a Fed chair,” Biden said.

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