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1. Fed Chair Powell under criminal investigation
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over renovation work to the central bank's headquarters and Powell's statements to Congress regarding the project, the New York Times reports. President Donald Trump has had a long-running feud with Powell despite nominating Powell to the position in 2017.
In a video message, Powell said the Justice Department had served the central bank with grand jury subpoenas.
“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” Powell said. “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions — or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.”
Trump denied the investigation is tied to decisions on interest rates.
2. Hotel employee fired for doxxing ICE agents
CSM Lodging said it has fired an employee at its Residence Inn near the Mall of America for posting pictures to social media platform Reddit of Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents checking in, USA Today reports. Reddit later removed the pictures, saying it violated its rules.
"The privacy and safety of our guests is of the utmost importance to us," CSM Lodging said in a statement. "Upon learning of this situation on Wednesday evening, we immediately investigated the matter and identified the person responsible for capturing the images in the post."
This comes after Minneapolis continues to deal with the turmoil following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent late last week.
3. 2026 may be 'good year' for UK hotel transactions
This year has the potential to be quite busy with hotel transactions in the United Kingdom, but macroeconomic trends could pose some challenges, CoStar News Hotels' Terence Baker reports.
Laura Wild, partner and global co-leader of hotels and hospitality at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, said the government's November budget announcement led to a pause in activity, but since that has come to pass, there's less uncertainty.
“We did see a reduction in fourth-quarter transactions as investors paused and waited to see, as with most budgets, what it would contain. That is financially prudent, but now it has been delivered, the sentiment is pretty positive. Now we have certainty,” she said.
4. Marriott makes executive leadership changes
Marriott International is making some changes to its leadership structure as two long-time executives announce their retirements, according to a news release. Liam Brown, group president, U.S. and Canada, and Brian King, president, enterprise transformation and Caribbean and Latin America, will step down at the end of March and retire at the end of June 2026.
Effective March 28, Satya Anand, currently as president of the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, will become Group President, U.S., Canada and CALA. Neal Jones, currently chief operating officer for Europe and Africa and global leader Design Hotels, will assume the role of president, EMEA. Federico “Fede” Greppi, currently chief operating officer for CALA, will step into the role of the region’s president. Jones will join Anand in serving on Marriott’s executive leadership team, and both will report to President and CEO Tony Capuano. Greppi will report to Anand.
“Liam and Brian are extraordinary leaders whose impact on Marriott and our people cannot be overstated,” Capuano said in the release. “They have guided our company through pivotal moments with vision, integrity and a deep commitment to our associates, guests and owners. While we will miss Liam and Brian, we are grateful for their decades of service and the lasting legacy they leave behind.”
5. Travel demand up even as costs increase
Even though just about everything costs more, people are still prioritizing travel as they plan how to spend their money, Yahoo Finance reports. The International Air Transport Association's latest report found an estimated 5.2 billion people plan to travel by air in 2026, up 4.4% year over year.
“Travel searches are rising, fares are falling, and more people are looking beyond the U.S. for places to go," said Sarah Kennedy, Kayak travel trends expert.
International airfares are down about 10% or more for summer travel, while domestic is down 3%, she said. Summer 2026 long-haul fares to Europe and Asia are trending especially low, making 2026 prime for global trips. Summer fares to Europe in particular are down 14% from last summer.