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1. Hilton union workers in Houston continue strike
Unionized hotel workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston have been striking for more than 20 days now, demanding a $23 hourly wage from Hilton. Union officials are now devoting their attention toward Houston First, the owner of the property who struck a management deal for Hilton to operate the hotel, Houston Public Media reports.
"The city of Houston is doing well, right. Visitors, conventions are well. Hilton has been doing great as well. Everybody needs to feel this," said Joaquin Martinez, city council member. "I think Houston First, as somebody that manages this city facility, should be supportive. My hope is that they would come out and say, ‘Hey, we are supportive of paying working families.'"
2. Biggest San Francisco hotel project in years approved
A 29-story, 211-room hotel plan received Planning Commission approval in San Francisco at 570 Market St., the largest hotel project in the city in years, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
San Francisco has struggled to regain hotel demand levels from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several major properties, including the Hilton Union Square and Parc 55, have been in major financial distress and had their loans foreclosed.
"San Francisco tourism is forecast to grow to 23.5 million visitors this year, up from 2024 but below 2019's record high of 26.2 million visitors, according to the San Francisco Travel Association, the city’s tourism board. International travel is expected to decline in the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and geopolitical tensions, particularly with Canada, Mexico and China," the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
3. Literary hotels provide twist for avid readers
For travelers seeking out a hotel that can transport them to their favorite bookstore while providing a bed to sleep in, CoStar News Hotels compiled a list of seven hotels that lead into the literary world.
One of these properties is the Liberty Hotel in New York City. The 60-room, independent luxury hotel has more than 6,000 books on property, with each guestroom filled with 50 to 150 books. Its rooftop bar, Bookmarks Lounge, has literary-inspired cocktails.
4. UK consumer confidence dips
The headline level of British consumer confidence fell two points to negative 19 in September, according to GfK's monthly index, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK, said the Bank of England's interest-rate cut in August hasn't shown any boost to the financial mood of consumers so far. On Thursday, the central bank held rates steady.
“With tax rises expected in the November budget, the risk is that confidence inevitably falls,” Bellamy said.
5. Tech, staffing issues linger at Newark Airport
Air traffic controllers who manage flights at the Newark Liberty International Airport are concerned about the sustainability of improvements to the airport's equipment and staffing since the spring, the New York Times reports.
Recent staffing levels are still down compared to last spring, and managers are denying requests for time off in order to boost attendance, tanking morale in the process, the newspaper reports. While there have been strides taken with the equipment, some of the same equipment that led to issues at the airport this spring remain.
“It’s probably another summer before you really get a sense of whether it’s truly fixed or whether it’s still getting there,” said Bob Mann, an industry consultant and former airline executive.