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1. Maui spurns short-term rentals
The Maui Planning Commission voted against the creation of two new hotel zoning districts that would have allowed thousands of short-term rentals to stay in operation, Hawaii News Now reports.
Bill 9, which passed in December, phased out about 7,000 transient vacation rentals operating in apartment-zoned districts in Maui. This led to the proposal to establish H-3 and H-4 hotel districts, which was ultimately shot down by the planning commission.
"Proponents of the new hotel districts argued the H-3 and H-4 designations were necessary to avoid economic fallout, while opponents said the island needs more long-term housing, not additional hotel zoning," the news outlet reports.
2. Chicago's Hotel Florence to undergo $100 million redevelopment
Hotel Florence, a 145-year historic hotel in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood, and will undergo redevelopment into a boutique hotel with new restaurants, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The surrounding area will also be rehabilitated, with an estimated total cost of $100 million.
Chicago-based development group Celadon Partners will work on the project, with construction set to begin in March 2027 and completion expected in late 2028. The hotel has been closed since 2000.
“We are breathing new life into this incredible site, while preserving a treasured part of Illinois history,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said at an event announcing the project.
3. Minor Hotels exec on North America expansion
Thailand-based Minor Hotels is seeking to grow its portfolio in North America, evident in its hiring of Genna Panagopoulos as vice president of development for North America in October.
In an interview at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, Panagopoulos said Minor signed 40 new hotel contracts on the continent last year, and North American portfolio growth "is the big focus" of the company, CoStar News Hotels' Natalie Harms reports.
"Minor is looking to grow here in North America, and they realized it was very important to have somebody with boots on the ground here in the U.S.," Panagopoulos said.
4. How Global Entry shutdown is affecting travel
Global Entry, a program that expedites arrival into the United States, remains affected by the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. The effects differ from airport to airport, the New York Times reports.
For example, Global Entry kiosks are down at the San Francisco International Airport but Customs and Border Protection is allowing members of the program to access the priority lane. Airports in the New York metro area, however, have fully closed Global Entry operations.
“Global Entry is far more than a convenience; it is on the front line of national security. Its more than 13 million members undergo rigorous background checks, interviews and vetting,” U.S. Travel said in a statement. “Suspending it doesn’t just slow lines. It increases costs and strips away a layer of security infrastructure that took years to build.”
5. US weekly jobless claims rise slightly
The Associated Press reports unemployment claims increased by 4,000 to 212,000 in the U.S. last week, according to data from the Labor Department. The four-week moving average of jobless claims also increased by 750 to 220,250.
"For now, the U.S. job market appears stuck in what economists call a 'low-hire, low-fire' state that has kept the unemployment rate historically low, but has left those out of work struggling to find a new job," the AP reports.