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1. A&O Hotels & Hostels buys Schulz Hotels
European hostel company A&O Hotels & Hostels acquired Berlin-based Schulz Hotels, CoStar News Hotels' Terence Baker reports. Schulz currently operates one hotel, the 1,000-key Schulz Hotel Berlin Wall, and has a second location under development in the Heide Quarter of the city.
The deal is part of A&O's parent companies' overall €500 million ($582 million) investment in A&O's portfolio and operations platform over the past 18 months.
As part of the deal, Schulz's founders Nizar Rokbani, Oskar Kan and Sascha Gechter will join A&O's management and advisory team. These three had previously founded Meininger, a European hotel/hostel concept that has more than 20,000 beds today.
2. Fed expected to cut interest rates
The U.S. Federal Reserve's Federal Open Markets Committee will meet today and tomorrow, and committee watchers say they expect an interest rate cut but with a much narrower vote than normal, the Wall Street Journal reports. Several voting members have voiced they don't see a strong case for another cut just yet.
“With inflation running persistently above target, a fed-funds rate close to 4% isn’t nearly as restrictive as you might have thought,” Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said last month.
3. Hoteliers see some demand pickup following World Cup schedule release
U.S. hoteliers with properties in markets that will host 2026 World Cup matches are starting to see bookings come in after FIFA announced which teams will be playing where over the weekend, reports CoStar News Hotels' Trevor Simpson.
The floodgates haven't exactly opened, but that's not causing any concern just yet.
"I don't think you see the majority of the bookings very much in the short term. I think they'll come probably in more or less the first quarter, where you'll see most everyone making their plans, trying to get through the year," said Rosario Bianchi, general manager of the AC Hotel New York Downtown, a train ride away from host market East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will host teams from Brazil, Germany, France and England.
4. Ninety-one percent of Americans plan to travel next year
A survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Marriott Bonvoy found 91% of respondents plan to travel in 2026, according to a news release. Forty-nine percent said they wanted to travel more than they did in 2025, and 67% said they will prioritize travel over material purchases.
The survey also found 55% said they hope to spend more time with loved ones, and 46% are looking forward to new dining experiences while on a trip.
5. US consumer sentiment near record lows
U.S. consumers are still spending, but they're not feeling all that optimistic, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Joanne Hsu, who directs the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, said people aren't feeling confident about the economy. They still look back to how much things cost before the COVID-19 pandemic, and they're having a hard time with increases in recent years.
“We haven’t collectively come to grips that that is behind us,” Hsu said.