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1. Oyo's parent company Prism to raise $742 million through IPO
Oyo Hotels' parent company Prism, formerly known as Oravel Stays, received shareholders' approval to raise 66.50 billion rupees ($742.04 million) through equity shares as part of its proposed initial public offering, Reuters reports.
The India-based company first launched an IPO bid back in 2021 but has delayed the process in order to raise debt.
Shareholders of Prism approved the proposal to pursue an IPO. The company's largest shareholder SoftBank has previously pushed back on IPO plans.
2. Weather to affect travel on both coasts
Southern California is going to see heavy rain yet again on Friday while New York City is expecting its biggest snowfall in more than three years, the New York Times reports.
There's concern of flooding in Southern California, with a flash flood warning issued for parts of Ventura County at about 2 a.m., and Santa Barbara and Malibu are under a flood advisory.
Parts of southern Connecticut, North Jersey and southeast New York could see snow up to 5 to 7 inches. If that total exceeds 4 inches of snow in New York City, it would be the most accumulation in the city since January 2022.
3. Uncertainty leads challenges for hotel operators
Hotel operators said rising costs and fluctuating demand were among the biggest challenges they faced in 2025, with the caveat being that general uncertainty put pressure on everything, CoStar News reports.
"The biggest challenges for us throughout the year were ... the inconsistencies and the roller coaster of unknowns," said Kerry Ranson, president of operations and partner at South Carolina-based hotel management and ownership company Raines.
The silver lining for the year for many hoteliers, though, seems to be an easing labor market.
4. UK airports see highest Christmas Eve demand ever
This Christmas Eve was the busiest ever at U.K. airports, the BBC reports. The Civil Aviation Authority projected more than 335,000 people flying in the U.K. on Wednesday, up 5% from last year.
Heathrow Airport officials expect its busiest December ever, including more than 150,000 passengers on Christmas. EasyJet had 558 flights scheduled to depart on Christmas Day, which contributed to "its busiest festive season ever."
5. Travel trends for 2026
CNBC compiled a list of the top five travel trends that are set to shape 2026. Those five trends include: the anti-tourist; 'decision detox' holidays; wellness moves beyond spas; nostalgic travel; and AI in hotel service.
The anti-tourist will travel to popular destinations outside of their peak seasons to cut down on overtourism and save some money in the process.
The report also predicts that hotels will use AI to predict guests' wants.
"As AI accelerates, personalization will no longer be a nice-to-have but the default operating system of choice," a separate report from travel technology company Amadeus said.