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1. How tourists can beat the heat in Europe
Tourists traveling to Europe are looking for ways to stay cool and safe amid a historic heat wave across popular destinations such as France, the United Kingdom and Spain. The New York Times reports that the high temperatures have disrupted rail lines, forced sites such as the Louvre and Eiffel Tower to close early, and has caused power grid failures.
In order to beat the heat, travelers should seek out lodging accommodations that feature air conditioning — which is much less common in Europe compared to the U.S. and East Asia — go on tours inside of buildings and take walking tours early in the day, the newspaper reports.
2. Marriott, Blacksand to open 10 hotels in Saudi Arabia
Marriott International and Riyadh-based developer Blacksand signed an agreement to develop 10 hotels with more than 1,300 rooms in Saudi Arabia over the next four years, according to a news release.
The hotels will span across several of Marriott's brands, including St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Hotels, Autograph Collection, Moxy Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott and Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy. The properties are scheduled to open by 2030.
“This landmark deal with Blacksand reflects Marriott’s continued focus on diversifying our portfolio across Saudi Arabia to deliver meaningful hospitality experiences in line with the country's tourism priorities. From immersive resort escapes and design-led stays to vibrant social hubs and extended-stay living, we look forward to introducing a range of experiences tailored to meet the evolving needs of travelers visiting the Kingdom," Jerome Briet, chief development officer of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Marriott, said in the release.
3. The trickle-down effect of AI on guest experiences
Hotel experts at Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' annual HITEC event said the changes that artificial intelligence will bring to the industry will be for the customer's gain, CoStar News' Natalie Harms reports.
Floor Bleeker, consultant at In2 Consulting, said AI "democratizes distribution," so hotel brands will need to offer more to guests than just their loyalty programs.
"They have to go inside the hotel again and provide amazing guest experiences and provide an amazing, efficient operations in order to win the contract from owners," he added.
4. Weekly US hotel numbers show World Cup impact
For the week ending June 20, U.S. hotel performance saw big year-over-year growth in average daily rate and revenue per available room, according to CoStar data. ADR was $178.03, up 8.4% over last year, and RevPAR was $126.86, up 9.7%. Occupancy was 71.3%, a 1.2% increase.
San Francisco led the way among the top 25 markets, seeing the highest increases in occupancy (up 17.6% to 84.8%), ADR (up 53.5% to $301.35) and RevPAR (up 80.5% to $255.45). Overall, 21 of the top 25 markets saw an increase in RevPAR.
5. San Francisco hotels generate $12 billion for city's economy
Hotels in San Francisco generated more than $12 billion in economic impact in 2025, according to a study conducted by Oxford Economics and released by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the California Hotel & Lodging Association.
The report shows that hotels in the city support nearly 50,000 jobs and pay $2 billion in total taxes. Hotel guests spent $8 billion at hotels and local businesses.
“Hotels are the cornerstone of the city's economy, and pivotal to accelerating San Francisco’s comeback as a top global destination,” said Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of AHLA. "San Francisco is on the rebound as a result of a strong partnership between City Hall and the business community. The hotel industry looks forward to furthering this progress with the mayor and Board of Supervisors because when hotels thrive, workers, residents and small business across the community do, too, in a true win-win."