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1. Hurricane Helene makes landfall as Category 4 storm
Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday as a Category 4 storm, leaving more than 3 million homes and businesses without power in the southeastern U.S., the Associated Press reports. The storm has since weakened to a tropical storm, but there is still widespread heavy rain expected in the region.
There are four reported deaths caused by the storm, one in Florida, two in Georgia and one in North Carolina.
“When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where very likely there’s been additional loss of life and certainly there’s going to be loss of property,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday night.
2. Accor signs partnership with World Monuments Fund
Accor signed a three-year partnership agreement with the World Monuments Fund to help protect cultural heritage, promote tourism sustainability and foster community resilience, HNN's Terence Baker reports.
In a joint news release, the two organizations said the collaboration “will harness their complementary expertise, resources, and global reach to deliver projects that enhance destinations, offer meaningful connections with communities, and build long-term resilience."
3. Asset manager survey shows demand as biggest concern
The Hospitality Asset Managers Association's Fall 2024 Industry Outlook Survey shows the overall demand environment is the biggest concern among the group, HNN's Sean McCracken reports.
Emily Miller, vice president of asset management at Atrium Holding Company, said the demand environment varies wildly from market to market, making it hard to project going forward.
"Even within markets like San Francisco, this corner is doing better than that corner," she said said to Hotel News Now at a joint interview of HAMA board members during the organization's 2024 fall meeting.
4. Striking hotel workers in Connecticut, Rhode Island ratify new union deals
Striking hotel workers in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island, ratified new union contracts that increase their wages and provide more affordable healthcare, Unite Here announced in a news release. The contracts are the first to be ratified amid nationwide strikes that have more than 4,000 hotel workers currently on strike in Honolulu, San Diego and San Francisco.
“My co-workers and I put a lot of work into this fight,” said George Cook, a banquet attendant at the Omni Providence Hotel. “We were ready to do whatever it took to win. I’m happy that we’re able to get the best contract we've ever had, with wage increases that will help us pay our rent and take care of our families.”
Unite Here said in the release that ongoing strikes are expected to grow, however, before labor disputes are resolved.
5. World's first 3D-printed hotel in development in Texas
El Cosmico, a hotel and campground near Marfa, Texas, is building 43 new hotel units and 18 residential homes over 60 acres with a 3D printer, Reuters reports. This would make it the world's first 3D-printed hotel.
"Most hotels are contained within four walls and a lot of times you are building the same unit over and over and over again," said Liz Lambert, owner of the hotel. "I've never been able to build with such little constraint and such fluidity ... just the curves, and the domes, and the parabolas. It's a crazy way to build."
Austin, Texas-based 3D printing company ICON is providing the printer, which uses a special cement-based material as the "ink." The project is expected to be completed by 2026.