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1. Indian Hotels Company, Ambuja Neotia sign 15-hotel deal
Indian Hotels Company has a new deal with hotel owner and developer Ambuja Neotia Group to open 15 hotels over the next five years, CoStar News' Terence Baker reports. This is the latest partnership between the two companies.
Indian Hotels Co. is the parent of hotel brand Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces.
Under the new deal, the hotel developments will include brownfield, greenfield and conversion projects across three Indian states.
2. Explaining the 'integrity fee' for US tourist visas
Though not in effect yet, the recently passed U.S. tax bill included a measure that allows the Department of Homeland Security to charge fees to foreign visitors, ABC News reports. The $250 "visa integrity fee" will apply to people applying for non-immigrant visas to enter the country.
Visitors from more than 40 countries that are in the Visa Waiver Program may be exempt from this fee. Also, those who don't stay beyond their visa's expiration or perform unauthorized work may be eligible for reimbursement.
"The new visa integrity fee increases the upfront costs of visiting the U.S. 144%, while doing nothing to lower interview wait times," said Erik Hansen, U.S. Travel Association senior vice president of government relation affairs. "Even if it is technically reimbursable, the added complexity and cost will discourage visitors."
3. Smart TVs, app engagement improve hotel guest satisfaction
The J.D. Power 2025 North American Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark found technology drove guest satisfaction scores, reports CoStar News' Natalie Harms. Guests' overall perception of value increased in each hotel segment as well.
"Now that a few years have gone by — and hotel owners and operators are getting back to those renovations and improvements and are working on hotel guestrooms and interiors — we did see satisfaction with guestrooms improve," said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power.
4. Signs point to slowing US economy
The Leading Economic Index published by research group The Conference Board dropped by 0.3% to 98.8 in June, more than the 0.2% predicted by economists, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though the stock price rally that month provided some fuel, it wasn't enough to overcome low consumer expectations, weak manufacturing order numbers or higher jobless claims.
The LEI has dropped by 2.8% during the first six months of 2025, the newspaper reports.
"The LEI’s six-month growth rate weakened, while the diffusion index over the past six months remained below 50, triggering the recession signal for a third consecutive month," said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, senior manager, business cycle indicators, at The Conference Board, in a news release. "At this point, The Conference Board does not forecast a recession, although economic growth is expected to slow substantially in 2025 compared to 2024. Real [gross domestic product] is projected to grow by 1.6% this year, with the impact of tariffs becoming more apparent in [the second half of the year] as consumer spending slows due to higher prices.”
5. Iconic peacocks stolen from historic Ryde Hotel
Several of the peacocks at the historic Ryde Hotel in Ryde, California, have been stolen, the Los Angeles Times reports. After a guest reported seeing two men putting a peacock into a cage, a count of the flock found only four of the local flock remained.
Roughly 40 of the birds live nearby, 15 of which come to the hotel for food daily, the newspaper reports. The hotel staff hadn't noticed a decline in the numbers as there had been a fire in the area recently.
A sergeant with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said peacocks, which are the male peafowls and have the colorful plumage, are estimated to be worth about $2,000 each.