Hong Kong’s Hotel Lab and 8 Other Hospitality Trends This Week

Every week we post hundreds of stories across various sectors in travel, connecting the dots across various global trends, and in these weekend posts we highlight the stories that tackle these trends. This one looks at top hospitality trends.

For all of our trends roundups, go here.

>>While regulation is catching up with the alternative accommodations scene, the sector itself is still booming thanks to social and tech-savvy consumers: The Regulatory Landscape of Alternative Accommodations

>>It remains to be seen whether homesharing represents an existential threat to established corporate housing providers: Airbnb Isn’t Replacing Serviced Apartments for Business Travel Yet

>>Hotels should be more helpful in guiding guests towards amenities with, of course, a human touch: 5 New Travel Startups Helping Hotels Highlight Amenities

>>For about $27 million and change, this deal for 1,000 hotel properties looks likes a good one for Red Lion: Red Lion’s Acquisition of Vantage Hospitality Is Complete

>>Airbnb has made it clear it’s not a hotel company in the traditional sense, but with its latest loyalty play, it appears to be taking its lead from hotel-airline partnerships: Airbnb Teams Up With Qantas for a Major Loyalty Play

>>The world is in dire need of better, more realistic hospitality training and accreditation: The Hotel Lab in Hong Kong Training Future Hospitality Leaders

>>This survey, which had Wyndham as its winner, only looked at the value you get when you redeem your points for free nights, and it didn’t necessarily take into account other loyalty program perks: Wyndham Rewards Tops Another List of Loyalty Program Rankings

>>Hoteliers need to persuade employees that they support their education and training, and it’s also a vehicle for employees to be creative and more autonomous in their day-to-day jobs: Half of U.S. Hotel Employees Don’t See Education or Skills Training as Essential

>>Can Airbnb succeed in making packaged tours or peer-to-peer travel experiences cool? We have a feeling Airbnb just might be able to: A Better Look at Airbnb’s New City Hosts Program for Next-Gen Tours and Activities