Hyatt Gets Political and 10 Other Hospitality Trends This Week

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines hospitality.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>Tink Labs is a standout Hong Kong company in the hotel ecosystem. It attracted $170 million in funding to make its Handy loaner smartphones a free amenity in hotels worldwide: 4 New Travel Startups Helping Hotels Engage With Guests

>>Early on, Design Hotels narrowed in on the concept that innovative design was the foundation for any good brand experience. The company built on that by promoting the member hotel owners as expert curators of their local neighborhoods: Skift Forum Europe: Design Hotels CEO on the Independent Spirit in Hospitality

>>A fresh approach to online distribution will heat up the corporate housing sector: BridgeStreet Pushes Corporate Housing Towards a Mini-Revolution in Online Booking

>>Unlike some of its peers, IHG isn’t quite as interested in acquiring new brands as it is in further developing the brands and properties it already has: IHG CEO: Our Focus Is on Building Up the Brands We Have

>>Being a perfectionist isn’t always a bad thing: CEO Interview: Barry Sternlicht Is His Own Biggest Critic

>>Deal by deal, AccorHotels is taking bold steps to bring the traditional hotel company into the future: Accor CEO: We Want to Transform the Way You Use Hotels

>>Given the current geopolitical climate and the ever-tightening, more restrictive stance the U.S. is taking on immigration and travel these days, Hyatt’s new ad could not be more timely: Hyatt Gets Political in Advertising Campaign for New Loyalty Program

>>When a company updates its product to become easier for all parties to use — especially in corporate travel — we pay attention: A Shakeup in Corporate Housing: Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>Travelers have long asked Airbnb to make it easier to share the cost of a rental, including when they are using different currencies from a lodging host: Airbnb Buys Payments Company Tilt to Let Travelers Split Trip Costs

>>Wyndham Destination Network has positioned itself as the largest property management company in vacation rentals: Wyndham Destination Network: A Giant Among Vacation Rental Property Management

>>We’ll see what the hotel industry has to say (or doesn’t say) when Trump issues his revised travel ban plans next week: Here’s What Hotel CEOs Think of Trump’s Travel Ban