New U.S. Cuba Travel Rules 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.

>>In the context of Amadeus Hospitality’s progress, the Premier Inn deal gives a semblance of traction to woo other chains: Amadeus Signs Premier Inn for Hotel Services as InterContinental Deal Steams Ahead

>>Hyatt’s loyalty program may be in for some interesting changes next year as the hotel chain vacuums up talent from Starwood: A Hiring at World of Hyatt Portends Big Changes Ahead — Business of Loyalty

>>Choice Hotels executives talk a big game about the company’s new reservations system, debuting early next year. They even use buzz phrases like, “transformative platform” and “innovative tools.” But will the new system be a panacea for the hotel chain? We’ll soon find out: Choice Hotels Bets Big on a New Cloud-Based Reservations System

>>It’s not if you get knocked down, but how you get up that matters. Not only do hospitality teams have the opportunity to provide guests with shelter and stability, but they can expand their impact throughout their local communities highlighting the strength and potential for our sector to be force of good: Luxury Hotel Leaders Share Lessons Learned in Hurricane Aftermath

>>While soft brands aren’t a new phenomenon, the big hotel companies seem keener on them than ever. They may not represent a direct threat to luxury hotel collections but they increase the competition when it comes to wooing owners: Soft Brand Launches and the Threat to Luxury Hotel Collections

>>A true test of any business is how they cope when things go wrong. This is especially true when it’s out of their control. Hotels hit by the recent hurricanes will have learned plenty of lessons from their varied experiences: Crisis Management Beyond Everyday Hospitality — New Luxury

>>Officials have let U.S. hotel companies off the hook when making changes to U.S. Cuba travel policy. European and Caribbean companies, however, will likely feel the effect of new restrictions: Marriott-Starwood Is a Winner and European Hotels Are Losers Under New U.S. Cuba Travel Rules

>>Foreign investment in U.S.-based hotel companies is a trend that continues. Even more interesting here is that Sansiri is also choosing to invest in so many other diverse businesses. How they plan to bring all those investments together eventually should be interesting to watch: Standard Hotels Has a New Major Investor From Thailand

>>Are 30 brands enough for one hotel company to have? They might be, for now, but we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of wanting to add more in a year or two, especially in that red-hot midscale space: Marriott CEO: Don’t Expect Us to Play in the Midscale Space

>>Signs that this experiment wasn’t going well were already evident. But given that the online travel agencies aren’t faring so well, either, at the moment, we wonder: Does this mean there might be something fundamentally wrong with this type of intermediary relationship? How do hotels and online travel agencies need to evolve to survive then? AccorHotels Ends Its Quest to Be a Booking Engine for Independent Hotels

>>Can we say we told you so again? In July, we noted that as Airbnb pursues its eventual IPO, China and the wider Asia-Pacific region will be absolutely critical, but the competition is tough and plenty of challenges remain: Airbnb’s New China Strategy Includes a Focus on Quality — and Quantity