Cameron Sperance

Accor doesn't want to own real estate, but it does want to throttle ahead with growth in the lifestyle hotel sector — where many of the remaining independent operators own their real estate. A SPAC can help Accor balance this kind of conflict in future acquisitions.

Look (and learn) before you leap into a new trip was the mantra of the late Anthony Bourdain. That kind of thoughtful travel can prevent a lot of headaches this summer as the world gears up to exercise its pent-up vacation demand.

Building better roads and airports across the U.S. will help build hotel profits, but not everyone will see an infrastructure windfall. This is largely a boost to brands like Choice and Wyndham — already profitable and not facing the uncertain recovery hurdles that some competitors face with business travel.

The branded-is-better argument between major hotel companies and smaller, boutique brands heated up during the pandemic. If a hip brand like Virgin Hotels sees some merit in at least an occasional branded partnership, the global giants clearly have a winning argument at the negotiating table.

Business trumps geopolitical tension: Chinese companies like Atour can bring in more cash to expand back home by listing on the U.S. stock market rather than in China.

Casino companies like Wynn Resorts accelerating their push into online gaming isn't a sign sprawling gaming resorts are endangered species. This is about reaching customers who aren't the type to spend a few days in Las Vegas or Macau.

Choice Hotels saw occasional bursts of profitability during the pandemic while competitors lost hundreds of millions of dollars. The company doesn’t plan to just stick to its reliable drive-to and leisure travel playbook, however. Expect more upscale hotel deals on the horizon.

Marriott's bigger portfolio in greater China than its competitors delivered the company somewhat of a financial win. But don't expect everything to return to normal on the rebound: Marriott learned how to run hotels with fewer employees during the crisis, and that's likely to be the new status quo.

Nobody is anticipating any major financial windfall news from Marriott this week, but shareholders still want to hear where future growth is coming from during an investor update. All-inclusive resorts and home rentals, relatively new divisions of the company, will certainly be on the list.

Hotels were the bright spot in an otherwise disappointing jobs report, but there’s no time for a victory lap. Hiring has to maintain April’s strong momentum, at the very least, to meet summer demand. That’s a tall task in such a tight labor market.