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Family sues Marriott over fatal shower scalding incident

Smart Distribution: The future of hotel channel management

What if your pricing and availability were optimized automatically every day on every platform?

With Smart Distribution, managing your hotel’s channels and pricing becomes effortless. AI-powered automation optimizes your rates, LOS restrictions, availability and performance so you can maximize bookings while minimizing effort.

U.S. hotel construction pipeline remains largely unchanged

The pipeline for hotel construction in the U.S. shows modest movement: there are currently 1,118 hotels (137,620 rooms) under construction, 2,234 hotels (258,973 rooms) scheduled to start within the next 12 months, and 2,853 hotels (331,823 rooms) in early planning. While the “under construction” stage saw a slight drop year-over-year, both the next-twelve-months and early planning stages rose modestly. The chain scale with the most active projects is upper-midscale, followed by upscale. The extended-stay segment is notable too, with 431 hotels under construction and 983 set to start in the next year. For hotel developers and operators this suggests caution: while new demand planning remains active, actual breaks in ground are stagnating. Read more.

EOS Hospitality signs with IDeaS for commercial strategy

EOS Hospitality has entered an exclusive agreement with IDeaS Revenue Solutions to bring IDeaS’ commercial-strategy and revenue-management suite into its portfolio of 60+ properties. The move underscores a shift from purely pricing-based systems to full commercial intelligence – uniting sales, marketing, finance and revenue management into one strategy. For hotel owners, this marks a signal that efficiency tools and data-driven operations are increasingly being adopted across mid-sized portfolios, not just major chains. Read more.

The Last Hotel, STL to reopen as family shelter

The Last Hotel STL — a landmark property in Maimi’s St. Louis’ Washington Avenue Historic District — is set to reopen not as a conventional hotel but as a professionally operated family shelter. The transformation reflects how hotel-assets in older urban cores are being repurposed for social housing and community uses rather than traditional hospitality. This shift may attract attention from hotel investors assessing alternative uses for legacy properties. Read more.

‘Hotel Tales’ by Chloë Sevigny - A Creative Take

A creative campaign titled “Hotel Tales: Chloë Sevigny in ‘The 90s Called’” underscores how hotels are being used as narrative settings in creative communications and underlying branding. While not a hotel-industry development per se, it signals a trend: properties are increasingly part of lifestyle and cultural storytelling, beyond stays and rooms. Read more.

Swire Hotels launches Upper House global brand

Swire Hotels has introduced Upper House as a unified global brand, absorbing its House Collective properties and signalling an expansion into branded residences (including Bangkok in 2030). His family has filed a wrongful-death claim, arguing the hotel failed to maintain safe conditions. The incident places spotlight on guest safety, mechanical-systems risk (water-temperature controls), and hotel liability. For operators, it’s a reminder that building systems and maintenance practices are as critical as guest amenities. Read more.

Family sues Marriott over fatal shower scalding incident

A California family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites San Jose Airport after 72-year-old Terril Wade Johnson Sr. died from severe burns sustained while showering at the property in May 2025. The complaint states that Johnson was found unresponsive and “partially submerged in water so dangerously hot” that relatives could not touch him without burning themselves. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner reported scalding burns covering roughly one-third of his body. The lawsuit accuses the hotel of negligence in maintaining water-temperature controls and failing to provide safe bathing facilities. Marriott and the plaintiffs’ attorneys have not commented publicly. Read more.

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