Hospitality & Leisure

Bethesda, Md. – September 25, 2026 -- Stayntouch has completed a phased migration of all seven Imperial London Hotels properties onto its cloud property management system, culminating in the cutover of the 1,379-room Royal National Hotel, the largest hotel in Western Europe.

Royal National Hotel becomes largest property on Stayntouch's EMEA platform

The Royal National Hotel's onboarding marks the largest property to join Stayntouch in EMEA to date, demonstrating the platform's capacity to run enterprise-scale operations alongside boutique properties within the same portfolio.

New York – September 25, 2026 -- The Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) launched a three-city U.S. workshop series in New York, drawing more than 70 local travel industry representatives and media, before continuing to Chicago and Los Angeles.

Taiwan returns to the Midwest travel trade after a seven-year absence

The delegation, comprising Taiwanese travel agencies, hotels and airlines, marked Taiwan's re-entry into the Chicago market for the first time in seven years as part of the workshop tour.

U.S. arrivals to Taiwan hit 710,000 in 2025, a record for tourism-purpose travel

More than 710,000 U.S. visitors traveled to Taiwan in 2025, with nearly 60% citing tourism as their purpose -- a record high for the destination. Taiwan's air connectivity underpins this volume, with more than 200 weekly round-trip flights linking the island to 13 major North American cities.

Bridgetown, Barbados – September 25, 2026 -- NCL GT20 Canada, the country's professional T20 franchise tournament, will stage its 2026 edition in St. Vincent and the Grenadines during the October-November window, marking a one-year departure from Canadian soil before the league returns to Canada in 2027.

Cricket West Indies secures direct franchise investment under new governance framework

Under a collaborative structure between Cricket Canada and Cricket West Indies (CWI), CWI will handle governance, compliance and regulatory coordination for the 2026 edition while also holding a direct franchise investment stake. The arrangement is designed to build sustainable sporting and commercial connections across the Americas rather than relocate the tournament permanently.

Fort Worth, Texas – – September 25, 2026 -- Crescent Real Estate LLC has closed the sale of The Hotel at Avalon, a 330-room luxury property in Alpharetta, Georgia, marking one of the most notable hotel transactions in the Atlanta market in recent years.

Crescent acquired the property in September 2020 during peak pandemic uncertainty

The firm bought the hotel amid what it called "unprecedented uncertainty" in the hospitality sector, betting on the long-term strength of the asset despite widespread investor caution at the time. Christopher Goff, Senior Managing Director and Head of Capital Formation at Crescent, said the firm acquired the property at a basis reflecting that period of extraordinary market disruption.

Winnipeg – September 25, 2026 -- Activate has ranked No. 35 among 375 companies on The Globe and Mail's 2026 list of Canada's Top Growing Companies, posting 958% growth and placing No. 2 in the arts, recreation and entertainment category.

Activate expands from 50 to over 80 locations across 12 countries

The Manitoba-based entertainment company has grown from more than 50 locations to over 80 since first appearing on the Globe and Mail list in 2024. Activate now operates in 12 countries spanning North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and has served more than 14 million players worldwide.

CEO ties international scale-up to Canadian R&D base

Adam Schmidt, CEO of Activate, said the company continues to invest in games, technology and innovation from its Winnipeg headquarters even as it expands internationally, calling this the foundation of its growth.

Washington – September 25, 2026 -- Gamblers scored 3.93 out of five on a standard financial literacy index versus 3.72 for non-gamblers, according to new research commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA), with 41% of gamblers classified as highly financially literate compared with 27% of non-gamblers.

Prediction market users overstate their mathematical ability, study finds

Sports bettors demonstrated the highest combination of mathematical confidence and objectively tested capability among all gambling segments surveyed. Prediction market users reported nearly equivalent confidence levels but performed on objective math tests at levels closer to non-gamblers, exposing a gap between self-assessed skill and actual ability.

Tampa – September 25, 2026 -- Colony Grill has signed on as the Official Pizza Partner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, placing its thin-crust pizza in Raymond James Stadium through the 2030 season.

Four concession stands and premium suites will carry Colony Grill's menu

The deal covers three signature items -- plain cheese, pepperoni and the Original Hot Oil Pizza -- sold at four concession locations in Sections 109, 134, 311 and 336. Club-level seating will offer in-seat delivery in co-branded Colony Grill and Buccaneers personal-sized pizza boxes, while larger-format pizzas will be available in suites, the Champions Club and the Hall of Fame Club.

Shakopee, Minnesota – September 24, 2026 -- Businesses planning corporate golf outings in Shakopee, Minnesota are increasingly evaluating venues on tournament logistics, clubhouse capacity, and weather contingency planning rather than tee-time availability alone, according to a new HelloNation report featuring insights from Golf Expert Einar Odland of Stonebrooke Golf Club.

Pace of play determines outing atmosphere

The report identifies course layout and pace of play as direct factors in event success, noting that venues capable of keeping groups moving prevent scheduling delays during corporate tournaments. Practice facilities such as driving ranges and putting greens are cited as key amenities for accommodating both experienced golfers and first-time participants at business events.

Miami Beach, Fla. – September 24, 2026 -- PickleRage, one of the largest indoor pickleball club franchises in the United States, is opening its first California location in Bakersfield and a third Florida club in Tampa, the company confirmed.

Bakersfield becomes PickleRage's entry point into California and the West Coast

The Bakersfield club will be the franchise's first in California, owned and operated by local franchisees Daniel Marlowe and Jon Knutson. CEO Rich Destasio called the move an important step in the brand's broader West Coast expansion strategy.

Santa Fe, N.M. – September 24, 2026 -- Snow Secure's insulated mats retained 85% of stored snow volume through a full Colorado summer, according to drone measurements taken by Aspen Snowmass management on August 31, 2026, at the resort's Buttermilk and Snowmass locations.

Aspen Snowmass tested Colorado's first deployment of the European snow-storage system

Snow was covered under the insulated mats in April 2026, marking the first-ever Colorado deployment of Snow Secure's patented technology. Continuous temperature monitoring ran from April 30 through August 31, tracking how the insulation performed against seasonal heat and sun exposure.