Hospitality, Travel & Events

National Harbor, Maryland – October 18, 2026 -- Five Guys will award $100,000 to the winner of its Five Guys Games final on May 13 at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Maryland, closing a six-month internal contest open to the chain's 50,000 employees.

Three timed events decide the $100,000 grand prize

Finalists compete in a potato race, a cheese stack race and a QC wrapping race. The Five Guys Training Team judges the events, watching and timing each competitor for speed and accuracy.

The Olympic-style contest began as an idea from the Murrell family to reward store crew members. Crew members, managers and general managers have competed through store, regional and semifinal rounds.

Alexandria, Va. – October 18, 2026 -- Jonathan Martinez of Kingston, New York, won the 2026 Five Guys Games and took home a tax-free $100,000 check, headlining a finale that closed the burger chain's 40th Anniversary Conference at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

Eight finalists compete across three speed-and-accuracy events

Eight finalists went head-to-head on May 13 in three events: the potato race, the cheese race and the dressing/QC race. Each event tests speed, skill and accuracy. Every finalist received at least $10,000.

Jackson Chimbay of Wallkill, New York, placed second and won $50,000. Peter Le of Derry, New Hampshire, took third and $25,000.

The remaining finalists were Joshua Harvey of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jose Once of Spring Valley, New York; Carson Tate of Kingsport, Tennessee; Enock Akuwure of Liverpool, UK; and Aurelien Favreau of Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Arlington – October 18, 2026 -- Five Guys has earned its ninth successive Great Place To Work® certification, with 82% of Five Guys Enterprises LLC corporate and store employees calling it a great place to work. That compares with 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company, a gap of 25 percentage points.

Survey shows 91% of employees have the resources to do their jobs

The survey results cover corporate staff and company-owned store teams. Employee responses included:

• 91% say they have the equipment and resources to do their job.
• 91% believe Five Guys customers would rate the service as excellent.
• 87% say they are treated as a full member of the team regardless of position.
• 87% say new hires are made to feel welcome.

Employees describe the company as people, team, fun, family and food

Asked to describe Five Guys in their own words, employees gave those five terms as the top responses.

Beijing – October 17, 2026 -- More than 200 domestic and international dignitaries attended the opening of the World Winter Sports Expo 2026 (WWSE 2026) in Beijing on October 15, a event aligned with the directives of China's 15th Five-Year Plan for the ice and snow industry.

The Expo is a legacy of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Its stated mission is to expand the ice and snow economy, cultivate new productive forces in the sector and deepen the integration of culture, sports and tourism. Organizers structured the program around three directions: upgrading the ice and snow industry, deepening culture-sports-tourism integration, and empowering the outdoor economy through technology. The format includes an opening ceremony, a main conference, parallel sessions and special thematic events.

ATLANTA – October 16, 2026 -- Sumo Championship League (SCL) added 14 athletes to its roster, lifting the total to 59 athletes representing 15 countries as the new professional league builds its competitive depth during its inaugural season.

SCL signs former Japanese Grand Sumo competitors

The new additions include former Japanese Grand Sumo competitors and international champions. Shijirbayar Chimidregzen reached the rank of Maegashira 9 in Japanese Grand Sumo, while Delgersaikhan Uuganbaatar reached Makushita 7.

Individual event fields for the new athletes will be announced in advance, according to the league. Athlete participation will vary by event.

Stuart Snyder, Chairman and CEO of SCL, said the larger roster gives the league more matchups and rivalries, and that fans are responding to the sport's energy.

Nashville – October 16, 2026 -- Doussan Music Group (DMG Presents) has opened a second office in Nashville's Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood and appointed three executives, as the independent concert promoter prepares a 16-date fall tour with Jon Pardi and 10 November dates with Aaron Lewis.

Nashville office joins Covington headquarters to deepen industry ties

The Nashville site complements DMG's headquarters in Covington, Louisiana. The company says it will strengthen connections with artists, agents, venues and industry partners nationwide. President and CEO Russell Doussan called the move "a natural next step" in the company's evolution.

Ljubljana – October 16, 2026 -- Slovenia presented its pavilion concept for EXPO 2027 Belgrade at a Ljubljana networking event, as bilateral goods trade with Serbia stood at approximately USD 2.04 billion in 2025, according to Serbia's Statistical Office.

Slovenia's Expo commissioner and tourist board director present the pavilion concept

Saša Lavrič, General Commissioner for EXPO 2027 Belgrade, and Mag. Maja Pak Olaj, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, presented the concept at the "Visit Serbia B2B Networking" event. More than 50 business and tourism representatives attended, linking Slovenian companies and travel agents with Serbian partners.

Opening remarks came from Danilo Jerinić, CEO of EXPO 2027 Belgrade; Blaž Cvar, President of Slovenia's Chamber of Craft and Small Business; and Mag. Leon Korošec, State Secretary at Slovenia's Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport.

Bangkok – October 16, 2026 -- World Gym Corporation (TWSE: 2762), Taiwan's largest fitness operator, has signed a lease for a second Bangkok club of more than 3,000 square meters at S-OASIS, a commercial and office development by SET-listed Singha Estate. The deal is the first phase of a plan to open 30 fitness centers in Thailand within five years.

S-OASIS club is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2027

The club will serve office workers, corporate tenants and residents of the surrounding urban community. World Gym said the lease reflects its strategy of partnering with established property developers to secure sites in major commercial and mixed-use projects.

John Caraccio, President of World Gym Corporation, called Thailand a "beachhead for growth across Southeast Asia." He said the company is working with major real estate groups, including Singha Estate, to speed up its rollout.

Green Island – October 16, 2026 -- Princess Hotels & Resorts Jamaica collected 11 industry awards across its two Hanover properties during World Travel Week Jamaica 2026, spanning luxury, weddings, meetings and culinary categories.

Eight World Travel Awards go to both resorts across Caribbean and Jamaica categories

The 33rd Annual World Travel Awards Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony delivered eight of the 11 honors. Princess Grand Jamaica won Caribbean's Leading Resort 2026, Caribbean's Leading Conference Hotel 2026 and Jamaica's Leading Resort 2026.

Princess Senses The Mangrove took the remaining five: Caribbean's Leading Adult-Only All-Inclusive Resort, Caribbean's Leading Water Villa Resort, Caribbean's Leading Wedding Resort, Jamaica's Leading Wedding Resort and Jamaica's Leading Hotel Suite, the last for its Presidential Suite.

New York – October 16, 2026 -- Travelers will let AI monitor hotel rates (63%) and translate in real time (56%), but only 44% want it planning itineraries and 41% want it personalizing their room, according to a Mews survey of 3,250 travelers.

The dividing line is whether a task is a chore or a choice. Price alerts and translation require accuracy and speed rather than personal knowledge of the guest. Itineraries and room setup are personal, and 57% of respondents would rather stay in control of their trip than hand decisions to an AI acting on their behalf.

Guests accept AI on shared data but resist inferred data

Travelers are more comfortable with AI using information they knowingly gave a hotel: 61% accept stated preferences and 56% accept past stay history. Acceptance falls for data collected about them, to 43% for online behavior and 34% for external and social data.