Hospitality, Travel & Events

Belgrade – September 17, 2026 -- Former world number one Jelena Janković has been appointed Global Ambassador of EXPO 2027 Belgrade, becoming the first Serbian to join the event's ambassador team.

Janković will promote Serbia and EXPO 2027 on the international stage ahead of the event

The tennis star reached the top of the WTA rankings in 2008, won 15 WTA titles, reached the US Open final, and claimed a Wimbledon mixed doubles title. She represented Serbia at four Olympic Games.

Janković joins a roster of Global Ambassadors that includes Usain Bolt, Jackie Chan and Lin Dan

Organizers say her appointment reflects sport's capacity to cross borders and build international engagement ahead of the Belgrade event.

Janković said she was honored to be chosen and noted that for this occasion she would not need to travel to represent Serbia, as international visitors would instead come to the country.

Queens, N.Y. – September 17, 2026 -- Resorts World New York City and Resorts World Catskills sold out a Labor Day weekend headlined by comedians Tracy Morgan, Chris Distefano and Deon Cole, marking the first major entertainment run in Queens since the property opened New York City's first live table games in April 2026.

Comedy headliners drew sold-out crowds across two New York properties

Chris Distefano, a Ridgewood native, played a hometown set at Resorts World New York City. Tracy Morgan headlined Resorts World Catskills on Saturday and Resorts World New York City on Sunday, while Deon Cole closed the Catskills weekend, which also featured fireworks, live music, DJ sets and food trucks over three days.

Las Vegas – September 17, 2026 -- Wynn Resorts Finance, LLC and its subsidiary Wynn Resorts Capital Corp. priced $900 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.875% Senior Notes due 2035 in a private offering, Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN) announced. Both issuers are indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of Wynn Resorts. The offering is expected to close on or about September 17, 2026, subject to customary conditions.

Proceeds target redemption of 5.250% notes maturing 2027

Wynn Resorts Finance plans to contribute or lend the net proceeds, combined with cash on hand, to subsidiary Wynn Las Vegas, LLC. Wynn Las Vegas will use the funds to redeem in full its outstanding 5.250% Senior Notes due 2027, issued jointly with Wynn Las Vegas Capital Corp., and to cover fees and expenses tied to both the new issuance and the redemption.

The Woodlands, Texas – September 17, 2026 -- Target Hospitality Corp. (Nasdaq: TH) has closed an upsized secondary offering of 16,100,000 shares of common stock at $18.50 per share, after underwriters fully exercised their option to purchase an additional 2,100,000 shares on top of the original 14,000,000-share deal.

Selling stockholders linked to TDR Capital LLP monetize a 16.1 million-share stake

The shares were sold by Arrow Holdings S.à r.l. and MFA Global S.à r.l., entities controlled by TDR Capital LLP acting as investment fund manager. At $18.50 per share, the total offering, inclusive of the upsized option, was valued at roughly $297.9 million. Target Hospitality did not sell any shares in the transaction and received no proceeds from the offering.

New York – September 17, 2026 -- Mews has launched Mews POS in the United States and Canada, allowing hotels to run property management, food and beverage operations and payments on a single system. The platform, already live in more than 20 countries across Europe and APAC since its 2024 introduction, connects every order, charge and guest interaction automatically across a property.

Standalone POS systems cost hotels two hours of daily reconciliation work per property

Most point-of-sale systems on the market were built for standalone, full-service restaurants, forcing hotels to pay for complexity they do not need. Staff typically spend two hours a day manually reconciling POS, property management and accounting systems, according to Mews. Revenue losses stem from manual posting errors, missed checkouts and gaps between disconnected software APIs.

Moab, Utah – September 17, 2026 -- Moab Office of Tourism has unveiled a new destination brand and advertising campaign, "Should've Stayed Longer," built on visitor research showing more than 90% of travelers either planned to return or wished they had allotted more time in the area.

Research drives repositioning away from single-stop bucket-list marketing

The campaign, developed with creative studio Camp4 Collective and travel agency TOURIST, reframes Moab as a multi-day destination rather than a quick stop en route to Arches National Park. Michael Soleta, director of the Moab Office of Tourism, said the rebrand followed a year-long collaboration among the tourism office, its board, elected officials and community and agency partners.

Potomac Falls, Va. – – September 17, 2026 -- Destinations International (DI) will convene destination leaders, policymakers and industry partners on September 17, 2026, for its second global Virtual Advocacy Day, a one-day program running 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET aimed at helping tourism organizations counter funding cuts and shifting political support.

DI cites growing funding scrutiny as the driver behind a second global advocacy program

Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International, said destination leaders face rapid swings in funding, public perception and political backing, and need relationships, data and messaging in place before a crisis hits rather than after.

Indianapolis – September 17, 2026 -- Picklr Keystone Crossing will host Special Olympics Indiana's inaugural pickleball state tournament on Sunday, September 13, with 82 athletes from across the state competing for gold, silver, and bronze medals starting at 9:15 a.m.

Tournament follows 2025 training clinic that drew 36 athletes and 27 coaches

Picklr Keystone Crossing hosted Special Olympics Indiana's first pickleball training clinic in 2025, attracting 36 athletes from 12 counties and 27 coaches from 14 counties as participants prepared for the sport's debut competitive season in 2026.

Arlington, Va. – September 16, 2026 -- Casino operators are losing visibility into total player value because core systems for gaming, hospitality, and loyalty were built to process isolated transactions rather than track a single guest identity, according to a new blueprint from Info-Tech Research Group.

Dallas – September 16, 2026 -- Water Wings Swim School opened its first franchised location in Cypress, Texas on September 5, marking the debut of a national expansion push that now spans 54 awarded franchise units across 16 states. The brand, part of youth enrichment platform Unleashed Brands, launched its franchise program in May 2025.

Cypress location kicks off six openings planned for 2026

The Cypress school, owned by multi-unit operators Arun and Kay Singh, is the first of six franchised Water Wings locations slated to open this year. A second location owned by Ali Robaei opens in Frisco, Texas on September 19, followed by additional schools in Arlington, TX; Billings, MT; Brighton, MI; and Marysville, WA before year-end.