Hospitality, Travel & Events

San Francisco – November 04, 2026 -- Dining on OpenTable rose 11% year-over-year in 2026, and 76% of Americans expect to spend the same or more on eating out in 2027, according to the platform's 2027 Dining Trends Report.

OpenTable's reservation data covers seated diners on its U.S. platform from January 1 to August 31, 2026, compared with the same period in 2025. A Ripple Research survey of 2,001 U.S. respondents, fielded September 15-23, 2026, supplies the sentiment data. In that survey, 68% expect to visit restaurants the same or more often next year.

Gen Z leads planned spending increases at 58%

Younger diners are the most eager to spend. Some 58% of Gen Z expect to raise their dining budgets in 2027, versus 44% of Americans overall.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – November 04, 2026 -- The Rocky Mount Event Center has generated an estimated $27.3 million in economic impact so far in 2026, about 86 percent of its $31.8 million full-year 2025 total, as it prepares to host the 47th Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Volleyball Championship on November 9–11.

Eight teams will compete at the 165,000-square-foot downtown venue

Eight of the conference's top volleyball programs will play for the title at the city-owned facility, which is operated by The Sports Facilities Companies. Admission is free to the public. CIAA representatives are due to arrive Saturday, November 7, and participating teams on Sunday, November 8, which adds visitor activity ahead of the first match.

The CIAA, founded in 1912, is an NCAA Division II conference and describes itself as the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference.

BETHESDA – November 04, 2026 -- Marriott International has opened its 800th property in Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC) and entered Laos for the first time with La Résidence Phou Vao, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, in Luang Prabang.

36-suite hilltop resort anchors Marriott's Laos debut

The resort occupies three acres of tropical gardens on Phou Vao hill, two kilometers from Luang Prabang's old town. Marriott describes it as the only hillside retreat within the UNESCO World Heritage zone. It joins The Luxury Collection with its original architecture, landscape and hilltop pool preserved. Interiors, culinary identity and guest rituals have been reworked to meet the brand's global standards.

Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific excluding China, said the milestone reflects the trust owners and guests place in Marriott. He said the opening underscores the company's commitment to expanding "thoughtfully" in culturally rich destinations.

LONDON – November 04, 2026 -- Brightstar Lottery PLC (NYSE: BRSL) has renewed its Internet Compliance Assessment Program (iCAP) Ready accreditation for its iLottery operations from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the first renewal since the company became a pure play lottery business.

Third-party assessment tested Brightstar's responsible gaming framework

A third party performed an overall compliance assessment on behalf of NCPG. It checked whether Brightstar's responsible gaming framework met iCAP Ready's objective of protecting consumers and ensuring safer gambling practices for players, beginning with the supplier.

LONDON – November 03, 2026 -- Saudi Arabia welcomed about 61.2 million tourists in the first half of 2026, up about 1% year-on-year, with tourism expenditure reaching about SAR 151.9 billion (approximately $40.5 billion), Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb said as he opened Saudi Land at World Travel Market (WTM) London 2026.

Al-Khateeb, who also chairs the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), opened the pavilion alongside STA CEO Ageel Alshaibani and Rachel Travers, President of RX Global, the organizer of WTM London. The pavilion hosts 37 Saudi tourism partners targeting international tour operators, airlines and travel distributors.

Washington – November 04, 2026 -- The National Restaurant Association has named immigration reform, the Credit Card Competition Act and stable food and beverage trade policy as its three priorities for the 120th Congress, after 42% of restaurant operators failed to turn a profit in 2025.

Operators absorb costs as customer traffic softens

Restaurants employ 15.7 million people across nearly 1 million locations, making them the second-largest private employer in the nation. They drove more than 5% of GDP in 2025, according to the Association. Customer traffic has weakened as guests scrutinize spending, and operators have often absorbed higher costs rather than pass them on.

Association CEO Michelle Korsmo said operators face "increasing costs and decreasing margins."

Swipe fees rank as the third-highest operator cost

The agenda has three planks:

Villach – November 04, 2026 -- The Leading Spa Award 2026 has gone to 64 wellness hotels across six European countries, with German and Austrian properties taking 50 of the 64 titles, according to organizer Leading Spa Resorts.

Germany leads the 2026 winner table with 27 hotels

Germany accounts for 27 awarded properties and Austria for 23. Italy follows with 10 winners, Switzerland has 2, and Norway and Bulgaria have one each.

The Alpine region and the DACH markets dominate the list. Germany, Austria and Switzerland together hold 52 of the 64 awards.

Guest votes decide the annual award

The Leading Spa Award is presented annually as an audience prize. It rests on ratings and votes from wellness guests, not on a jury verdict. The organizer names quality, personal hospitality and sustainable recuperation as the criteria the award stands for.

LAS VEGAS – November 03, 2026 -- Red Rock Resorts (NASDAQ: RRR) swung to a third-quarter net loss of $17.7 million, against net income of $76.9 million a year earlier, after booking $79.1 million of share-based compensation tied to its 50th anniversary stock awards.

Net revenues rose 2.8%, or $13.1 million, to $488.7 million from $475.6 million in the third quarter of 2025. The net result fell $94.6 million year on year. The company also booked $6.9 million of other one-time 50th anniversary expenses.

Adjusted EBITDA falls 4.3% to $182.6 million despite higher revenue

Adjusted EBITDA declined $8.3 million from $190.9 million. The 2026 figure includes $5.8 million of one-time anniversary expenses. The company granted the stock awards to substantially all full-time and part-time employees.

HOCHATOWN – – November 03, 2026 --

Short-term rental agent Cathy Craig of The Short Term Shop has closed 72 cabin sales worth $51.0 million so far in 2026, already exceeding her full-year 2025 total of 54 closings and $38.4 million.

Craig's career volume reaches 226 cabins and $163.6 million since December 2021

Since late 2021, Craig has helped investors buy 226 Airbnb and VRBO cabins in Broken Bow and Hochatown, McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Closings from December 2021 through October 2026 total $163.6 million. Her clients' median purchase price is $650,000.

Over the past 12 months, she has completed 88 closings worth $62.2 million. The 2026 year-to-date count is a third above the 2025 full-year count of 54.

NEW YORK – November 03, 2026 -- Lindblad Expeditions Holdings (NASDAQ: LIND) reported record quarterly net income available to stockholders of $24.2 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026. The result compares with a net loss of $49 thousand in the same period of 2025.

Total revenue rose 12% to $269.2 million, an increase of $29.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA climbed 12% to $64.1 million, up $6.9 million year over year.

Lindblad segment lifts net yield 6% to $1,398 on 91% occupancy

Lindblad segment tour revenues grew 11% to $153.4 million, adding $15.8 million. Occupancy reached 91%, up from 88%, on a 4% increase in available guest nights. Segment Adjusted EBITDA rose $4.3 million to $37.1 million.

Higher fuel costs, more voyages and increased marketing spend partly offset the gains. Royalties also rose following the final royalty rate step-up under the National Geographic agreement.