For those of us in the chilly northern hemisphere, designer Marcel Wanders’ latest wonder is a warmly vibrant visual feast: The Mondrian Doha, which opened in Qatar recently, weaves Arabic touches with stained glass and mosaics to create a 5-star experience that is different at every turn (take a virtual tour here).
Has the romance gone out of Airbnb? Quartzy travel and lifestyle reporter Rosie Spinks thinks maybe so. With all the issues it faces – some aggressively and rightfully raised by the hotel industry – perhaps the bloom is off the rose as the quaintness fades. – Jeff Weinstein
I’m not sure how ready the hotel industry is to address the #MeToo moment, but Time Magazine wasn’t afraid when it named the “Silence Breakers,” women who came out about sexual assault, its person of the year. One of those profiled in the story is a hotel worker in Long Beach, California, who talked about what she faced. – J.W.
Here is an interesting report by Econsultancy about digital trends, which suggests businesses are focusing their mobile-driven efforts more on customer service than acquisition. But isn’t it always acquisition first? This report makes an excellent case to the contrary. – J.W.
This could cost some serious money: Lake Louise, the celebrated resort in Alberta, Canada, has admitted that in 2013 it cut down a stand of at least 39 endangered whitebark pines along a ski run on its property. Disease, fire and climate change are putting the trees at risk. The two laws the hotel violated separately call for maximum fines of C$300,000 and C$250,000 – per tree. Yikes. – Barbara Bohn
Here’s a different kind of points scam. Fortune is reporting that scams originating in Russia is hacking customer accounts to steal loyalty points from places like British Airways and Orbitz. Then they’re posing as travel agencies and re-selling them steeply discounted deals. – B.B.