“Anti-luxury”: Brands like Muji and West Elm already have hotels in the works that feature their comfy furnishings and homebody aesthetic. Edgy American sneaker and clothing brand Converse doesn’t expect you to get much sleep at its weekend pop-up “hotel” in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood, if the amount of neon in the guest rooms, curated by rap artists, is any indication. The One Star (get it?) Hotel promotes one of its shoe lines, and interior design reflects the street and skate culture cred of the brand’s “anti-hero” fans. One area out of step – ha! Sorry – with the rest of the ambiance: an inexplicably mid-century public space. But it’s all in good fun. — Barbara Bohn
The little board that couldn’t: Following the continued aftermath of the Steve Wynn ousting, Bloomberg View columnist Joe Nocera writes a scathing criticism of the Wynn Resorts corporate board, arguing that – in weighting their loyalties towards Steve Wynn, they made, “the biggest possible mistake: placing the interests of an executive over that of shareholders.” (A side note: As of today, Wynn Resorts announced that Steve Wynn would not be entitled to severance payments or any other compensation). —Chloe Riley
Just how effective are direct booking programs? A PhocusWire report this week summarizing a HEDNA study on OTA dependence suggests it remains quite high, especially among chains. Surprisingly, the report said independents were found to have a “surprisingly balanced channel mix.” Read the report to make your own judgment. —Jeff Weinstein
Affirmation: TripAdvisor this week launched a spiffy-looking 2018 Travel Trends Report for Experiences, Tours and Activities. Its bookings data reveals that iconic sites remain wildly popular, while travelers are expanding their horizons and bringing growth to new, non-traditional and experiential categories.Cultural categories, like food tours, cooking classes and historical and heritage experiences, are seeing bookings skyrocket. —J.W.
Preventing sex trafficking: As the Florida State legislature considers a bill that would allow victims to sue both their traffickers and the businesses that turn a blind eye to those acts, the Miami Herald writes that even Disney Hotels & Resorts isn’t exempt from trying to water down the provisions of such a bill. —C.R.
Asia boom unabated: A new Bloomberg report talks about how tourism continually outperforms the overall economy and how almost one in four jobs created worldwide will be related to tourism. The why? Outbound Asian travelers. Nowhere is this revolution more dramatic than in Asia. A key finding: Chinese outbound travelers in 2016 spent twice as much as Americans. This is just the beginning. Great read. —J.W.
Hot tub time “machine”: Amsterdam opened its second crane hotel – with a hot tub. The Crane Hotel Faralda took four years to build inside an old industrial crane – with three suites, a panoramic lounge and a spa pool on the top deck. Does it matter? Not really. But it is fun to look at! —J.W.