A mass exodus? Hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars are preparing to hire at the fastest pace in a year, due to increasing fears of a mass exodus of migrant workers as Britain leaves the European Union. The hospitality sector is expecting a busier period for hiring staff than any other part of the economy over the coming three months, writes The Guardian. And it’s not just speculation. Net migration to Britain has fallen by the largest amount since records began, according to the country’s Office for National Statistics. —Chloe Riley
Hong Kong success story: The world’s first purpose-built teaching and research hotel owned and operated by a university and set in a busy downtown area of Hong Kong continues to thrive 10 years later – despite what skeptics thought about a student-run hotel developed by Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The 262-room Hotel Icon is not only thriving, but it continues to act as an innovation lab while garnering some of the best plaudits and results in the industry. —Jeff Weinstein
How an OTA may be helping: According to an analysis by Oxford Economics and Expedia.com of more than 98,000 trips, travelers who booked via an OTA spent more per trip than non-OTA guests across all categories, regardless of whether they were traveling for business or leisure. According to the data, people who booked a reservation via an OTA stayed 8% longer and spent nearly 18% more per trip than non-OTA bookers. Phocuswire goes deeper into the study. —Barbara Bohn
U.S. traveler sentiment rebounding: After displaying a five point decrease from first quarter 2016 to first quarter 2017, Traveler Sentiment in the U.S. has increased one point from last year. Travel intentions are similar to the percentages seen in the first quarter of 2016 and 2017, according to the latest travelhorizons survey of 2,300 U.S. adults conducted by marketing services firm MMGY Global. This increase can be attributed to a five point increase in perceived affordability of travel (176) and a four point increase in personal finances available for travel (127). —J.W.
Friday eye candy: Take a virtual tour, via Forbes, of designer Jacques Garcia’s latest confection, L’Oscar in London. It’s his first hotel property in that city, named for Irish poet, playwright and bon vivant Oscar Wilde. —B.B.
A free ride: How about a free education, courtesy of the American Hotel and Lodging Association? Well, sort of. This month, the AHLA is rolling out a pilot program that offers an online associate’s degree at no cost to workers and an online bachelor’s degree at a subsidized cost, writes CNN. So far ten hotel brands and management companies have come on board – including New Castle Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and Red Roof Inns. The catch? The companies must pay the cost of the degrees, but AHLA has partnered with education company Pearson to negotiate with schools for lower prices. Not a bad move. —C.R.