As hospitality has grown in importance over the past two to three decades, the number of websites providing news and updates about the industry has mushroomed.
Some sites provide a comprehensive overview of latest developments in the sector, while others are more focused on the business aspect of hospitality. Meanwhile still others are more specialised, for example, concentrating on hotel design, distribution and technology.
While there is a wealth of information about hospitality trends, the sites listed below are all free to users and most offer daily email updates to those who register.
The aggregated articles platforms
Hotel News Resource
Founded in 1998 and with operations in the US, Canada, Mexico and Germany, the network aggregates and distributes content on behalf of 3,203 organisations. A particular advantage of this site is the ability to search news items by geographic region, which includes North and South America, Europe, the Caribbean, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific. Otherwise, one can search according to subject, such as: development, environment, marketing, technology and trends.
Hospitality Net
Besides standard news stories about industry developments, this site offers notably ‘opinion’ pieces and updates about appointments in the sector, as well as information about hotel schools. Otherwise, one can search under rubrics, such as markets, performance, industry associations, hotel openings, hotel brands, management and franchising companies, as well as ‘hot’ topics’, like blockchain technology, general data protection regulation (GDPR), ‘airbnb a threat?’, Brexit impact, Marriott Starwood merger or the ‘Trump effect’.
Hotel Online
Having been founded 23 years ago in 1995, as the first online news source for the hotel industry, Hotel-Online.com, has the most extensive historical archive, consisting of more than 100,000 articles on a broad range of topics about hospitality. Besides standard news stories, the site provides a listing of industry events, videos and resources (i.e. service providers for consulting, education & learning, finance/real estate/brokerage services, food and beverage, guest services, hospitality technology, legal, etc.)
The business side of hospitality
Hotel News Now
As a division of STR, the leading provider of statistics about worldwide hotel performance, Hotel News Now’s coverage is oriented to the business side of hospitality, targeting “executives who own, manage, or finance hotels, as well as the managers and employees who oversee the operations of hotels worldwide”. In particular, the site offers extensive coverage of hotel industry conferences worldwide.
Hotel Management
This website is the online interface of Hotel Management magazine, which has been covering the hospitality business for 140 years. Today, it covers hotel investment, development, operations, design, technology, brand strategies and the ‘sharing economy’ for the new generation of hotel owner, developer, operator, broker and financier. The magazine is owned by Questex, a New York-based media conglomerate, that organises a number of hotel industry conferences, including, notably, the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), the premier international hotel industry conference which is held yearly in early March in Berlin.
Hotels Mag
Hotels Mag is also the online window of a hospitality publication, HOTELS magazine, founded over 45 years ago. HOTELS magazine and www.hotelsmag.com reach some 90,000 hotel professionals in more than 160 countries, providing information about the worldwide hotel industry, including design, food & beverage, finance, development, marketing and technology. In particular, HOTELS publishes a yearly ranking of the top-300 corporate hotel companies and top-25 marketing consortia worldwide.
Specialised hospitality sites
Duetto
Duetto is a consultancy that aims to help hotels leverage technology so as to optimise their revenue management and distribution strategies. The firm’s website features a mix of blogs, news stories and whitepapers relating to distribution channels, guest loyalty and client testimonies. The site also offers free webinars.
Hospitality Design
This site is the online interface for Hospitality Design magazine, which was founded 37 years ago and is published 11 times a year. The publication targets owners, operators, brands, purchasing agents, interior designers, and architects involved in the design of hotels, resorts, restaurants, nightlife establishments, spas, and all other hospitality-oriented projects.
Hospitality Tech
Hospitality Technology’s portfolio includes: hospitalitytech.com, a mobile-friendly website, three networking and educational events, a print edition published nine times annually, a weekly e-newsletter, HTAlert, with the most important trending headlines, as well as research studies. The website is divided into the following rubrics: customer experience; data & analytics; point of sale; operations; and events.
