This year, the pandemic wasn’t the only top story in the hotel industry. There were brand refreshes, mergers & acquisitions and the loss of two industry icons, among other news. As we wrap up 2021, we bring you the top 10 stories of the year, based on views on archive.hotelbusiness.com. Today, it’s stories No. 1 through No. 5.
Stories No. 1-5
1. Homewood Suites launches new prototype, brand refresh (April 22)
2. Eagle Hospitality Trust to sell 15 hotels in stalking horse auction (March 9)
3. IHG Hotels & Resorts rebrands, restructures (Feb. 4)
4. Update—Mark Elliott, Hodges Ward Elliott president, passes away (June 14)
5. Management companies merge to form Benchmark Pyramid (Sept. 30)
Stories No. 6-10:
6. Hilton Grand Vacations to acquire Diamond Resorts in $1.4B transaction (March 10)
7. Five Omni properties sold; to be rebranded (March 1)
8. MGM to sell Aria and Vdara; more transactions… (July 6)
9. Marriott’s Arne Sorenson passes away; industry reacts (Feb. 16)
10. Hotel Equities forms strategic alliance with The Hotel Group (July 26)