Weekly Brief: January 19, 2026
A busy week of events, with lots of hotel marketers at the TravMedia IMM conference this week and the Skift Megatrends 2026 conference.
Marketing Events Calendar
A Google Sheets calendar of social and marketing related conferences and events from the ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) social newsletter. Not hospitality specific but might be a new event you’d like to attend. View calendar.
2026 Trending Word
Bifurcation. If you haven’t heard it yet, you will. CoStar started using it late 2025, I heard it pop up in a Skift podcast last week, and it’s showing up in more newsletters. Put it on your checklist to use in a sentence this week.
Meaning: divided or forked into two separate aspects or branches.
Hospitality usage: Rising costs and tighter consumer budgets have caused hotel performance to bifurcate between high-end resorts and price-sensitive urban properties.
AI usage: The internet is heading toward a bifurcation, with brands increasingly needing to design parallel digital experiences, one optimized for human emotion and decision-making, and another structured for AI agents handling low-consideration commerce.
Economy usage: The bifurcation of the economy is having serious repercussions for businesses that have built entire categories out of catering to the middle class.
Hotel Marketer to Know
Meet Olivia Hill, a strategic marketing and communications leader with extensive experience across luxury hospitality, lifestyle brands, and short-term rental portfolios. Olivia and I met via LinkedIn, and this newsletter, which makes her the perfect person to feature! Olivia holds an MBA from California State University, Long Beach and began her marketing career at Resortshare, where she led brand marketing initiatives for the Hygge Home Rental portfolio, followed by roles at the AAA Four-Diamond Westin Anaheim Resort, driving the resort’s integrated marketing strategy across advertising, public relations, content marketing, and social media.
Today, Olivia oversees PR and Communications strategy for Ensemble and their 11-property managed hotel portfolio that includes Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott brands alongside boutique and luxury independent properties. Recently promoted to Corporate Director of PR & Communications, she leads PR and social media agency selection, partners with teams to align campaigns with brand and business goals, and supports comprehensive marketing initiatives designed to increase visibility, engagement, and revenue.
Connect with Olivia on LinkedIn, or follow her company, Ensemble for updates.
Thanks for reading.
If you found anything interesting in this week’s newsletter, I always appreciate a forward to your marketing co-workers and network.
Marketing Briefs
Did You Know?
Trending news, marketing news, and reports:
Introducing TikTok Next 2026: Our Trend Forecast for Marketers for the Year Ahead // TikTok
2026 Seasonal moments calendar // Reddit
Win the moment before it happens: Your 2026 marketing playbook // Pinterest
From Cool Blue to Persimmon: Meet the 2026 Pinterest Palette™ // Pinterest
Overseas Travel to the U.S. Slumps for 8th Straight Month // Skift
Apple Selects Google’s Gemini For New AI-Powered Siri // Search Engine Journal
Global publisher Google traffic dropped by a third in 2025 // Press Gazette
YouTube is no longer optional for SEO in the age of AI Overviews // Search Engine Land
Google Trends adds Gemini to Explore page // Search Engine Land
A New Wave of Hotels Wants You to Shop Their Interiors // Vogue
From Trending Sound to $43 Million Legal Receipt // AdWeek
Travel Trends Redefining Wellness in 2026 // Travel Pulse
The 2026 State of Social Media in Travel Report // Beautiful Destinations
Cultural Trendbook 2026 // BMF
Instagram says there’s been NO data breach, despite many users getting password reset emails. // TechCrunch
Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Destinations // TripAdvisor
ALL Accor x Globetrender Experiential Travel Trends 2026 report // GlobeTrender
LinkedIn Articles Are Getting More Citations in AI Responses // Social Media Today
How L’Oréal Unlearned Advertising And Boosted Creator Results 55% // Forbes CMO Network
IAB launches AI transparency and disclosure framework // MarTech
Wikipedia inks AI deals with Microsoft, Meta and Perplexity as it marks 25th birthday // AP News
Programming & Activations
Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organisation, has announced the launch of the All for the Love of Chicago podcast, an extension of the wider All for the Love of Chicago initiative that began in August across Instagram and TikTok. // Conference & Meetings World
Radisson Hires for Net Zero Manager as it Expands Climate Efforts // Skift
First-ever custom carved ice bar overlooking the frozen Niagara Falls opens in Ontario for a limited time // Toronto.com
POP MART brings Chinese New Year celebrations to Resorts World Sentosa // Lifestyle Asia
Beverage brands update Dry January marketing based on changing consumer habits // DigiDay
From Dior's Beach Club to Designer Hotel PJs: How Fashion and Travel Made It Instagram Official in 2026 // Who What Wear
Industry Updates
Agency News
Modern Currency PR announces new clients for 2026, including L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, Kennebunkport Resort Collection, Havana Cabana at Key West, and more.
The Dana Agency is named Agency of Record for both local and national public relations for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (via O’Dwyer PR)
Laura Davidson Public Relations named Agency of Record for Castle Hill Inn in Newport, RI. (via O’Dwyer PR)
CIIC PR signs on as agency of record for Regulus Collective, a newly launched global hospitality investment and creative advisory platform founded by former Hyatt and Wyndham executive Deniz Dorbek. (via O’Dwyer PR)
Job Postings & Career News
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What is the 5.15
Leading luxury hotel marketing across resorts and task force marketing roles over the past 15+ years led me to begin publishing The Hotel Marketing 5.15 in 2025 as a way to help keep clients up to date on hospitality marketing news and activations. I currently work remotely for Ka Laʻi Waikīkī Beach, LXR Hotels & Resorts.
Based on a communication method developed by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, the 5.15 is a weekly format designed to synthesize key insights in 15 minutes or less and be read in five minutes. This newsletter applies the same principle to hotel marketing: concise, actionable trends and opportunities curated for industry professionals.
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