Happy December, Happy Last Month of the Year, Happy Cyber Monday.
Preliminary numbers are coming in from Black Friday and weekend shopping, signalling a record $11.8 billion and growing in spend, excluding today.

And Happy ILTM Cannes Week & First Day of Work
It’s on my wish list to attend ILTM Cannes in the near future, but not this year. This year, I am taking a break from Task Force after three years and, as of today, returning to full-time with one of my long-term clients, Ka La‘i Waikīkī Beach, LXR Hotels & Resorts. Our Managing Director, Scott Ingwers, is at ILTM Cannes this week if you’re also there and want to say hello. I’ll also be back on Oahu Dec 11 - 20th for a property photoshoot and would love to say aloha if you’re in the area.

Thanks for reading.
☞ Know of a new-to-hotels marketer or a hotel marketer who was recently laid off? Forward this newsletter to them!

⚡️ Google Business Profiles adds scheduling and multi-location publishing to Google Posts // Search Engine Land

Google has expanded Google Business Profile (GBP) capabilities by adding scheduling tools for Posts and introducing multi-location publishing. Businesses can now create a Post and schedule it for a future date, which reduces manual upkeep and improves content consistency. Multi-location brands can publish a single Post across multiple properties at once. Both features were previously limited to third-party tools. Google also confirmed it will add analytics enhancements in early 2026, giving brands clearer insights into Post performance.

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Trending news, marketing news, and reports:

▶️ New Data Reveals The Top 20 Factors Influencing ChatGPT Citations // Search Engine Journal

▶️ Apple’s 2025 Christmas Ad Is Shot Entirely On iPhone 17 Pro // Mac Rumors

▶️ The 9 Biggest Wellness Travel Trends of 2026 // Condé Nast Traveler

▶️ Purposeful Trips of a Lifetime in Far-Flung Destinations Trending for 2026 // Nest

▶️ World’s Most Extraordinary Spas // NewsWeek

▶️ Gen Z, Millennials more likely to travel for food than older generations: survey // NY Post

▶️ Pinterest leans into search as Gen Z adoption surges // eMarketer

▶️ M'm! M'm! PR Nightmare! Campbell's Lands In Soup As Exec Bashes The Poor // Media Post
— Oof all around. Reference this case for your next media training session, too.

▶️ AD’s Top 19 Places to Travel in 2026 // Architectural Digest

▶️ Don’t call it bleisure anymore: supplementing a business trip with some vacation time has become one of the generation's favorite travel hacks. // Business Insider

▶️ When is the Best Time to Send Emails in PR? // BuzzStream

▶️ SEO Tips: Update Your ‘Published On’ Date // Irina Maltseva, LinkedIn

▶️ The Death of the Follower Count // No Good

▶️ Experiential Marketing Trend of the Week: Hotel Takeovers // Event Marketer

▶️ Underwater Meditation Is Taking Wellness Travel to New Depths // Vogue

Tracking the agencies shaping the hospitality industry’s biggest moments while building an ever-growing resource list for hotel marketers.

✅ Read the November Issue of Magrino in the Know by Magrino Public Relations

✅ Cendyn partners with DirectBooker to enable hotels to be discoverable on AI-driven travel search platforms

✅ RateGain Travel Technologies Forges Strategic Alliance with Arpón Enterprise to Revolutionize Hotel Technology

A weekly round-up of fresh inspiration and a closer look at experiential design, sensory branding, and the quiet details that define unforgettable spaces.

art and culture // Art Basel Miami Beach 2025
This year’s edition of Art Basel Miami Beach brings a sharpened global perspective to the city, with 277 galleries from 34 countries and a noticeable rise in first-time exhibitors. The fair expands its focus on geographic and cultural diversity, highlighting artists and galleries from Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The Meridians sector returns with museum-scale installations, while the Positions and Nova sections spotlight emerging voices and experimental work. Across the city, satellite shows, brand activations, and museum openings build on the fair’s momentum, reinforcing Miami’s position as a contemporary art capital each December.

culinary and mixology // Rosewood Doha’s Michelin Masters Series
Rosewood Doha has launched its Michelin Masters Series, a rotating culinary program that brings globally acclaimed chefs into its dining spaces for limited-run collaborations. Each edition features multi-course menus that highlight the guest chef’s signature techniques alongside Qatari ingredients and regional influences. The series positions the new Rosewood flagship as a rising dining destination in Doha, offering travelers and residents rare, one-night-only experiences.

Culture and Place // Palm Royale at The Colony Hotel, Palm Beach
Ahead of the season, The Colony Hotel is offering guests an immersive “Palm Royale Experience” inspired by the Apple TV series. The package includes a guided tour of filming locations, access to themed programming, and curated touches that nod to the show’s 1960s Palm Beach glamour. The experience blends pop-culture nostalgia with The Colony’s signature pink-washed style, giving guests a playful way to explore the destination through a cultural lens.

Culture and Place // The Spirit of Celebration by St. Regis
St. Regis is spotlighting its global tradition of festive rituals through The Spirit of Celebration, a new editorial and visual series that highlights how each property interprets the season. From champagne sabrage and bespoke holiday scents to artist-led installations and destination-influenced décor, the collection showcases how St. Regis brings its legacy of celebration to life in culturally specific ways. The feature reinforces the brand’s heritage of gatherings, grandeur, and locally rooted storytelling across its hotels worldwide.

I’m Rachel Watroba, a passionate hotelier and luxury hotel marketer, and publisher of The Hotel Marketing 5.15.

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.