Weekly Brief: February 2, 2026
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means six more weeks of winter. It’s iced over and currently snowing in Michigan, so today’s surprise was that Phil decided to even make an appearance. Today would have been an ok day to call it in.
Upcoming Conferences
Phocuswright Travel Marketing AI Summit // New York, NY // March 24, 2026
HSMAI & Hospitality Creator Summit // San Antonio, TX // June 15 - 17, 2026
Destination AI Forum // Washington, D.C. // Sept 29 - 30, 2026
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Marketing Briefs
Did You Know?
Trending news, marketing news, and reports:
Expedia launches partnership with Affirm, allowing Buy Now, Pay Later for travel bookings // Affirm
ALL Accor launches app on ChatGPT // Accor
TikTok’s Biggest Creator Khaby Lame Strikes $950 Million Dollar AI Deal For ‘Digital Twin’ // The Source
Super Bowl Ads Are Marketing to the Algorithms // Chicago Booth
How people are spending in early 2026 and why it matters // WARC
OpenAI sets early ChatGPT ad pricing at about $60 CPM // The Keyword
Are Social Platform Subscriptions Becoming More Accepted? //
TripAdvisor Trendcast 2026 // TripAdvisor
Meta Announces Global Expansion of Threads Ads // Social Media Today
The 8 Most Influential Content Marketing Trends for 2026 // Wordstream
TikTok users are deleting the app, with removals up 150% following U.S. joint venture // CNBC
Air Travel Demand Outlook 2026: Revenues—And Costs—Are Rising // BCG
TikTok US ad revenue forecast to hit $14.5bn in 2026, 38% of its global revenue // WARC
Programming & Activations
Expedia signs Ken (of Ken and Barbie) as newest Brand Ambassador in partnership with Mattel, Inc. // Expedia
Ian Schrager partners with Highgate to expand Public brand // Travel Weekly
Ritz Paris Builds A Winter Universe Around Teddy B(e)ar // Retail Boss
Hyatt seals new F1 partnership // Hotel Management
Industry Updates
Agency News
J/PR named agency of record for US PR for Destination Toronto
Wallop Inc named digital marketing agency of record for Rivertown Lodge
Saint Urbain launches case study as part of brand identity campaign for West Village Partnership
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 and manage email marketing and newsletters for hospitality clients.
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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