Weekly Brief: January 12, 2026
Lots of hospitality marketing positions posted last week, including remote roles - check them out below!
Brands in Trending Moments
TopGolf wrapped up a month-long viral trend, ensuring Logan’s corporate party stayed on after ice caused the nets to fall. If you were online to see the original video and comment that started it all, it’s satisfactory to see how the brand pulled everything together by interjecting themselves into the conversation and playing along, receiving considerable organic press hits along the way.
Hotel Marketer to Know
Meet Ashley O’Neal, owner of Summerside Creative, a hospitality-focused social media and creative agency. I met Ashley via LinkedIn last year, and it’s always a pleasure to see her work pop up online. Ashley has been working in social media since 2012 and has had the opportunity to work with almost every major hotel brand, gaining firsthand experience across restaurants, hotels, and large hospitality portfolios.
Today, Ashley leads a fully remote team while balancing life as a mom to a toddler and an active-duty military spouse. Outside of work, she’s usually juggling a good book, a crafting project, or finding quiet moments in between the chaos.
Ashley and her team are also celebrating a new client win with Lodging Dynamics - check it out in the Agency section below or connect with her on LinkedIn or at Summerside Creative. She is an amazing person to follow online and to have in your network.
Thanks for reading.
☞ Know of a new-to-hotels marketer or a hotel marketer who was recently laid off? Forward this newsletter to them!
Marketing Briefs
Did You Know?
Trending news, marketing news, and reports:
50 Largest OTAs in the World // 10 Minutes Hotels
7 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch for in 2026 // Social Media Today
Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol for agent-led shopping // Search Engine Land
Benjamin Rhatigan breaks down what this means for hotels and travel - no longer competing on beautiful websites but instead on “clarity of product, rate parity, and trust.”
Google: Don’t make “bite-sized” content for LLMs if you care about search rank // ARSTECHNICA
MrBeast, Svedka, Ritz, Grubhub and More Early Super Bowl Trends // Muse by Clios
Luxury Travel Trend: Why Multi-Gen Families Are the Next Big Thing // Travel Market Report
Gen Z is moving to the ‘cozy web’—what brands should do about it // AdAge
7 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch for in 2026 // Social Media Today
A 90-day SEO playbook for AI-driven search visibility // Search Engine Land
Now in Beta: Max Campaigns for AI-Powered Ad Performance and Unique Audience Insights // Reddit
Amazon’s AI assistant comes to the web with Alexa.com // TechCrunch
What metrics should you use for SEO/AEO? // Future of SEO
Programming & Activations
Louis Vuitton Hotel: This NYC Pop-Up Space Is a Fashion Person's Dream // Who What Wear
Marriott Bonvoy and FIFA Partner for 2026 FIFA World Cup Activations // Sports Travel by Northstar
TikTok To Stream 2026 FIFA World Cup Content as FIFA Preferred Platform // MediaPost
The White Lotus season 4 will be set at this Saint-Tropez hotel // Rume
Delta Takes the Lounge Beyond the Airport—with Sphere as Its Newest Address // Business Traveller
Industry Updates
Agency News
Summerside Creative has been named the Corporate Social Agency of Record for Lodging Dynamics
Redpoint has been named the PR Agency of Record for Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, ME.
Tambourine relaunches nine websites for Settlers Hospitality Collection
King & Partners announces new roster of clients, including Four Seasons Maui Spa, Pebble Beach Resorts, MML Hospitality, and more.
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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