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Lots of agencies, travel advisors, and industry colleagues are in Las Vegas this week for Virtuoso Travel Week. And for those balancing work with summer schedules, happy final few weeks of summer break as students begin heading back to school now through the end of August.
Thanks for reading.
Quick ask: will you forward this to one person in your network who might be looking for a new job, looking to break into hospitality marketing, or likes to scan the latest updates each week? That is how most readers find us.
Until next week,
Rachel
Marketing Briefs
Did You Know?
Trending news, marketing news, and reports:
J/PR Mid-Year Trend Report // JPR
Summer 2026 TrendHawk report // Finn Partners Global Travel
Led by U.S. sales, TikTok Shop is on track to hit $100 billion of gross merchandise value in 2026 // TubeFilter
Google tests clickable hyperlinks in Search ad descriptions // Search Engine Land
Microsoft warns hackers have compromised many hotel WiFi networks // Mashable
Cashing in on the 'connection economy' in travel // Travel Weekly
Hospitality AI Initiatives:
AI Travel creators are here, but can the algorithm replicate human experience? // Firstpost
Google just put agentic hotel booking into testing // Hospitality Today
Programming & Activations
What resorts are launching now, from brand collaborations to activations and revenue-generating experiences:
Sol de Janeiro launches “largest-ever travel retail campaign” across 50 airports // DFNI Frontier
easyJet and easyJet holidays' Teddy Trackers Offer Parents Summer Peace of Mind // lbb online
Tennessee Tourism Puts a ‘Real Seal’ on Photos AI Can’t Fake // lbb online
Why China's 24-hour spas are the hottest new travel trend // AOL
Blue Mind Travel Is the Wellness Trend of 2026. Here's What the Research Behind It Says. // Yahoo Creators
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Upcoming Events
Holidays, events, and conferences to keep on your radar:
Conferences & Travel
IMM LUX | Sept 9 - 10, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV
Digital Travel Summit | Sept 28 - 29 | Orlando, FL
ILTM Cannes | Nov 30 - Dec 3 | Cannes, France
Awards Voting
HSMAI Adrian Awards | Submissions accepted July 15 - September 15
Holidays
Labor Day (US/Canada) // September 7
Columbus Day // October 12
Veterans Day // November 11
Thanksgiving // November 26
Christmas // December 25
New Year’s Eve // December 31
Industry Updates
Agency News
News from the agencies that hotel marketers trust and work with. If you have new client wins as an agency with a hospitality-focused client and want to share them here, email me at [email protected].
Catherine Claire Creative, a reader of The Hotel Marketing 5.15, is working alongside agency of record Forge Apollo as the designated social media and influencer lead for Amàre Cancún, Curio Collection by Hilton, ahead of the resort’s highly anticipated opening this fall.
FINN Partners, agency of record for Langham Hospitality Group, is working with the company on the launch of The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok (via O’Dwyer’s 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 launch The Hotel Marketing 5.15 in 2025 to help keep clients up to date on hospitality marketing news and activations. I am always available for coffee chats, networking, and to discuss project-based assignments.
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.
This newsletter may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.