In partnership with
U.S. Travel Association Forecasts
The U.S. Travel Association publishes a monthly insights piece that tracks the cost of travel in the U.S., aptly named The Travel Price Index, along with a U.S. Travel Forecast, and future spending estimates through 2030. Notable takeaway: “International inbound travel, which declined in 2025, is expected to resume growth in 2026. Visitor spending from international travelers is projected to rise 1.6% to $178 billion, and international visitation is forecast to increase 3.4% to 70.6 million, though full recovery to 2019 levels is not expected until 2029.”
Hotel Marketing 5.15 Reader to Meet
This week’s Hotel Marketer You Should Know spotlight goes to Kristin Soto, founder of Soto Agency, a communications agency supporting hotels, restaurants, and lifestyle brands across PR, social media, influencer marketing, and reputation management. I first worked alongside Kristin during a task force assignment at Hilton Motif Seattle and recently caught up with her again over a virtual coffee chat. Kristin brings a thoughtful, commercially minded approach to hospitality storytelling, helping hotels translate visibility into meaningful engagement and brand growth. Her agency supports both long-term retained partnerships and shorter-term, ad hoc projects, making Soto Agency a strong fit for hotel openings, transitions, renovations, and relaunches. Connect with Kristin on LinkedIn or explore her work at Soto Agency.
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:
HAMA Releases Spring 2026 Industry Outlook Survey Results // Lodging Magazine
TikTok formalizes in-app travel bookings with Booking.com, Expedia, Trip.com among partners // Phocuswire
Google AI Mode With Direct Hotel Booking Links Inside Responses // SE Round Table
What Do You Get When You Put 1,100 TikTokers on a Virgin Voyages Cruise? // Insider Travel Report
TikTok One: Your all-in-one creative platform for successful creator marketing // TikTok
Facebook for Creators launches planner to bulk upload posts and reels and see a calendar view of past posts, schedule new posts, and spot patterns in your publishing cadence. // Facebook for Creators
Google Ads To Automatically Link YouTube Channels // SE Rount Table
Google Analytics AI Assistant Traffic: Tracks ChatGPT, Gemini & Claude Traffic // SE Round Table
Google’s New AI Search Guide Calls AEO And GEO ‘Still SEO’ // Search Engine Journal
Caribbean, Latin America region seeing 'golden era' of travel // CoStar
45 Million Americans Planning Memorial Day Weekend Getaways // AAA
Keep your eyes on:
Deprived of a Poolside Lounge Chair, German Man Sues and Wins // NY Times
Condé Nast Tells Brands to Operate as if Search Traffic Is Gone // TBPN
Meet the YouTube whisperers, a booming class of advisors behind MrBeast and other million-dollar channels // CNBC
April airfares were up more than 20% // Travel Weekly
What Will Travel Look Like in 20 Years? // The Future of Everything, WSJ
Hospitality AI Initiatives:
Amex GBT CEO Paul Abbott: Long Lake deal will boost AI innovation // Travel Weekly
Expedia taps AI to enhance customer support, acquire new customers // Hotel Dive
LGA Terminal B Pioneers the Future of Travel With Interactive AI Guest Experience Ambassador Holograms // Metro Airport News
Programming & Activations
What resorts are launching now, from brand collaborations to activations and revenue-generating experiences:
The Sutton Place Hotel Toronto, Abrielle, and The Pop-Up Chapel Co. Team Up to Offer Free Mini Weddings for Pride Weekend // Carroll County News
The Rise of the Horror Hotel as a Travel Storytelling Trend // The Times
Weather.com x Steller: The Weather Company’s New Ad Play Aims to Sell Experiences and Hotel Bookings // Skift
Upcoming Events
Q2 holidays, events, and conferences to keep on your radar:
Conferences & Travel
Expedia EXPLORE // May 19 - 20, 2026 // Las Vegas, NV
NEW: Google Marketing Live // May 20, 2026 // Online
SKIFT Data + AI Summit // June 3, 2026 // New York, NY
PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference // June 7 - 10, 2026 // Albuquergue, NM
Women Leading Travel Forum // June 8 -10, 2026 // New Orleans, LA
HITEC 2026 // June 15 - 18, 2026 // San Antonio, TX
HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference // June 16 - 17, 2026 // San Antonio, TX
Awards Voting
Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards // April 1 - June 30, 2026
Holidays
Memorial Day // May 25
Pride Month // June
Father’s Day // June 21
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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].
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.
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