A thank you to the newest people I connected (or re-connected) with, who you may want to connect with too:

Thanks for reading.

⚡️ YouTube Culture & Trends Report: A Maximalist Moment Shaping Culture // YouTube

YouTube’s Next Gen Report highlights how Gen Z (14–24) is redefining digital culture through “Creative Maximalism,” a participatory, highly visual, referential style of content. This generation consumes less traditional media, spends significantly more time on social platforms and user-generated video, and expects to co-create the narratives they engage with.

As a homeowner with roommates (my kids) who are Gen Alpha but look up to Gen Z, Italian Brain Rot has made its way into our everyday vocabulary, Steve’s Lava Chicken is still trending, Roblox gift cards are gold, and we are on year 5+ of me having to look up whether the Halloween costume requests are appropriate for school (and what they mean).

Trending news, marketing news,reports:

▶️ 5 Ways to Research Key Trends for Your Social Media Ad Campaigns // Social Media Today

▶️ Gmail Ads Are Back // WordStream

▶️ Amazon launches Lens Live, an AI-powered shopping tool for use in the real world // TechCrunch

▶️ Google’s Antitrust Ruling: What The Remedies Really Mean For Search, SEO, And AI Assistants // Search Engine Journal

▶️ PayPal and Venmo users get free year of Perplexity Pro and Comet AI browser // ZD Net

🌎 FLEX Senior Manager, Owned Digital Ad Products // Remote // Marriott

🌎 Reputational Social Lead // Remote // Airbnb

🌎 Manager, Hotel Level Marketing – Portfolio Strategy Analytics // Remote // Hilton

🌎 Director of Marketing // Remote Considered // The Dellshire Resort

➟ Leadership Starts in Your Gut, Not Your Head // Think Hawaiian

➟ U.S. hiring slowed further in August, though gains seen in hospitality and leisure industries. // USA Today

Tracking the agencies shaping the hospitality industry’s biggest moments while building an ever-growing resource list for hotel marketers. Did your agency land a new client, or are you working with a new hospitality-focused agency at your hotel that you want to highlight? Reply directly to this newsletter.

✅ Wunderlich Kaplan Communications named agency of record for The Gale Miami Hotel & Residences

✅ LDPR named agency of record for Alila Mayakoba, opening early 2026

✅ R&R Partners, agency of record for Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), launches Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas campaign

✅ byeHotelier launches new website for Victorian Hotel, powered by Mews

Search Engine Journal reports that AI-driven search experiences (like Perplexity or ChatGPT-style engines) are directing users to 404 error pages nearly three times more often than Google. This creates frustration for users, but also an opportunity for brands to optimize error handling and monitor where broken links are coming from. As AI search adoption grows, hotels need to prepare for more unexpected referral traffic landing on outdated or broken pages. Unfortunately, the reasoning behind these increases in 404 page visits is hallucinating links, but you can still help recover the guest experience when they do get referred to your 404 page.

Tactics for Hotel Marketers:

Takeaway:
AI search engines may break more often, but they also highlight what users are actively searching for. Treat every 404 referral as a real-time content gap analysis and a chance to improve guest experience before peak season traffic hits.

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

community // Kith Ivy New York
Conceived by Ronnie Fieg, Kith Ivy debuts as a $36,000-a-year members’ club that fuses sport, wellness, dining, and culture into a holistic lifestyle ecosystem. With padel courts, a spa, curated culinary concepts, and Erewhon’s first New York tonic bar, the club blends design and wellbeing with a community-driven ethos. Exclusive and experiential, it offers an urban sanctuary where culture, connection, and wellness meet.

community // Outrigger Grandparent Guarantee
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels is reimagining multigenerational travel with its Grandparent Guarantee, a promise that family trips will be effortless and memorable for every age group. With thoughtful amenities, flexible accommodations, and experiences designed to bring generations together, the program reflects a heartfelt commitment to family connection as the core of the vacation experience.

design // Architectural Hotels
These properties blur the line between destination and design icon, where architecture itself becomes the experience. From sculptural silhouettes to seamless integration with landscapes, each hotel offers guests a work of art to inhabit.

wellness // SHA Residences Emirates Island
Blending luxury living with medical-grade wellness, SHA has opened its first Middle East residences on Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Island. The property combines cutting-edge health programs with serene coastal design, creating a place where long-term living and holistic wellbeing coexist.

experience // The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko
Set between Lake Chuzenji and Mount Nantai, The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko immerses guests in Japan’s natural and spiritual heritage. With the first Ritz-Carlton branded onsen baths, temple access, and kaiseki-inspired dining, the resort balances refined luxury with cultural depth, creating an atmosphere rooted in place and tradition.

LinkedIn Posts That Caught My Attention Span My Eye This Week

✪ Susan Barry // What Type of Conference Goer Are You (Quiz)

Based on a communication method 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. This newsletter applies the same principle to hotel marketing: concise, actionable trends and opportunities curated for industry professionals.

I’m Rachel Watroba, founder of ADCOTO Hospitality Marketing and publisher of The Hotel Marketing 5.15. After more than 20 years in hospitality marketing with brands such as Waldorf Astoria, Caesars Entertainment, Fairmont, and MGM Resorts, I now work remotely as an interim marketing director for luxury hotels and resorts worldwide. My focus is on helping properties navigate openings, renovations, transitions, and leadership gaps, while keeping marketing aligned with commercial strategy.