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1. Hurricane Nicole Damages Florida Hotels
Category 1 Hurricane Nicole swept through Florida's eastern coast Thursday, killing at least four people before weakening into a tropical storm and then a depression early Friday morning, CNN reports.
At least 49 beachfront properties, including hotels and condos, in Volusia County have been deemed "unsafe" in the storm's aftermath. County manager George Recktenwald said during a news conference "the structural damage along our coastline is unprecedented."
"Drone video showed homes nearly hanging off cliffs and Daytona Beach hotels crumbling into the ocean in the storm’s aftermath," CNN reports.
2. Palace Resorts Acquires Baglioni Hotels & Resorts
Palace Resorts has acquired Italian luxury hotel brand Baglioni, which has properties in Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, Sardinia, Apulia and the Maldives, reports HNN's Terence Baker. The deal's price tag has not been disclosed.
Through this acquisition, Baglioni will be able to expand to the U.S. The U.S. market makes up 70% of Palace Resorts' business. Additionally, Palace will add a luxury European brand to its portfolio.
“It is such an honor for us, the Chapur Family, to take our company to a global reach through Baglioni Hotels & Resorts,” Gibran Chapur, executive vice president of Palace Resorts, said in a news release.
3. Outlook Bright for Caribbean Hotels
Despite looming cooldowns as a result of financing difficulties, speakers on the "Hospitality Leaders Outlook" panel at HVS' Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference & Operations Summit expressed that deeper brand penetration, product evolution and continued demand growth across the region is giving hoteliers optimism for the future, reports Hotel News Now's Stephanie Ricca.
“We have learned to change and change fast — as an industry, as consumers, everyone,” said José Carlos Azcárraga, CEO of Grupo Posadas. “We have three or four more years of great numbers, but the question is, can we adapt to the speed the market is evolving? People aren’t buying products, they’re buying experiences, and can we cater to that?”
4. China Further Eases COVID Restrictions
China's newly appointed Politburo Standing Committee, which includes the country's top leaders, set new rules Friday that will "optimize and adjust" the nation's strict zero-COVID policy, the Wall Street Journal reports.
"The new guidance shortened the mandatory quarantine time for inbound travelers and for those identified as close contacts, but notably didn’t declare an end to policies intended to completely vanquish COVID, insisting that the country 'firmly stick to the dynamic zero-COVID policy,'" the news outlet reports.
5. Survey Ranks Cities by Accessibility
A survey conducted in August and September involving 3,500 individuals with disabilities across the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Australia reveals the world's top 10 most accessible cities, CNBC reports.
Las Vegas was a stand-out choice in the U.S. due to "the sheer number of accessible hotel rooms," the news outlet reports.
“Some, like the Bellagio, offer dozens of accessible rooms, some offer hundreds — across all price brackets and room types, including Las Vegas’ famed themed rooms and suites,” Martin Heng, a travel writer who wrote the report, said.