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1. Unemployment claims dip slightly in US
The United States saw a slight decrease in the number of people filing for unemployment benefits last week, the Associated Press reported. The Labor Department found Thursday that claims fell by 2,000 to 220,000 for the week ending March 8. Analysts originally predicted 226,000 new applications.
The AP notes that this data report doesn't yet count job cuts ordered by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, but some analysts expect them to be on the horizon.
"The Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added a solid 151,000 jobs last month, with employment rising in healthcare, finance and transportation and warehousing. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-healthy 4.1%," the AP reports.
2. Hostility between US, Canada to affect travel between countries
Travel between the U.S. and Canada is expected to change under the Trump administration thanks to the president's back-and-forth tariff decisions. More and more Canadians say they want to avoid the U.S., Reuters reports.
But the Trump administration is signaling it may not want Canadian travelers in the country either, at least not for longer periods. According to The New York Times, the U.S. is expected to require Canadians visiting the U.S. for 30 days or more to register with the authorities.
The administration also is expected to roll out a new travel ban, as Trump did in his first term, however the countries that the ban would prohibit travel to and from have not been listed.
"No decisions regarding possible travel bans have been made, and anyone claiming otherwise does not know what they are talking about," a White House official told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.
3. Austin's convention center project to disrupt growing hospitality market, annual SXSW festival
Over the last five years, the Austin area's hotel market has grown tremendously, adding more than 10,000 new rooms to its inventory, according to CoStar data. Now, the city is preparing to demolish and rebuild the Austin Convention Center, doubling the size of rentable space.
"The growth and the supply have been just remarkable," Blake Doran, divisional vice president of operations at Remington Hospitality, told Hotel News Now. "But with that much inventory, you need a lot more meeting space and convention center space to really accommodate the larger groups that we're going after and to compete with major cities in the country."
The project will disrupt the market and provide new opportunities for hoteliers in the area, especially during SXSW, an annual festival and conference currently taking place in downtown Austin and wrapping up this week.
4. Latest hotel data sees mixed year-over-year changes
According to CoStar’s latest U.S. weekly hotel performance data through March 8, hotels are seeing variation in occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room. The latest report shows occupancy is down 1.4% at 62%, with ADR at $160.53, which represents a 2.1% increase. RevPAR is essentially flat at $100.11.
Of the top 25 markets reviewed, Chicago saw the highest hotel occupancy lift — a 9.5% increase to 60.7%. Anaheim — host to the Natural Products Expo West conference March 4-7 — reported the largest increases in ADR with a 25.8% increase to $249.02 and in RevPAR with a 35.8% increase to $188.97.
Mardi Gras bolstered New Orleans hotels. The city had the second-highest gains in ADR — a 20.5% increase to $224.46 — and RevPAR 17.2% to $162.86. Hotel occupancy in the Louisiana city, however, declined 2.7% to 72.6%.
Minneapolis saw the biggest RevPAR decline, which was a 31.0% decrease to $62.77. San Diego, too, saw a double-digit decline of 23.7% to $127.21.
5. Reality TV star takes on Las Vegas with hotel redesign
Lisa Vanderpump, star of the eponymous "Vanderpump Rules" show airing on Bravo, is getting into the hotel industry with The Vanderpump Hotel through a partnership with Caesars Entertainment. CNN reported that Vanderpump will redesign and reopen The Cromwell, a boutique hotel at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road. It's expected to open in 2026.
It's Vanderpump's first hotel, but she has reportedly worked with Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas on several projects.
“We’ve had a phenomenal partnership with Lisa, developing three very successful restaurants in Las Vegas,” said Sean McBurney, regional president of Caesars Entertainment, in a news release.