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Findings from the Castell Project's "Black Representation in Hospitality Leadership 2021" report show that "in spite of industry statements of support, Black employees lost share of hospitality industry employment and remained underrepresented in leadership over the past year," according to a news release.

Black representation for the public face of the industry decreased from 2019 to 2020. Of the 801 hotel company websites reviewed for the study, only 11% showed Black executives compared to 16% of the 630 websites reviewed in 2019.

“This is a time of remarkable opportunity, as virtually every company in the hospitality industry restructures at once," Castell Project Chair Peggy Berg said in the release. "As McKinsey & Company reports, ‘diverse companies outperform industry peers over time, and the penalties are getting steeper for those lacking diversity.’ This is the hospitality industry’s rare chance to open opportunity to diverse employees and to rebuild equitably.”

The American Hotel & Lodging Association has relaxed mask guidelines under its Safe Stay program following updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a news release.

“In light of the recent CDC announcement that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in most settings, our Safe Stay guidelines will relax mask requirements for guests who are fully vaccinated," AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers said in the release. "At this time, we are not asking hotels to require proof of vaccination status, but we do ask that all guests and workers, vaccinated or not, respect and honor these revised guidelines. Unvaccinated guests should wear face-coverings and practice physical distancing at all times in public settings."

The statement advises hotel employees should still wear face masks.

James Bermingham took on the role of CEO of Virgin Hotels in March after leaving an executive position with Montage Hotels & Resorts. In an interview with HNN contributor Danny King, he said the company has openings planned for this summer and early next year.

The company is set to open a property in New Orleans this summer and a 463-room new-build hotel in New York next year. These properties will join Virgin Hotels' roster of four hotels in locations such as Dallas and Nashville. The company held a soft opening in March for its new property in Las Vegas with an official grand opening planned in June.

To set itself apart from other brands, Bermingham is counting on the company's "Lucy" smartphone app.

“We’ve proven during the last eight to 12 months how effectively we can operate and deliver the experience in the COVID environment,” he said. “The quality of our protocols is really tried and tested.”

April 2021 data from STR, CoStar's hospitality analytics firm, shows the U.S. hotel industry recorded its highest monthly performance levels since the start of the pandemic.

Occupancy was 57.5% while average daily rate came to $110.34, resulting in revenue per available room of $63.46.

"Occupancy and RevPAR were the highest for any month since February 2020, while ADR was the highest since March 2020," the release states.

Marriott International has filed a lawsuit against unknown perpetrators making fraudulent robocalls misusing the company's name, according to a release.

"The suit claims these bad actors are using Marriott’s brand for their own commercial gain in violation of state and federal laws. Marriott will aggressively pursue the identities of the robocallers to halt these illegal acts affecting Marriott customers and others," the release states.

Marriott President Stephanie Linnartz said in the release that “Marriott has undertaken this federal lawsuit against illegal robocalls primarily to protect our customers, but also to protect our brand name and intellectual property."