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1. Airbnb to increase marketing spend, new hires
Airbnb plans to increase its marketing spend and hire more employees ahead of a new business venture it intends to launch later this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though it hasn't disclosed the number of businesses it will launch or their focus, it has said it will restart its experience offerings.
In February, Airbnb said it would invest $200 million to $250 million to set up these businesses with the goal of generating $1 billion in revenue once they're up and running, according to the article. The money will mostly go toward programmatic marketing and hiring product marketers, designers and engineers.
“Part of reimagined experiences is bringing more things on the platform, things that you can do when you are in-market, traveling,” Airbnb Chief Financial Officer Ellie Mertz said. “Ultimately, the goal would be things that you can do in your home city because they’re compelling, interesting and differentiated from other things that you might be doing.”
2. Importers try to manage changing tariff environment
Importers of foreign goods are doing their best to adapt to the ever-changing tariff landscape as the Trump administration threatens to, then imposes, and at times delays or adds exceptions to, tariffs on products from China, Mexico and Canada, the Wall Street Journal reports. Even when trying to plan purchases carefully, importers are finding extra costs added on when their goods arrive.
"Business owners and logistics executives say any delay — from a longer-than-expected ocean voyage from China to a flat tire in Mexico — can now make the difference between having to pay thousands in tariffs," the newspaper reports.
Zach Frew, co-founder of Boston-based Grounded Labs, learned an order he placed with a Chinese company was bumped to a different ship at the last minute. The extra time added on to the journey over the Pacific Ocean resulted in almost $23,000 more due to the tariff put in place.
3. Miami Beach hoteliers enjoy calmer spring break
The city of Miami Beach is in the second year of its breakup with the spring break party crowd, and hotel executives with properties in the area said overall it's been a good change for the city and their hotels, HNN reports. While occupancy has been a little challenged for some, the calmer atmosphere has helped draw in more desirable demand segments.
Having fewer guests from the spring break party crowd means less wear and tear on the hotels themselves as well as less stress on the staff, said Craig Haas, area director of operations at Concord Hospitality.
“It’s just the strain on the staff to have to deal with challenging people that are wanting to come to disrupt other guests as well,” he said.
4. Proposed Las Vegas law would require daily housekeeping
A proposed law the Nevada state legislature is considering would require daily room cleanings at hotels in Washoe County and Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, KLAS-TV reports. State Senate Bill 360 would apply to a "resort hotel," as defined by Nevada law, and hotels with more than 200 guestrooms or suites of guest rooms.
Along with daily room cleanings, the bill would provide hotels with the authority to conduct room inspections regardless of whether guests want it, according to the article. The bill would authorize inspections “not less than every second consecutive day during a guest’s occupancy to ensure the safety of the guest and the public.”
The bill, known as the Hotel Safety Act, has the endorsement of Culinary Union Local 226.
5. Canadians reduce travel to US
The trade war between the U.S. and Canada is pushing many Canadians to cut back or stop any travel to America, with some going so far as to even avoid having a layover in a U.S. city, NBC News reports. A survey conducted by Canadian market researcher Leger found that some Canadians who had planned travel to the U.S. have already canceled their trips.
The U.S. Travel Association found Canadians made roughly 20.4 million visits to the U.S. in 2024, according to the article. A 10% drop in those visits would equate to a loss of $2.1 billion in spending and a loss of 14,000 jobs.
Canada's statistical agency reported a 23% year-over-year drop in Canadian car trips to the U.S. in February, according to the article. There's also been a 2.4% drop in roundtrip flights.