In Case You Missed It
BizBash's editors recently studied the 2024 trend reports from hospitality brands Hilton, Accor, and Marriott—and summed up some common themes, including a rise in wellness and work-life balance, immersion in local cultures, and more. Check out our full take here.
We also rounded up 12 event venues with fascinating histories—including a former jail, a century-old bank vault, one of the first churches built by freed slaves, and even Prince's house!—along with buzzy new venues that have opened recently in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston/San Antonio, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New York, Orlando/Central Florida, San Francisco, and Seattle. (More to come!)
Here are five more things to know this month...
1. Venues are debuting their holiday programming.
Thanksgiving is almost here—and that means that venues have gone full force into their holiday decor and programming. A standout option comes from IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle brands, which are partnering with celebrity artists and tastemakers to create a larger-than-life Winter Chalet, which will live in the hotel lobbies from Dec. 1 to Feb. 29. At select InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, and Vignette Collection hotels, the immersive chalet installations will feature decor from interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins and curated playlists from Grammy-winning artist Maren Morris. Additional touches will include seasonal food and beverage offerings and guest activities.
Beyond winter wonderland-inspired decor, some venues are leaning into give-back programs to mark the holiday season. Florida's Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, for example, has pledged to donate food to those in need for every carving station ordered for 2023 holiday events. The food items will be donated in December to the Clara White Mission, a nonprofit organization based in Jacksonville that's dedicated to preventing and reducing homelessness through advocacy, job training, and employment. 
Another fun one? The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood is transforming its I/O Rooftop into a winter wonderland—complete with a gingerbread house bar, holiday-inspired cocktails, and igloos that can be booked for private groups. The Los Angeles hotel is also hosting holiday movie nights.Photo: Courtesy of The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood
2. A good night's sleep is more important than ever.
Hilton's recently released 2024 trends report kicked off with an interesting focus: the importance of sleep. The brand noted that according to its surveys, the No. 1 reason people want to travel in 2024 is to rest and recharge—and that Hilton properties around the world are taking notice, debuting things like Conrad Bali's SWAY sleep therapy experience (where guests are suspended in a cocoon hammock to induce deep relaxation) and Hotel Marcel New Haven’s triple-glazed windows and blackout window shades.
Other hotel brands are leaning into sleep, too. Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, for example, has launched a new "sleep retreat" that includes a 50-minute Pro Sleep Body Treatment massage by Comfort Zone, a choice of four additional wellness treatments chosen for their sleep benefits, and a welcome gift featuring the book Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired to Ask.
South Carolina’s The Charleston Place, meanwhile, has a new Dream Concierge that ties into its winter Nutcracker-themed programming; the initiative brings Clara’s dreamscape to life via adaptogen bedtime beverages, aromatherapy oils, a pillow menu, and luxury sleep masks. “We hope this nod to the iconic Nutcracker not only enables well-deserved sweet dreams for our guests amid the bustling holiday season, but inspires them to take time to indulge in effective sleep rituals long past the holiday season," said Rebecca Hubbard, the hotel's managing director.
Santa Monica Proper Hotel’s alcohol-free Cosmo is made with Optimist Fresh, Lyre’s Orange Sec, cranberry, and lime.Photo: Dylan+Jeni
As companies start finalizing their holiday party plans, they'd do well to include some mocktails on the menu. Nonalcoholic beer, wine, and spirits saw U.S. sales grow 20% last year, and hotel brands like Tempo by Hilton are leaning into the trend by offering a menu of handcrafted “Free-Spirited” cocktails. Another property that recently debuted a mocktail program is Palma at Santa Monica Proper Hotel; the restaurant's new "Conscious Consumption" program, which debuted on Nov. 1, offers alcohol-free riffs on classic cocktails.
4. Las Vegas has narrowly avoided what may have been the largest hospitality strike in U.S. history.
In some good news, the labor group representing 60,000 hospitality workers has reached an agreement with MGM Resorts—just 24 hours before a strike was scheduled to begin. Reports Eater, "One day after the union wrapped negotiations with Caesars Entertainment for the company’s roughly 10,000 represented employees, MGM has reached a tentative agreement with the union for a five-year contract covering its more than 25,000 employees. ... The five-year contract’s protections and requirements include the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the union’s 88-year history, workload reductions for guest room attendants, mandated daily room cleaning, increased safety protections, expanded technology contract language, and the right for unionized workers to support non-union restaurant workers seeking to unionize through picketing, leafletting, and other actions."
The new contract covers employees at eight of Las Vegas' top properties: Aria Resort & Casino, Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Excalibur Hotel & Casino, Luxor Hotel, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, MGM Grand, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, and Park MGM Las Vegas.
5. Virgin Hotels is working to increase accessibility for children with autism.
Last week, luxury lifestyle hotel brand Virgin Hotels announced Hotels with Heart, an initiative aimed at increasing accessibility in the hospitality industry while fostering travel opportunities for children with autism. The brand notes that only 13% of parents with autistic children take family vacations due to the lack of autism-friendly options; Hotels with Heart will address this by offering families reduced rates for rehearsal stays at participating hotels with “Autism Double Checked” certifications. Families will have the opportunity to go from check-in to checkout in a realistic and comfortable setting, while trained staff are on call to alleviate any potential stresses. Hotels with Heart will first launch at the Nashville and Chicago locations on Nov. 17 and 18, followed by New York City, Dallas, and New Orleans in 2024.
