July 18, 2017: How Airbnb Is Benefiting From Comic-Con, More Hotel Brands Imposing Late Cancelation Fees May Cost Business Travelers, Party City Takes Minority Stake in Digital Invitations Platform

1. HOW AIRBNB IS BENEFITING FROM COMIC-CON: As hotels near the San Diego Convention Center tend to either sell out or dramatically increase their average nightly rate during the weekend of Comic-Con, bookings for local Airbnbs have massively increased this year. San Diego Union-Tribune: "The San Francisco-based home sharing giant is projecting 19,000 guest arrivals during San Diego’s largest convention, a 35 percent jump over last year’s 14,000 and about 30 percent more than than this last four-day weekend. Just as hotels are capitalizing on the 130,000 comic book fans, superhero junkies and Game of Thrones zealots flooding the city, so too are home-sharing hosts, many of them raising their customary rates above what one would expect during an otherwise busy July weekend in San Diego. Browsing the Airbnb site, it’s not uncommon to find listings advertising budget-busting rates approaching $500 and $600 a night for lofts in the heart of Gaslamp or condos just steps from the convention center, especially in the days leading up to Comic-Con. Even so, Airbnb’s average rate on the home-sharing platform still undercuts San Diego hotels’ $261 average room cost by anywhere from roughly $70 to $100 a night, according to an analysis of lodging bookings during last year’s Comic-Con. That discount, though, doesn’t seem to be hobbling the pricing powers of Comic-Con. Hotel rates during the pop culture extravaganza have increased 14 percent between 2013 and 2016, according to STR, a research firm that tracks hotel performance throughout the country." http://bit.ly/2taXdrm

2. MORE HOTEL BRANDS IMPOSING LATE CANCELATION FEES MAY COST BUSINESS TRAVELERS: Hotel brands including Marriott International and Hilton are starting to impose 48-hour minimums for cancelations, which may prove costly for business travelers. The New York Times: “Marriott International, which recently acquired Starwood Hotels and Resorts, was the first with the new policy. Last month, it put into effect a 48-hour cancellation policy for new bookings within the Marriott and Starwood brand families in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. Hilton Worldwide is imposing a similar cancellation policy in the United States and Canada for new bookings as of the end of this month. There are a few exceptions: Marriott’s policy does not include its Design Hotels or its time-share properties, and Hilton says franchised hotels can opt out of the policy if they choose, while some hotels in busy cities or resort areas may require 72 hours’ notice to cancel. Hotels say they need to protect themselves from travelers who try to game the system by booking multiple rooms and canceling on short notice in the hope of being able to quickly rebook at a cheaper last-minute rate. That has become a growing issue with the proliferation of sites and apps that make it nearly effortless for travelers to book, cancel and rebook at no cost. The new policies, hotels say, will increase the availability of rooms in locations like New York City, where occupancy is high and rooms can be scarce. But some business travelers and managers say these policies effectively punish them for circumstances outside their control. Adrienne Dancer, who coordinates travel for an events marketing firm specializing in the automotive sector, said the new policies could wreak havoc on her budgets because employees often need to transport equipment on the roads.” http://nyti.ms/2tk5DAM

3. PARTY CITY TAKES MINORITY STAKE IN DIGITAL INVITATIONS PLATFORM: Party City has invested $4 million in Punchbowl, a digital invitations platform. TechCrunch: “The deal will see Punchbowl’s technology used to power an online invitation platform on Party City’s e-commerce site, opening up Punchbowl to an influx of new customers. While the official announcement didn’t disclose the size of the round, an SEC filing listing Party City Retail Group president Ryan Vero points to an infusion of an additional $4 million. Vero has also joined the board as a result of the deal, meaning Party City will be working more closely with Punchbowl going forward. According to Punchbowl CEO Matt Douglas, Party City’s investment and commercial partnership was only one of the options on the table for his company. … Party City sees around $2.3 billion in annual revenue and operates some 900 retail locations – which is how most consumers know of the business today. But Party City is also a vertically integrated company, meaning they’re often the manufacturer of party goods sold in other party stores, too. Meanwhile, its e-commerce business accounts for around 10 percent of the company’s retail revenue today. Punchbowl, on the other hand, never focused on physical goods. Founded in early 2007, the service is one of the early competitors in the digital invites and e-cards space, and a rival to others like Evite. The company, which now sees tens of millions of customers per year, had bet on the demise of paper cards for things like party invitations and greeting cards. It translated the paper card format to digital—including with virtual envelopes that opened to reveal your card, and even an option for including digital gift cards inside its online cards.” http://tcrn.ch/2uvnQun


* INDUSTRY NEWS *

Freeman and Feathr have formalized a global partnership that will bring Feathr's event personalization software to Freeman clients worldwide. In conjunction with the partnership, Freeman has become a key investor in Feathr's most recent round of funding. 

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has added six new members to its board of directors: George Carey, owner of Finz Seafood & Grill and multiple Sea Level Oyster Bar locations; Richard Brackett, general manager of the Bancroft; Anne Marie Escobar, chief operating officer of Legal Sea Foods; Bud Fraumeni, vice president of development for Bay Shore Chowders & Bisques; Gerry Manning, owner of Captain Parker’s Pub; and Mark Kashgegian, partner ant Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP. 

CHICAGO:  The sixth annual BTN Big 10K presented by MB Financial Park will take place July 23 in Grant Park. Anthony “Spice” Adams is this year’s grand marshal, and Special Olympics Chicago is the event partner. 

The 16th annual Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest will take place August 18-20 at Rogers Park. 

LOS ANGELES:  Momofuku's David Chang is slated to open a restaurant called North Spring in late 2017. Eater: http://bit.ly/2tk36pY

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The 16th annual Miami Salsa Congress will take place July 26-30 at Deauville Beach Resort. The series will include performances by Havana D’Primera and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Other events will include the Miami Latin Dance Championship and the Bachata Party Room.

NEW YORK:  The summer edition of Dessert Goals will take place August 19-20 at the Dobbin St. event space in Williamsburg. Vendors will include Black Tap, Cupcake Market, and Snowdays. 

The 18th annual Citi Taste of Tennis will take place August 24 at W New York. The event will feature a sushi competition between Masaharu Morimoto and Bob and Mike Bryan, along with dishes from chefs including Jonathan Waxman, April Boomfield, Andre Fowles, and Eleazar Estrada. 

Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation raised more than $1.1 million at its annual Art For Life benefit, which took place July 15 at Fairview Farms in Bridgehampton. 

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Several new attractions are coming to Walt Disney World, including a Star Wars-theme resort, an outer space-theme restaurant, and new attractions inspired by Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot, a Tron ride at Magic Kingdom, and more. The announcements were made at D23 Expo, the official Disney fan club event in Anaheim, California.

Hilton Orlando has appointed Joe Cardone hotel manager and Justin Garner food and beverage director. 

PHILADELPHIA:  Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center has appointed Ben Shank general manager. 

SAN ANTONIO:  The second annual Mala Luna Music Festival will take place October 28-29 at Nelson Wolff Stadium. Headliners include Future, Lil Wayne, and Wiz Khalifa. 

SAN FRANCISCO:  The 25th annual Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation Pool Too will take place October 11 at Phoenix Hotel/Chambers Eat and Drink. The event raises money for T.N.D.C.’s after-school program. 

TORONTO:  The inaugural Rose Picnic will take place July 22 at Garrison Commons. The summer picnic event will offer a variety of rosé and food from chef Mark McEwan. Attendees are encouraged to wear pink, and picnic packet pre-orders are available. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Singer-songwriter Joe Walsh will host an inaugural benefit show to support VetsAid—his new national nonprofit that aims to help veterans and their families—on September 20 at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax. 

The cast of We TV's Growing Up Hip Hop on Thursday will participate in a premiere event and panel discussion focused on their lives in the spotlight and the impact of hip-hop culture at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History. Cast in attendance will include Master P, Romeo Miller, Vanessa & Angela Simmons, and Damon Dash. 

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Rayna Katz, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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