Talk about targeting: Kudos to Marriott International for returning to California’s Coachella festival this weekend for the second straight year with four pop-up, glampy yurts with the look and feel of their hipster-like W brand. Last year it was tents in the image of Moxy and Aloft; this year it is yurt with WiFi, baths, mini-fridges and smartly enough, security. Not your father’s Marriott in the Cali desert. —Jeff Weinstein
‘My heart was here’: A Davenport Hotel doorman who had a 75-year career at the Spokane, Washington property has died at the age of 88. John Reed started at the hotel as a bus boy on June 1, 1942 making 35 cents an hour. He stayed even through who stayed through the hotel’s closure in 1985. Last year, in an interview, Reed was asked why he didn’t leave when the hotel seemed slated for demolition. “I couldn’t,” he said. “My heart was here in this building.” —Chloe Riley
Sure, blame the hotel room: American actors and writers’ union SAG-AFTRA is calling for an end to holding professional meetings in private hotel rooms, saying the practice “has allowed predators to exploit performers behind closed doors,” according to Variety. It’s a step in the right direction, of course; but here’s hoping that the #metoo tide continues to sweep powerful predators out of any rooms, anywhere. —Barbara Bohn
A screamer: Today being Friday the 13th, horror film fans can overnight at the New Jersey campground where the 1980s horror film Friday the 13th was filmed. Enter Holiday Inn Express & Suites Newton Sparta, located 13 miles away. It plans to park a shuttle bus just outside the campground from dusk till dawn and tell the brave souls who lose their will that the motor will be running if they need to jump on the bus for a good night’s sleep without running the risk of having their throats slashed. The hotel is offering 13 free stays with complimentary breakfast. Great PR move. —J.W.
REITs dropping the ball: Supply growth continues to hang over the sector and is most acute in the business travel segments and urban markets and REITs hold a disproportionate amount of hotels in this segment. While hotel operators are up 40% over the past year, hotel REITs are flat and as supply growth cools, REITs may finally join the rally, writes Hoya Capital Real Estate. Despite commanding a higher valuation than every hotel REIT combined, Airbnb’s impact on the industry still remains relatively modest. However, it’s the dynamics of the broader online travel industry that profoundly impact hotels. —Chloe Riley