But will Asian guests bite? Trump Hotels is currently gearing up for an Asia debut which means two openings in Indonesia and further plans to target more of business events and incentive segments in the region. Against this backdrop, writes TTG Asia, several segments are coming into greater focus as growth drivers – Asian travelers, business event and incentive groups. The two Asian properties, signed before Trump’s presidency and expected to materialize soon in Indonesia’s Lido and Bali, are seen as milestones in the group’s strategy to build brand recognition among Asian travelers, but it remains to be seen just how hungry that population is for the Trump brand. —Chloe Riley
Timeshare’s future: More than two-thirds of surveyed ISHC members believe the appeal of timeshare is diminishing due to the growing popularity of sharing economy platforms. Evolution is called for and the value could be related to the extent that the exchange businesses can continue to support the exchange of points across multiple locations/resorts. —Jeff Weinstein
A hotel amenity success story! That’s the positive spin, anyway, on the unfolding scandal in the U.S. with Environmental Protection Agency chief (for now, anyway) Scott Pruitt, who seems to be a real fan of hotels. Among his alleged ethical lapses, Pruitt had taxpayer-funded aides seeking to purchase a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel; and now Vox reports that he had himself driven around to a few D.C.-area Ritz-Carltons in search of the brand’s superlative moisturizer (which retails for about US$32). I suppose attempting to purchase the stuff is morally preferable to sweeping a few of the tiny bottles off an unattended housekeeping cart into your briefcase on your way to check out, right? —Barbara Bohn
“They want foodies who code” So sayeth Kate Walsh, interim dean of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell, about the phenomenon she’s been witnessing of more companies coming on campus to hire students who are specializing in areas like digital marketing and business analytics. According to the New York Times, while many college students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math are attracted to the household-name tech companies in Seattle and Silicon Valley, Hilton’s CTO tells those same ambitious smarties: “If you’re really into technology, there’s a revolution happening in hospitality,” and as part of a smaller team, “you can drive, innovate and take ownership.” —C.R.
Panic (buttons) in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reports on a few local hotels that are implementing “panic buttons” – fobs worn by hotel staff that can alert supervisors if there is a security issue – in advance of a July 1 deadline to comply with a new city ordinance. Chicago is the second city, after Seattle, to implement such a rule, although Illinois’ hotel association has requested an extension, saying it’s been more difficult and costly to reach compliance than anticipated. —B.B.
Coin flip for the presidential suite? CNN takes a tour of Singapore’s Capella Hotel, which will host the June 12 summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Meanwhile, USA Today delves into the shady past of Sentosa Island, the site of the hotel. —B.B.
Do the math: How does TripAdvisor rank hotels? It recently changed its algorithm and Travel Tripper wrote a piece explaining how it works and how hoteliers can use it to their advantage to attract more bookings. Check it out. —J.W.