Apple, Mark Travel unite: All-inclusive vacation company Apple Leisure Group and The Mark Travel Corporation, owner of Funjet Vacations, are joining to create an integrated leisure travel and technology company. Financial terms were not disclosed. Apple chief Alex Zozaya will be CEO.
TripAdvisor to sponsor placements: TripAdvisor is launching Sponsored Placements, in which hotel customers pay for a campaign of targeted ads, after a three-month beta test. It is offering three options, with pricing based on clicks, that target ads to qualified traffic searching for options in the hotel’s area.
Embassy Suites purchase: Atlanta-based hotel owner, investor and manager Hospitality Ventures Management Group completed its acquisition of the 241-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton San Rafael Marin County, in California, and the 235-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Perimeter Center in Atlanta. The price of the sale, in a joint venture, was not disclosed. The company also will operate the two hotels.
Sold out: The Saudi Arabian crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is staying at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto, California, for his weeklong visit. All of it. The prince, who put Saudi leaders and members of the royal family under house arrest for months recently as part of an anti-corruption power play, is in the U.S. to visit business leaders and rented out the Four Seasons in Los Angeles as part of his trip.