D/R DOWNLOAD 12.8

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• Google named this year’s most popular destinations for holiday travel, which include Cancun, London, New York, and Honolulu.

02/ With Media

• Nearly 1,000 Washington Post workers walked out on Thursday, marking one of the biggest labor protests in the company’s history.

• Vox laid off at least 20 people in its second round of layoffs this year. Meanwhile, Condé Nast began an announced round of 270 layoffs.

• The decline of local news in the United States is speeding up despite attention paid to the issue – the nation has lost one-third of its newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists since 2005.

03/ In the Zeitgeist

• Time named Taylor Swift its Person of the Year, noting her economic and social impact in 2023.

• The NYT featured 10 works and performances that stood out in 2023, including the final season of Succession and actor Jeffrey Wright’s performance in American Fiction.

• Oxford University Press has named ‘rizz’ its word of the year.

• The ‘DINK’ (double-income-no-kids) lifestyle is increasing in popularity, with an average median net worth of $250,600.

• Pantone revealed its 2024 color of the year: Peach Fuzz.

Industry Insights

• More newlyweds are seeking R&R after the wedding festivities on “buddymoons” with their close friends.

• Marriott Bonvoy unveiled new interactive kids programming at its hotels and resorts through a new collaboration with Camp, a family experience company. The new all-inclusive Marriott Cancun is set to open in the spring of 2024 and will be the first Marriott to offer an immersive Camp Club.

• Delta Air Lines is going viral for its Secret Trading Cards, which Delta employees created to help pass on their enthusiasm for aviation some 20 years ago.

• Amtrak is bringing back its 'Ski Train' to Winter Park Resort in Colorado and tickets are on sale now.

• Hawaiian Airlines announced the launch of a new non-stop route next May, giving travelers the opportunity to travel from Salt Lake City to Honolulu.

• Winston Churchill’s Old War Office is making a splash in London, as the most talked-about luxury hotel since its opening in September of this year.

• The Venice City Council just released a 2024 schedule of dates during which day-trippers will need to pay to enter the city.

• Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines have agreed to merge in a $1.9 billion deal, which would keep both airlines' brands but would integrate them into a single operating platform.

• Railbookers has expanded its luxury tour offerings into South Africa with 15 new rail itineraries that showcase the country's popular Blue Train and Rovos Rail.

• A new line of tours from G Adventures aims to fill what the tour operator said is a gap in premium adventure travel.

• The era of “sports tourism” is officially here, as those traveling to attend major sporting events (i.e. F1 races, the Summer Olympic Games) is on the rise.

• The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee released more than 400,000 new tickets for all Olympic and Paralympic sports, which are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

• American Airlines is using real-time data to assign just-landed planes to the nearest available gate, which will help limit taxiing and delays.

• MGM Resorts had its highest-grossing weekend in hotel revenue in the company's history, thanks to Formula 1’s return to Vegas.

• Lobbies in luxury hotels are disappearing, as properties claim that jettisoning the grand entrance and front desk provides a more personal sense of “coming home.

The Good

• Domino's has awarded half a million dollars in grants for snow plowing, so that carryout customers can have access to hot pizza, even on the coldest, snowiest days.

• Airbnb is hosting four lucky guests at the real-life hometown of Santa Claus this December.

• Heinz revealed a new ketchup label as a tattoo stencil for die-hard fans to display their love for the brand.

The Bad

• Spotify made big layoffs shortly following the reveal of Spotify’s 2023 ‘Spotify Wrapped,’ creating a juxtaposition of Spotify’s most prominent time in the public eye and bad corporate news.

• Residents of Maui express frustration over housing accommodations made for tourists while many locals are still homeless due to the wildfires.