Thu February 19, 2026 (Run 3)

Hotel Industry

Choice Hotels is intentionally reducing its portfolio size to improve brand quality, a strategy not being pursued by other publicly traded hotel chains. Skift
Hotels are becoming political battlegrounds amid immigration enforcement operations, exposing the industry's unpreparedness for such scenarios. Skift
Las Vegas is experiencing a sharp tourism decline, hit harder than other U.S. travel destinations by broader industry challenges. Skift

Sabre is conducting layoffs from London to Uruguay and reorganizing leadership as part of its restructuring to become "AI-native" through an "inflation offset program." Skift
Walmart's AI assistant Sparky is helping the retailer gain ground with higher-income shoppers, though lower-income households remain stretched. CX Dive
Perplexity AI is retreating from advertising, signaling a strategic shift toward a smaller, more valuable audience. Wired
Code Metal raised $125 million to use AI for translating and verifying legacy defense software without introducing bugs. Wired
Block (Square and Cash App) employees are experiencing deteriorating culture amid rolling layoffs and mandatory daily AI tool usage. Wired
German revenue management system Happyhotel raised 6.5 million euros in Series A funding to expand across Europe and build an autonomous commercial AI agent. Phocuswire

Slate Auto will reveal pricing for its "Blank Slate" electric pickup in June, with the bare-bones model expected to remain in the mid-$20,000 range. Electrek
BYD unveiled the Linghui e9, an electric sedan with 375 miles of range under its new Linghui sub-brand aimed at a new market segment. Electrek
A major study of nearly a million plug-in hybrid vehicles found they use over 300% more fuel than claimed, as Europe prepares to revise PHEV regulations. Electrek
Ford is planning additional affordable multi-powertrain vehicles including SUVs and sedans following its $30,000 midsize electric pickup. Electrek
Audi internal memos suggest Porsche's electric sports car platform for the Boxster/Cayman will continue despite earlier uncertainty. The Drive
Next-generation Hyundai Ioniq 5 prototype spotted in South Korea with completely redesigned interior. EV Blog

New York Governor Kathy Hochul dropped her proposal to legalize robotaxis outside New York City due to lack of legislative support, dealing a blow to Waymo's expansion plans. The Verge
Elon Musk claims Tesla will sell the Cybercab for under $30,000 before year-end following the first production unit completion, though autonomy challenges remain unaddressed. Electrek

Calibrant Energy signed an agreement with Iron Mountain to build and operate a 23 MWh battery at its New Jersey data center, demonstrating how data centers are becoming power plants. Electrek
Redwood Materials reports its new energy storage business is the company's fastest growing unit, fueled by the AI data center boom. TechCrunch

BMW's M2 sees 50% of U.S. sales with manual transmission, though BMW M boss Frank van Meel doubts this can ensure the manual's long-term survival. The Drive