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DailyThursday, February 26, 2026
Hospitality & Lodging
- Hotel executives are shifting focus to loyalty programs as a new revenue engine to drive growth even when room pricing slows, rather than just focusing on repeat stays. Skift
- Barcelona will double its hotel tax, with revenue potentially helping address the city's housing crisis, though there are concerns about deterring travelers. Skift
- Vrbo is testing a weather-guarantee option powered by WeatherPromise that allows guests to pay fees for refunds when rain ruins their stay. Skift
- Prism acquired 10 Sonder properties to bring its Belvilla brand to the U.S., evolving into an India-U.S. hospitality platform focused on extended-stay demand. Skift
Airline Industry
- Accor and Air France-KLM face higher debt costs after missing climate targets, with disclosures revealing why companies may fail to meet environmental goals. Skift
- Saudi's Red Sea Airport aims for a 50:50 split between domestic and international travelers with an ambitious goal of one million passengers by 2030. Skift
- India's aviation boom will be handled by new airports rather than expanding existing ones, though the model could face challenges if demand growth is disrupted. Skift
Travel Industry
- Post-Covid travel boom masked deep performance gaps that activist hedge funds are now exploiting as the boom fades. Skift
- Trip.com Group sees massive opportunity in China's underdeveloped inbound tourism market, though now faces an antitrust investigation that could reshape platform economics. Skift
- Amadeus acquired AI-driven corporate travel startup SkyLink to scale its AI efforts and integrate conversational technology into existing tools for business travelers. Phocuswire
- Accessible tourism platform Wheel the World closed a $13M Series A round including $3.5 million in fresh capital. Phocuswire
- S4BT acquired HotelHub to deliver integrated corporate hotel offering for TMCs, bringing its portfolio to eight corporate travel brands. Phocuswire
- Trip.com Group increased Q4 2025 net revenue by 21% to $2.2 billion, with full-year revenue up 17% to almost $9 billion driven by travel demand. Phocuswire
Customer Experience & AI/Automation
- Lowe's CEO credits AI with "dramatic improvements in customer service," with the Mylow AI assistant particularly helpful for providing product knowledge to new associates. CX Dive
Rental Car Industry
- Hertz held its inaugural Meet the Fleet employee event, giving team members hands-on experience with the company's newest fleet to better serve customers. Hertz LinkedIn
- Europcar won Europe's leading car rental company award at World Travel Awards for the 23rd consecutive year. Europcar LinkedIn
- Europcar Australia and New Zealand received Advertising Campaign of the Year and Car Rental Provider of the Year at Travel Trade Excellence Awards. Europcar LinkedIn
- Europcar Spain won best rent a car award at Spain Travel Awards for facilitating mobility with flexible solutions in tourist and urban destinations. Europcar LinkedIn
- Europcar and Goldcar offices at Malaga Airport installed Spain's first private photovoltaic plants for self-consumption within an airport facility. Europcar LinkedIn
Rideshare & Autonomous Vehicles
- Waymo confirmed it is laying groundwork to expand autonomous rideshare service to Chicago after vehicles were spotted in the city. Electrek
- Waymo began mapping and collecting data in Chicago and Charlotte, announcing it currently operates robotaxis fully autonomously in 10 U.S. cities. TechCrunch
- Wayve secured $1.2 billion in Series D funding from Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis, reaching an $8.6 billion valuation for its autonomous driving technology. MoveMnt
- Harbinger acquired autonomous driving company Phantom AI in the Los Angeles trucking startup's first acquisition. TechCrunch
- Uber for Business is helping automotive dealers like Lithia provide better customer service by eliminating waiting room time through ride services. Uber for Business LinkedIn
Electric Vehicles
- BYD launched new incentives in China offering 0% interest for 3 years with daily payments starting under $5 after sales fell for a fifth straight month. Electrek
- Used Tesla prices rose 4.3% since the federal EV tax credit expired, while other used EVs dropped 3.6% on average, with used EV market share plunging 20%. Electrek
- Ford is charging extra for the frunk on 2026 Mustang Mach-E models, ending the previously free front trunk feature. Electrek
- Volvo's cheapest EV, the EX30, will get more affordable with a new entry-level trim and updated features including Vehicle-to-Load capability. Electrek
- Hyundai is developing its first midsize pickup, potentially the IONIQ T7, which may share a body-on-frame platform with a new 4WD SUV. Electrek
- Lucid CFO says 12% workforce cut will save $500 million over three years as the company posted a record quarterly operating loss of $1.065 billion. EV Blog
- Tesla China delivery wait times fell to record lows of 1-3 weeks across all models. EV Blog
- Nio's chip unit secured $330 million in its first external funding round as the company monetizes its intelligent-driving technology investments. EV Blog
- Tesla must face a class-action lawsuit alleging systematic discrimination against American workers by preferring H-1B visa holders for engineering positions. Electrek
- A study of 5,000+ home sales found solar panels increased home values by 5-10%, representing a $39,500 to $79,000 boost. Electrek
Product Launches
- Jeep launched the 2026 Grand Cherokee with a four-cylinder Hurricane engine, offering punchy but imperfect performance in the 5,000-pound SUV. The Drive
- Lincoln is reportedly planning a reskinned Bronco as a Mercedes G-Class rival, joining BMW and Audi in targeting the luxury off-road SUV market. The Drive
- Ford expressed regret about not offering the manual Bronco Sasquatch combination sooner after enthusiasts strongly demanded it. The Drive
- Chrysler's next-generation Pacifica minivan will feature a "RoboCop" styling update while retaining existing underpinnings and body. The Drive
- Topdon launched the One Lite OBD2 scanner offering dealer-level diagnostics with J2534 pass-thru and topology mapping for $600. The Drive
- Volvo's $3,200 sound system features unique "envelopment" and "intensity" tuning settings that significantly enhance audio quality. The Drive
- Kawasaki officially launched development of CORLEO, a four-legged electric off-road personal mobility vehicle designed as an "electric horse." Electrek
- Dutch startup Tiler's wireless e-bike charging system hit an unexpected hurdle despite successful development of magnetic kickstand charging technology. Electrek