From room service to spas, CBD is popping up in luxury chain and independent hotels across the U.S. Move over lavender and sage, the hotel industry is tapping into the "magical elixir's" popularity in the health, wellness, and beauty industries and incorporating the ingredient into spa treatments. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, stress-reducing claims, and our growing obsession with self-care and wellness, CBD is the new and hottest commodity in hospitality wellness. With spa treatments designed to relax and rejuvenate, posh establishments like The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott are at the forefront of the CBD craze, which, according to our sources, has no plans of slowing down.

Travelers more than ever are looking for distinctive, "Instagrammable" hotels that deliver authentic, local experiences. To meet that desire, the soft-brand hotel segment continues to evolve. Recognizing this trend, five years ago, Curio Collection by Hilton launched to provide guests with a boutique-style experience supported by a leading hospitality company, Hilton. The word "curio" refers to a rare or intriguing object, perfectly capturing the essence behind the brand and its hotels. In this article, Mark Nogal, global head, Curio Collection by Hilton, explores how the brand serves curious travelers with its diverse portfolio of independent, one-of-a-kind properties in premier destinations.

What does it mean to be a sustainable hotel company? Saying you're green is one thing, but implementing developmental and operational strategies that truly work towards achieving a healthier planet is another. For Hilton, being a sustainable hotel company starts with development and continues throughout the entire lifespan of every property within our portfolio. We leverage innovative construction and design concepts to operate in more efficient and eco-friendly ways – from modular building, to utilizing sustainable building materials and focusing on brand standards that have helped us earn triple International Standards Organization (ISO) certification for our entire portfolio of 5,600+ hotels globally-the largest certified ISO portfolio in the world. Hilton has also developed a global Corporate Responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose, with initiatives such as LightStay, Soap Recycling and much more in order to ensure our properties remain sustainable well past their opening date. Hilton hotels are cutting down their environmental footprints from the ground-up, from the inside-out, with every team member from the top-down involved in the effort. Here's how we are doing it.

Autonomous Driving Technology is opening a new era of Transpitality, a new form of Hospitality merging transportation and hotel into one form. Autonomous Mobile Hotels equipped with basic sleeping, working, and washroom functions will be providing door-to-door transportation service in between traveler's home and destinations, letting travelers use their travel time more efficiently and productively. Using Autonomous Driving technology, the Autonomous Mobile Hotels will serve as a personal vehicle and mobile hotel room, offering flexible schedules, lower costs, privacy, and comfort. With growing amounts of Autonomous vehicles on the roads, there will be emerging needs of Hospitality to fit the new paradigm.

The past twelve months have seen a significant uptick in the volume of cases filed related to website accessibility issues, with the most recent trend being claims by disabled prospective employees for inaccessible online job search and application processes that allegedly render them unable to browse and apply for open positions. Attorneys Christine Samsel and Jonathan Sandler provide legal insight on this trend and what business leaders can do to protect their company from these types of claims…

In the hospitality industry it is crucial to have the right employees. The right employees may enable a hospitality player to provide an ideal environment for its customers that may leave a lasting impression that will lead to future business. To retain employees, hospitality players may consider entering into a no-poach agreement. A no-poach agreement between hospitality players may be, among other things, an agreement that two players agree not to hire employees from each other. Such agreements may be unlawful, and hospitality players should be wary of them and consult with legal counsel before entering into them.

Few hotel companies have achieved a successful holistic revenue management strategy today and most hotels still manage revenue generating business units in isolation. The good news is that, as silos come down, total revenue performance comes into view. Hotels must adopt the tools and best practices that bring together key business stakeholders from marketing, sales, meetings and events, food and beverage, revenue management and operations to unify goals and profit potential.

Whether developing a hotel in a major metropolis or rural town, the key to success is a collaborative effort between the hotel brand and ownership group that infuses flexibility and open communication at every stage. Alan Roberts, global head of Embassy Suites by Hilton, and Gregory Steinhauer, president of American Life, Inc., discuss how they worked together to marry out-of-the-box thinking with proven Embassy Suites' best practices when developing the Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Pioneer Square. The result is a customized and high-performing property that stays true to both its location and brand standards, delighting guests by delivering the amenities they have come to expect with unique locally-inspired flair.

What separates the good hotels from the great? The vice president of sales and marketing at Endeavor Hospitality Group, Shannon Colbert, explains that it comes down to one business element: your people. To be successful in the competitive and ever-evolving hotel space whilst providing consistent, yet fresh and memorable guest stays, it all starts with cultivating a fulfilled, resilient and productive team that is inspired to deliver on your hotel's promise. Read more about Shannon's six tips for making new employees feel at-home and satisfied in their hospitality career.

Today everyone is a connected customer. Customers are more informed, more empowered and more connected to the world than ever before. They demand personalisation, immediacy and simplicity in all areas of their life. What does this mean for revenue management and the role that revenue managers play in responding to the needs to the connected customer? On the one hand we are witnessing the rise of the super dominant platform with household names such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, with the ability to interpret consumer intent and influence millions of purchasing decisions. On the other hand, the revenue manager is tasked with driving a book-direct strategy to encourage consumers to navigate through a journey to an individual web site.