The Top February Hotel & Resort News

News can be challenging to keep up with, so we compiled some of the biggest news about hotels and resorts around the world from February, so you can stay current on what matters most. From new hotels by big names like Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Four Seasons to sustainability efforts, like the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach's commitment to achieving a carbon-neutral certification and Hawaii's efforts to ban small plastic toiletries in hotels across the state and much more, 2022's shortest month has seen a good amount of big news in the hotel industry. Read on to catch up with the latest.

At the beginning of February, MGM Resorts launched a new MGM Rewards Loyalty Program, allowing non-gaming guests to earn points by booking hotel rooms, which they haven't been able to do previously. Along with the updated program is a new app for loyalty members, which makes it easy to understand and view loyalty status, points and more.

The region of Mexico known as the Mexican Caribbean is continuing its growth of hotels and resorts, with plenty of new properties to try, like Etereo from Auberge Resorts Collection, the Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya Resort, the Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen Resort by AMR Collection and many more.

The Leading Hotels of the World has expanded its number of properties, adding nine new member properties in desirable destinations like Shanghai and Turks & Caicos. The independent hotel and resort collection anticipates adding another twenty properties later in the year, including Mari Natural Reserve Experience in Los Muermos, Chile; The Gleneagles Townhouse in Scotland and the Royal Mansour Casablanca in Morocco.

Just in time for Sandals' big annual anniversary celebration, the newly revamped Sandals Royal Bahamian reopened after a $55-million renovation. The resort offers more amenities and fun in the sun with modernized accommodations, new dining areas and more.

The world's largest independent hotel collection just got bigger after welcoming thirteen new properties to its portfolio during the end of last year. Preferred Hotels & Resorts' new properties include the modern Kvareli Lake Resort in Georgia, Roanoke's The Virginia Trust and many more.

Early in February, the Hawaii State Legislature began looking at a bill that would ban hotels with over fifty beds from offering single-use plastic toiletries to guests by 2024 or 2025. According to the article, one 200-room hotel can use as many as 300,000 pieces of single-use plastics each month. With the state putting its focus on sustainability initiatives, this bill could help partially solve the single-use plastic problem.

The U.S. News & World Report has released its list of this year's best hotels, with some familiar names reaching top spots. The Peninsula Chicago was recognized as the best hotel in the nation, with Montage Kapalua Bay taking second place. The best hotel in Mexico is the Montage Los Cabos, with Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection coming in second.

The Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach is the first resort in Hawaii to commit to achieving a carbon-neutral certification program by DEKRA, an independent international organization that certifies carbon neutrality. The resort has achieved nearly complete carbon neutrality at the resort by using renewable energy sources and by participating in the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation initiative, with guests able to plant a native tree in the resort's own legacy forest.

Marriott announced its plans to debut nearly 100 hotels in the Asia Pacific region this year alone, with new properties opening in China, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Vietnam and more across its many brands, including JW Marriott, AC Hotels, Four Points by Sheraton, Fairfield by Marriott and more.

Club Med has announced its own plans for expanding, with seventeen new resorts to open by 2024. Resorts currently in development include the Club Med Magna Marbella in Malaga, Spain and the Club Med Hokkaido in Japan, among others.

Recent data analyzed from key hotel metrics from 70,000 properties across the globe by STR, found that the hotel industry was recovering disproportionately across the globe. Destinations like Miami and Dubai were seeing nearly pre-pandemic levels of occupancy and growth, while others in Europe and in the U.S. were still enduring pandemic blows, though the data did indicate that the industry in the U.S. was becoming more stable.

Marriott International's J.W. Marriott, Jr. announced plans to retire in May from his position as Executive Chairman. His replacement will be David S. Marriott, J.W.'s son. J.W. Marriott, Jr. is eighty-nine years old.

Margaritaville has launched a new loyalty program, called Margaritaville Perks. The loyalty program adds perks and benefits for members, including welcome amenities, early check-ins and late check-outs, room upgrades and more.

WorldHotels has added eight hotels in Europe to three of its portfolios. Stockholm's Hotel Ruth, Edinburgh's Bruntsfield Hotel and Amsterdam's Kasteel de Vanenburg are three of the eight properties.

Data from hotel corporations' fourth-quarter results, including those from Hilton and Marriott International, find that the industry is still on a slow upward curve towards recovery, though it may take a few years yet to reach a full recovery.

Dream Hotel Group announced that it will debut its newest resort, Chatwal Lodge, this April. The Chatwal Lodge is located in the Catskills in New York, where it will be a restful haven for wellness and outdoor activities.

The Four Seasons announced its newest property is in what will become the tallest tower in Australia and the tallest vertical garden in the world. The Four Seasons Hotel Melbourne will be located in one tower of the two-tower STH BNK development, which will begin construction later on in 2022.

Three female hotel executives provide a new in-depth look at three of the world's independent hotel and resort collections, why travelers choose independent hotels over traditionally branded hotels and how they could become the future of the hotel industry.

Sandals' newest highly anticipated resort, the Sandals Royal Curacao, has pushed back its debut from April 14 to June 1, citing supply chain issues like shipping delays and shortages in building materials as the root causes.

Star Wars fans can now enjoy an in-depth photo tour of the new Disney World resort experience, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel, with new photos exploring the truly out-of-this-world experience, compiled by one of our journalists.