It was a week that stretched across continents and centuries from a brand new desert hideout at the fringes of Joshua Tree to a 200-year-old Venetian palace selling. But, subliminally, some of the more significant news came from the industry's biggest players quietly reworking the economics of hotel stays that will impact the experience and payment of loyalty program members for future stays.

The "Desert Hotel" was a Resort Designed for Stargazers and Slow Travelers

Marriott's Outdoor Collection brand is continuing to expand after its debut in 2025, and this week added its first all-new addition: RESET Hotel, Twentynine Palms, California. The 65-room Hotel Joshua Tree's location of 180 acres of high desert just minutes from the north entrance of Joshua Tree National Park makes it the town's first hotel constructed from the ground up in over 15 years.

The design concept is very focused. Each room has a private patio with a Solo Stove fire pit, daybeds and a separate stargazing platform. The hotel is located where some of the darkest skies are to be found in Southern California and the hotel offers astronomy programming with the help of telescopes, not as a marketing ploy. There is also a saltwater pool, a jacuzzi, a sauna, a cold plunge and a protected desert preserve to explore.

Entry points rooms begin at $158 a night or 53,000 Bonvoy points during low seasons are accessible for Marriott Bonvoy members. If you've been following the desert wellness and dark sky travel craze over the last few years, then RESET is a response to that, with a touch of genuine thought.

The Most Historic Hotel in Venice is now Four Seasons

The Hotel Danieli in Venice has 200 years of history behind it, more than most countries have. It was a Marriott, but is now a Four Seasons.

The hotel is built in three structures dating back to the 14th and 19th centuries in the immediate vicinity of St. Mark's Square; it bears the multi-faceted architecture that only centuries can imbue. The current configuration has approximately 120 rooms and suites, and with continued restoration work, will grow to 176 keys by 2027. Amenities feature the rooftop Restaurant Terrazza Danieli, the historic Bar Dandolo in the lobby and a spa area that features a sauna and hammam.

Bargain prices for cash rates begin at $2,700 per night, well in the realm of aspiration, but not within the reach of the majority of travellers. With its historic bones and Four Seasons' service, it is one of the more interesting luxury openings of the year, at least to those who still aren't in the city and truly believe in bucket lists or are die-hard loyalists of the brand.

Marriott is Expanding into Egypt with a Nine Hotel Contract

On the development pipeline side, Marriott entered into a huge agreement to develop nine hotels and branded residences in Egypt, with a total of over 1,500 keys. The properties range from coastal to urban locations under the Ritz-Carlton, Luxury Collection and Autograph Collection brands, such as the North Coast at Ras El Hekma, West and East Cairo, and Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea.

This is a noteworthy addition for Bonvoy members, especially those visiting Egypt, or planning a trip there in the near future, to boost points earning and redemption opportunities in a country that's not well known in the Marriott portfolio.

It's Changing the Industry's Approach to what you actually pay for, as described in the Bigger Story

Whereas the openings were significant, three of the world's biggest hotel companies made moves this week that will impact the pricing and experience of hotel stays in the future.

Marriott is restructuring its reservation and loyalty programs on an Amadeus system, which is more similar to an airline booking system than a hotel reservation system. The new route, CEO Anthony Capuano said, “lets hotels market individual qualities of a room, such as the specific floor, the orientation of the window, the bed configuration, being within a certain distance of an elevator, and so on, as well as “add on” elements such as spa, golf, dining, and early check-in.” 

Hilton, in contrast, is following a different path, announcing in its earnings call that it will be cutting fees for the franchise owners. The loyalty program fee cut, which is effective from January, was confirmed by CEO Chris Nassetta along with an addition to the loyalty program called RISE, which will offer fee discounts for properties with high guest experience scores. The plan is to restore owner margins that have been eroded over the past two years of modest rate increases and higher costs, a fair objective. The trick is you need to make money somewhere, and that's most likely via higher guest room prices over time.

IHG introduced a U.S. test of AI-driven conversational search to IHG.com and the IHG One Rewards app, enabling guests to simply type in a trip description to get personalized recommendations that include availability and pricing in cash, points or a combination of the two. It is based on IHG's recent booking integration using ChatGPT and the roadmap features further personalisation in search and agentics booking. This type of frictionless technology could be a significant enhancement for IHG One Rewards guests who rely on the app for travel planning and booking.

Quick Summary: Key Developments This Week

• RESET Hotel, Joshua Tree: New Marriott Outdoor Collection property located on 180 acres of the desert; rooms from $158/night or 53,000 Bonvoy points in low season; astronomy programming and wellness amenities will complement the property; the hotel will also feature a kitchen and lounge for guests.
• Danieli, Four Seasons, Venice: 200-year-old hotel rebuilds by Marriott Luxury Collection; cash rates from ~$2,700/night; planned expansion to 176 keys by 2027.
• Expansion of hotels along the coast and in urban Egypt under Ritz-Carlton, Luxury Collection & Autograph Collection brands, signed to Marriott Egypt.
• Marriott loyalty restructure: New Amadeus-based system allows room merchandising like in the airline industry; upsold rooms no longer offered as "complimentary elite upgrade" and bidding for suites is becoming a reality for status holders
• Hilton cuts owner fees for loyalty program, adds performance-based fee discounts for RISE program; rate pressure on guests likely to follow.Hilton cuts loyalty program fee; adds performance-based fee discounts in loyalty program; rate pressure on guests likely to follow.
• IHG launches AI-powered conversational natural-language booking search in U.S. beta across its IHG.com and One Rewards app.

The Bottom Line

There's a nice balance of inspiring and consequential news in the hotel world this week. RESET Hotel in Joshua Tree and the Four Seasons Danieli in Venice are the sort of places you might dream of, or earn extra points for parking your travel points at, with the former being eligible for a Travelers Cheque and the latter nearly a $2700 a night dream. But the more difficult story to swallow is Marriott's move towards airline style room merchandising, which has direct consequences on the real-world value of Bonvoy elite status. 

The value of staying at Platinum gets subtly altered when the suite that was previously “free” for Platinum members is going under the hammer via a bidding war. As Hilton's fee revision and IHG's AI booking initiative begin, the three giants are all going to work on their guest experiences at the same time, and loyalty programme members should be paying close attention to what happens in the coming 12 months.