Latest Hospitality and leisure industry News

A $1 billion proposal is the latest plan to refurbish and save the iconic Houston Astrodome

Nov. 13, 2024 18:01 PM EST

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astrodome has been in limbo, waiting for its chance at a second life since being shuttered more than 15 years ago. It was a technological marvel when it opened in 1965. But its heyday has long passed and it hasn’t been home to a sports team since the...

Restaurants, other services still in grip of high inflation even as overall rate slows

Nov. 07, 2024 06:08 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — While prices for most goods have been falling throughout the year, inflation for a wide range of services remains high. That has put a strain on consumers eating out, servicing their cars and paying for various kinds of insurance. Prices for services rose 3.7% in...

Beyond Meat reverses revenue slide by raising prices on its plant-based products

Nov. 06, 2024 18:30 PM EST

Beyond Meat reversed a sales slide in the third quarter, growing revenue for the first time since 2022 as it charged higher prices for its plant-based meat. The El Segundo, California-based company said Wednesday its revenue rose 7.6% to $81 million in the July-September period. That...

Playa Hotels: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Nov. 06, 2024 17:47 PM EST

AMSTERDAM (AP) — AMSTERDAM (AP) — Playa Hotels & Resorts NV (PLYA) on Wednesday reported a loss of $2.7 million in its third quarter. The Amsterdam-based company said it had a loss of 2 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were less than 1 cent on a...

Nintendo Chief insists the Switch momentum will keep going, even after its successor

Nov. 05, 2024 22:13 PM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese video game maker Nintendo’s chief said Wednesday that Switch console sales were still going strong, while he promised its successor is coming. “The momentum of the Nintendo Switch hasn’t stopped,” President Shuntaro Furukawa told reporters. ...

Mexico City’s floating gardens have fed people for hundreds of years. Now they’re threatened

Nov. 03, 2024 09:38 AM EST

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Cassandra Garduño squinted in the sunlight, her pink boots smudged by dirt as she gazed out over her family's chinampa — one of the islands first built up by the Aztecs with fertile mud from the bottom of a lake that, later drained, would one day become Mexico City. ...

TGI Fridays files for bankruptcy protection as sit-down restaurant struggles continue

Nov. 02, 2024 18:09 PM EDT

Restaurant chain TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy protection Saturday, saying it is looking for ways to “ensure the long-term viability” of the casual dining brand after closing many of its branches this year. The Dallas-based company's Chapter 11 filing in a Texas federal court...

Wendy's closing 140 more restaurants as part of push to update its locations

Nov. 01, 2024 16:13 PM EDT

Wendy’s plans to close 140 U.S. restaurants before the end of this year on top of the 100 it said it would close in May. But in a conference call with investors Thursday, the company said those closures will be offset by new restaurant openings. Wendy’s said it plans to open...

Tourists toss coins over a makeshift pool as Rome’s Trevi Fountain undergoes maintenance

Nov. 01, 2024 12:42 PM EDT

ROME (AP) — Tourists eager to return to the Eternal City are being forced to toss coins over a plastic barrier and into a small makeshift pool in front of Rome’s Trevi Fountain while the attraction is being drained for maintenance. The rectangular box, unadorned and showing its...

At 50, Hello Kitty is as 'kawaii' and lucrative as ever

Nov. 01, 2024 03:58 AM EDT

TOKYO (AP) — Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character's fictional birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour. And that's just in Japan, her literal birthplace but not the one listed in her...