“The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure” will start its run in the Animation Courtyard theater in the fall. The theater itself will be updated and construction is underway.

The show will feature musical numbers like “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” inspired by the 1989 film. 

“When it opens, the show will feature stunning new set pieces, cutting-edge effects, and a bold new design that captures Ariel’s imagination and emotions through her unique view of the world around her,” according to a post on the Disney Parks Blog.

The Animation Courtyard section of Hollywood Studios previously played host to stage show “Voyage of the Little Mermaid,” but the show never reopened after the park’s pandemic shutdown in 2020.

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Situated along more than seven acres of beachfront, the 254-room resort is home to six restaurants, including outposts of signature Margaritaville concepts like JWB Grill, License to Chill Bar & Grill and 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill.

The property also features a St. Somewhere Spa, while a Fins Up! Beach Club is scheduled to begin operating in mid-January. Though the beach club has yet to open, the resort is currently offering guests complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas.

The property’s debut comes a little over a year after Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc on Florida’s Gulf Coast, damaging scores of Fort Myers-area hotels and resorts. The Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach, which was under construction at the time, released a social media statement shortly after the disaster, calling Hurricane Ian a “catastrophe of biblical proportions.”

The Fort Myers resort is the 10th Margaritaville Hotel & Resorts property in Florida, joining properties in Orlando, Hollywood Beach, Key West, Panama City Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Naples, Anna Maria Sound and Auburndale.

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The trip will happen just one time, June 20-23. 

The three-night itinerary will take travelers through the French countryside to the Italian Riviera on an overnight journey, along with two nights in Portofino at Splendido, a Belmond Hotel. 

Onboard the luxury train, guests will be treated to a tasting menu by the train’s resident Michelin-starred chef Jean Imbert, who will curate a gastronomic experience inspired by the new route. 

Guests can also expect a continental breakfast served in their cabins as the train makes its way through Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo along the French Riviera before crossing the Italian border. 

In Portofino, Imbert will join guests at Splendido for a five-course tasting menu at La Terrazza restaurant. There will also be a private film screening for guests in Portofino’s Piazzetta, the heart of the port town. 

Prices start at approximately $8,525 per person, based on double occupancy.

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Attendees can get up to 30% off flights to and from Dallas for the event, which will be held May 29 to 31 at the Hilton Anatole.

To take advantage of the offer, attendees should use the code ASTA2024 when booking. It is applicable for flights to and from Dallas Love Field from May 28 to June 1. 

ASTA last month rebranded its conference, which was previously known as the ASTA Global Convention. This year’s event will feature keynote speaker Venus Williams and new, tailored educational tracks for all levels of experience.

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Some suppliers see the Olympic Games, which run from July 26 to Aug. 11, as a draw for travelers who may want to experience the City of Light during the quadrennial event, and they are actively marketing the destination during that period. 

Others are steering clear of Paris during the Games, going so far as to cancel departures to the destination because of sky-high hotel rates and airfare, plus larger-than-usual crowds expected to descend upon the city.

Tauck, Alexander + Roberts and AmaWaterways are among suppliers not offering trips in or around Paris during the Games. TTC Tour Brands will operate multicountry trips that include France but no France-only trips during the Olympics. 

Tauck said it learned the hard way to never operate trips in a host city during the Olympics after it tried and failed in Los Angeles in 1984. 

“It was an unmitigated disaster,” said Jennifer Tombaugh, president of Tauck. “Hotels are incredibly expensive. Venues that guests want to visit are often closed or inaccessible. And traffic is terrible. Never again will we operate during the Olympics.”

Amadeus River Cruises, Avalon Waterways and Globus are among operators offering trips in and around Paris during the Olympics, with Scott Dunn doing so on a case-by-case basis.

Globus and its river brand, Avalon, will offer Paris tours and Seine River cruises during the Games and will offer fixed hotel rates and airfare so travelers won’t be hit with price hikes closer to the event.

“We’re operating during that period, and the good news for travelers who want to experience Paris during that time is that we have guaranteed hotels, guaranteed rates, and there’s no price fluctuation, so we’re a sure thing,” said Steve Born, chief marketing officer for the Globus family of brands.

Scott Dunn, a custom luxury tour operator, will offer Paris trips that include access to Olympic events on a case-by-case basis for clients who are members of the company’s invitation-only program, Scott Dunn Private. 

“Many hotels have an 18-night minimum stay at rack rates in place during the Games, so guests that are traveling need to have large budgets and be willing to pay the increased rates for the Olympic period,” said Nick Cunningham, destinations manager for Europe at Scott Dunn. “We have our black book of contacts who can get our guests into the various sporting events and opening/closing ceremonies.”

For other guests, Scott Dunn said it will operate trips in France outside of Paris during the Games.

Suppliers offering Paris during the Games are exercising some level of caution around travel to the city at that time.

The events could impact operations that force itinerary changes, and the brands are calling on guests to be flexible and patient.

“There could be some minor operational changes depending on construction or routing — we don’t know yet — but we’re well-versed in navigating around the Olympics as we’ve lived through all those before,” Born said.

Some suppliers offering trips to France and Paris around the Olympics haven’t seen high demand, which they attribute to hefty airfares. 

“We are not seeing a huge influx of bookings,” said Melissa DaSilva, president of TTC Tour Brands. “I think that has to do with the fact that airfares into France at the end of June through mid-August are ridiculous right now. Once airlines start to bring the prices down a bit, you’ll start to see an increase in seats sold to the region, but right now it’s cost-prohibitive.”

• Related: How river cruise lines are tackling the Paris Olympics

Marcus Leskovar, executive vice president at Amadeus River Cruises, said there has been “a little bit of a downturn and hesitancy” with its Paris sailings, due in part to expensive air. 

Avalon said its fixed air rate, $599 roundtrip, for guests visiting Paris during the Olympics mitigates that issue.

“You’re not going to get air to go to Paris for $599 during the Olympics,” said Pamela Hoffee, Avalon’s president. “So if there are people who want to participate in some of the activities around the Games and extend their trip by taking a river cruise, I think it’s a great opportunity.”

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The milestone means that nearly 600 additional hotels are in Choice’s franchise system and digital platforms.  

Since completing the digital transition, Choice reports that traffic, bookings and booked revenue generated by ChoiceHotels.com and Choice’s mobile app have increased. The company’s total digital visits are up 4%, total digital bookings are up 5% and total digital booked revenue is up 3% year-over-year from August through November. 

Additionally, Choice said that legacy Radisson Americas brands have seen a 26% year-over-year increase in digital bookings and a 21% year-over-year increase in digital booked revenue. Digital bookings for Country Inn & Suites have been particularly robust, up 36%.  

Choice’s completion of the Radisson Hotels Americas transition comes as Choice seeks to improve its position in the upscale sector and attempt to take over Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

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The company’s tour brands include Luxury Gold, Insight Vacations, Trafalgar, Brendan Vacations, Contiki and Costsaver. They will no longer order branded merchandise for gifting and will reallocate those funds to projects and nonprofits that focus on fighting climate change. 

Existing merchandise, including leftover items and outdated products, will be donated to charities that can best use those items. 

More brands across The Travel Corporation portfolio are expected to follow. 

TTC Tour Brands said its efforts to say no to “more stuff” can prevent the equivalent carbon emissions of 6.5 million car-driven miles from entering the atmosphere annually.

“It’s our responsibility to fully commit to practices that leave a positive impact on the places we visit and the people we meet along the way,” said Melissa DaSilva, President of TTC Tour Brands, North America. “As the first in industry to make this commitment, it is our hope that our fellow companies follow in our footsteps in the ongoing journey towards a more sustainable future.” 

TTC Tour Brands will use the reallocated merchandising funds to donate to projects that are already supported by its nonprofit TreadRight Foundation, which are GreenWave’s Kelp Climate Fund and Rainforest Rescue’s Daintree projects. 

Donations to Kelp Climate Fund will pay for planting kelp across regenerative ocean farms in North America, while donations to Daintree will protect and restore parts of Australia’s Daintree rainforest.

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Nestled within the new resort community of Kanai, the Edition is at the end of a three-mile road that winds its way through lush mangroves. When guests arrive in the lobby, they’re greeted by a view of the Caribbean and vast reflecting pools flanking the lobby. 

Beyond the lobby, an oversized lagoon-like swimming pool with floating cabanas continues the water concept, seemingly bringing the ocean into the hotel. A white-sand path connects the main buildings to the So’ol Beach Club, home to a second outdoor pool with an infinity edge. Edition said a bamboo structure that is the resort’s yoga space appears to rise from the water and funnel back down into it. 

Edition said natural materials that make up the structures — local limestone and sustainable bamboo — “seamlessly coexist with the lush mangroves, where the architecture takes guests on a journey of discovery and wonder at every turn.” 

The resort has 182 guestrooms, including 30 suites, with many featuring plunge pools and terraces with ocean or mangrove views. Each guestrooms has a four-poster bed and a curved sofa. 

Edition calls its Sky Rooftop Villa the largest hotel penthouse in North America at 27,000 square feet indoors and out. It features ocean views through floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides, an outdoor infinity pool, a landscaped entertainment deck and five apartment-like suites (each with their own plunge pool, jacuzzi and private terrace). The living and entertainment areas are flanked by grand reflecting pools with an infinity edge, giving the appearance of a penthouse floating on water, Edition said.

Edition’s signature restaurant is Ki’is (a Mayan word that translates to “zest”). Edition calls it a “modern Mexico dining experience with a tasting menu inspired by regional flavors, local ingredients and a clear focus on the sea and the Mexican vegetable pantry.” Beach club restaurant So’ol (“oyster” in Mayan) focuses on seafood with southern France and eastern Mediterranean inspiration. 

The resort also features Kitchen at Edition, an all-day dining restaurant with a breakfast-into-brunch menu as well as dinner. The Pool Bar has a health-conscious menu.

The resort’s spa sits directly beneath the bamboo yoga dome structure. It features hydrotherapy pools, a private outdoor pool, a Turkish hammam, an infrared capsule room and six indoor-outdoor treatment rooms (including a couple’s suite).

A ballroom nestled amidst the mangroves accommodates up to 450 guests. 

For a limited time, the resort is offering an opening preview rate of $637 per room, per night (excluding taxes and fees) and a $100 resort credit.

Edition Hotels is a Marriott International luxury boutique brand.

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The Society this week issued a response to American’s November filing with the Department of Transportation, which was a compulsory response to ASTA’s September complaint about American.

In a rebuttal first published by Skift and shared more widely Tuesday evening, ASTA reiterated that it is not anti-NDC but has issues with the way American implemented it.

ASTA and American have been at loggerheads since American last April removed about 40% of content from the legacy GDSs (technology based on Edifact standards). The airline’s lowest fares were made available only in NDC channels.

ASTA has asked the DOT to require American to restore all fares in the Edifact channel, saying the new strategy was implemented too quickly, harming agencies and the end consumer. American, however, fired back with an accusation that ASTA was protecting travel agencies that are opposed to changes in distribution. 

ASTA said there are problems with inefficient comparison shopping, servicing bookings, exchanging tickets and booking certain itineraries.

ASTA also said it was “not accurate to characterize agencies as reluctant to adapt to new technologies. Rather, it is about the ability of agencies and TMCs to provide the level of service clients have come to expect.”

“In their DOT filing, AA intimates that NDC already includes robust functionality,” ASTA said. “That readiness is overstated.”

ASTA called the required workflow for new reservations “atrocious.” The Society also noted that most agencies, outside of large travel management companies and online travel agencies, rely on third-party technology solutions for NDC connectivity, notably the GDSs.

“While the functionality continues to improve, we are all a long way from complete,” ASTA said.

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Fittingly, Dec. 5 is the late Walt Disney’s birthday, and the gardens’ focal point is a statue of the Disney founder titled “Walt the Dreamer.”

It depicts Disney in his later years, the company said, when he was mulling the Florida Project (what would become Disney World) and the idea that ultimately became Epcot. The statue features him seated on a bench, hands clasped, gazing toward World Showcase with a smile.

The gardens are located between Spaceship Earth and the World Showcase neighborhood. They are part of a years-long overhaul of Epcot and are located next to the recently opened Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.

On Dec. 4, Epcot vice president Kartika Rodriguez, joined by Imagineer Scott Mallwitz and the Voices of Liberty singing group, dedicated the World Celebration Gardens. Also on hand were cast members who received the Walt Disney Legacy Award, the highest honor a Disney parks employee can receive.

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