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Newport News · Issue No. 8 · August 2026
Sweat the Details
Half-year performance. 2027 planning. A word every morning. And the day one team noticed something wasn’t right.
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Every piece this issue is about the same thing from a different angle. Paying attention. Andrew reads the first half of 2026. Wayne aligns the disciplines behind a real business plan. One Newport team notices what most guests would have missed, and a woman gets her life back. And a front desk associate wakes at 4:15 to choose a word he’ll bring to the team.
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What the First Half Says
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ANDREW CAREY · CEO
What the First Half of 2026 Says About the Hotel Industry
Andrew Carey on why H1 outperformed expectations, why the World Cup markets flatter the averages, why AI is already making hospitality more human, and why the second half will belong to operators who sweat the details.
“You cannot buy occupancy over time. You have to earn it.”
Read the article
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Beyond the Budget
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WAYNE WEST III · PRESIDENT
Building a Smarter Business Plan for 2027
Wayne West III on why the annual budget was never the business plan. Newport’s three aligned elements, capital plan, commercial strategy, and operating budget, and the disciplines behind each one.
“The annual budget is not the business plan.”
Read the article
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Two Newport Wins
DICKENSON COUNTY TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Cassandra Mullins takes a seat at the county table
Cassandra Mullins, General Manager of Sleep Inn & Suites Clintwood, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Dickenson County Tourism Advisory Committee, approved by the County Board of Supervisors. An outstanding appointment, and a role that will let her help shape tourism across Southwest Virginia. Congratulations, Cassandra.
HILTON BRAND STUDY
Hilton wants to learn from Savannah
Hilton wants to learn from Savannah. Lisa Cline, Hilton’s Director of Brand Personality, has invited the Hilton Garden Inn Savannah Airport team into a brand research study on the routines behind their Stay Experience scores. Congratulations to Angela and the entire team on the invitation.
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| LIVING HOSPITALITY SERIES · I |
When Compassion, Training, and Courage Changed a Life
Portsia Smith on a case that changed how her team at avid Hotel Richmond North-Ashland defines service. What their Human Trafficking Awareness training taught them to notice, how they partnered with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and what happened when they trusted the training and did the right thing.
“Sometimes hospitality means protecting someone who cannot protect themselves.”
Read the article
LIVING HOSPITALITY VIDEO
Where Living Hospitality came from
Newport Co-Founder Mike Pleninger on where the philosophy came from. A ten-year partnership that grew from six properties to thirty. A vision to start with ten hotels in ten years, and end up with a whole lot more. Relationships first, marketing before management, and the belief that the most important guest is the one already in the house.
Watch Mike Pleninger on Living Hospitality
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Johnnie Brown, in his own words
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HGI SAVANNAH AIRPORT · FRONT DESK
A word for the day
“Johnnie B” wakes at 4:15 to meditate. By the time the front desk gathers at 10:10, he has a word for the day, and often a translation to go with it. If he had to pick one word for the hospitality professional he strives to be, it would be courageous.
Read the article
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Campus Current: When college towns switch back on
There is a moment in late summer when a college town changes tempo. Sidewalks fill. Porch lights stay on later. Bookstore windows shift to school colors, and the first home game shapes an entire weekend. Three Newport-managed hotels place you close to the traditions, family weekends, and fall events that make campus life feel fully alive.
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Blue Ridge mornings, Hokie nights
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Room to stay a while
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A campus weekend with a city attached
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Read the article
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Newport in the News
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