#161: Marriott Acquires CitizenM, Resort Fees, Hotel Equities/Springboard Merger, Running Vacations and More | with Josiah Mackenzie

The Modern Hotelier

In this episode of Hospitality Hot Topics, Steve Carran and David Millili are once again joined by Josiah Mackenzie, Head of Marketing at Actabl, to break down the biggest stories in hospitality from May 2025.

From Marriott’s bold acquisition of CitizenM to Airbnb’s major relaunch of Experiences, Josiah shares sharp insights into how innovation, scale, and branding are reshaping the industry. They also dive into Springboard’s merger with Hotel Equities, the $1.1B Sabre hospitality tech deal, and why transparency in resort fees is long overdue.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Marriott Buys Citizen M
• Springboard merged with Hotel Equities
• Airbnb Relaunches Experiences, Adds Hotel-Style Services
• Sabre Sells Hospitalty Business for $1.1 Bill
• Resort Fees Must Now Be Disclosed
• Running Vacations, next travel trend?
• Latest things happening at Actabl

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GUOswVHyGzA

This episode is sponsored by Actabl: https://actabl.com/

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page
The Modern Hotelier is produced, edited, and published by Make More Media

Links:
Josiah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahmackenzie/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/161

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-...

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.