8. Game of Hotels?

Marriott International Inc. started the year off with news that it was buying the Delta hotel brand for US$168 million. Under the agreement, the U.S. hotel chain takes over the management and franchise operations for the 38 Delta hotels and resorts including 10,000 rooms across Canada.

But a much bigger announcement came towards the end of the year, when Marriott International, Inc. revealed in November its plans to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. for US$12.2 billion. The move creates the world’s largest hotel company as combined, the companies operate or franchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms worldwide.

And in December AccorHotels said it was buying Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel parent company FRHI Holdings, reportedly worth close to US$3 billion, gives the French hotel group a global collection of 155 hotels and resorts including 40 under development.

It wasn’t just hotel deals making headlines. In the U.S., American Airlines’ merger with US Airways, in the works since 2012, saw the latter’s brand name consigned to the history books when the last US Airways flight took to the skies on Oct. 16. Here in Canada, new flights and destinations saw WestJet and Air Canada expand their networks, and a new name – Craig Landry – took top spot at Air Canada Leisure Group.

G Adventures announced it was joining forces with National Geographic for a new line of experiential trips. G Adventures is also launching brand new river cruising product, still one of the fastest-growing niches in the travel industry.

Travel agency networks were growing too. In 2015, Virtuoso added 40 new agencies with 96 office locations in 19 countries. The luxury travel agency group also added 26% more advisors. More than half of that growth (57%) came from existing travel agencies.