The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has unveiled the 12 finalists for its 2013 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Award applications were received this year from 46 countries, representing all continents. Finalists in four categories were selected, ranging from entire countries, to global hotel groups, international airlines, luxury tour operators and small eco-lodges.

By Jessica Stillman: McKinsey outlines popular ways managers misuse their time. Do you recognize yourself in any of these four types?

By Natasha Dragun: Russian hotels regularly top “world’s most expensive” lists, so it should come as no surprise that rooms across the country take luxury to new levels. Here are 10 of the most over-the-top experiences that money — lots of it — can buy.

By Thomas Grillo: After lagging other hotel revenue sources, hotel spas saw sales recover in 2011 and the trend is expected to continue as the economy rebounds, according to PKF Consulting USA.

By Kate Schneider: When in London brace yourself for a disappointing hotel room. The city has just been named home of the world's worst hotels, according to a study of aggregated hotel reviews across more than 140 accommodation booking websites.

By GuestCentric: 2013 is looking like yet another exciting year for the travel industry. Expedia and Priceline have been pushing to place themselves as pivotal for all travel-related decisions. So, the question is, what can hotels do to leverage this shifting market?

Hotel companies always have to keep a beady eye on developments that may reduce their yield from online distribution channels. Here EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta talks to two senior hotel executives from Asia about what hotel companies need to be wary of when it comes to OTAs increasing their clout in the distribution mix.

Stephen Farrant, Director of International Tourism Partnership reflects back on 20 years of ITP leading the sustainable and responsible agenda in the hotel industry.

Two hospitality giants – Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International – addressed global business and travel industry leaders today at the World Economic Forum in Davos to urge governments to move quickly to adopt “Smart Visa” policies which stimulate global travel, create new jobs and spur economic development.

By Dan Waldschmidt: The results of your actions have little to do with what you are actually doing and almost everything to do with your attitude. Which is ironic because we spend most of our time creating lists and getting organized and listing resolutions about what we should be doing, forgetting that who we are being is much more important.