Ambassadors International reported a 66 percent increase in revenue for the third quarter ended September 30 to $95.6 million, up from $57.6 million for the same period last year.

The U.S. lodging industry recorded its best year ever in 2006, posting pretax profits of $26.6 billion, up from $22.6 billion in 2005, based on the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) Lodging Industry Profile (LIP), a statistical analysis of the lodging industry for yearend 2006.

Iberia has received a takeover approach from Spain’s Gala Capital that values the airline at up to 3.7 billion euros ($5.4 billion), topping an earlier approach led by private equity group TPG.

Holland America Line, which announced its $225 million Signature of Excellence program in November 2003, has since invested another $200 million to enhance its ships, expand activities and introduce more amenities.

Jamaica will launch a hospitality training school in Montego Bay, scheduled to be operational by the end of 2009, announced Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism for Jamaica, at the 30th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC 30), in Puerto Rico’s San Juan.

Business travel spending will continue to increase in 2008, according to the latest survey of senior-level executives and corporate travel managers by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).