The Falling Stars and Stripes

Canadian hotels are winners under the Trump administration, according to Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, who recently told Bloomberg Business that more businesses are changing venues for large international events to cities like Toronto because President Trump is making Canada seem more hospitable than the United States. This shift echoes claims by many U.S. businesses and colleges that Trump is driving away international talent. More broadly, polls indicate that America’s global reputation has taken a big hit since Trump took office, with foreigners less likely to see America as a leader in world affairs or even as a likable place. Of course, this may not matter to a president who is responding to growing anti-globalist sentiment at home by promising: “I will always put America first.”

Sorenson attributed business travelers’ shift northward to new immigration restrictions, namely the president’s efforts to ban travelers from Muslim-majority countries. Trump’s America-first rhetoric, he says, is leading guests to consider Canada a “more hassle-free” destination. Earlier this year, Marriott also saw a 15 percent drop in bookings from Mexico to the United States, as well as a 30 percent drop in bookings from the Middle East. Other players in the travel industry have reported similar declines in demand and increased cancellations since the…