Some investors are betting the next big market in hospitality will be the scruffy, cost-conscious backpacking crowd. They are pouring money into upscale youth hostels, a new kind of lodging that has been growing in Europe and is starting to crack the U.S. market.

A new generation of robots is on the way-smarter, more mobile, more collaborative and more adaptable. They promise to bring major changes to the factory floor, as well as potentially to the global competitive landscape.

Move over BB guns and video games. Christmas morning may have a new menace. Sam’s Club is betting drones will be a popular holiday gift this year and plans to stock about a dozen kinds, from $100 models to $4,000 versions with high resolution cameras or the ability to pick up small objects.

Much more is highlighted in A Look Ahead.