By Max Starkov
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OpenAI Scales Back Direct Booking, Keeps AI Platforms in Discovery Mode
Friday brought strategic clarity and industry reflection. OpenAI's decision to scale back direct booking in ChatGPT benefits Booking.com by keeping AI platforms focused on discovery rather than transaction completion. ITB Berlin's 60th anniversary event generated €47 billion in business deals despite Middle East flight disruptions, with panels challenging tourism's incremental sustainability approach. Most hotel websites convert only 2% of visitors, losing guests to OTAs due to decision friction rather than traffic problems. Meanwhile, US hotels held steady at 62.8% occupancy as Middle East conflict caused security perception to plummet across GCC destinations.
Why Hotels Are Rethinking Traditional Cable TV
Hotels are moving away from aging cable infrastructure toward hospitality-grade streaming platforms that combine live TV with familiar streaming interfaces.
By Lance Platt, President and CEO, Groove Technology Solutions
Latest
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Sustainability Edition
The Designer's Responsibility in Regenerative Travel
Graeme Labe and Micayla Freeman argue that regenerative hospitality demands a fundamental shift in how designers see their role: from minimising impact to actively strengthening the living systems of place. Through examples from South Africa and Mexico, it shows how context-responsive architecture, local materials, and craft-based renewal can tie guest experience to long-term stewardship rather than one-off “sustainable” gestures.
By Micayla Freeman and Graeme Labe
Rosewood Hotel Group Introduces Global Gender-Neutral Parental Leave Standard of 16 Weeks Fully Paid Leave for Associates Worldwide
The 16-week paid leave policy takes effect January 2026 and supplements local benefits where they fall short of the global minimum.
The Regenerative Question: A Conversation with Willy Legrand at ITB Berlin
Dr. Willy Legrand discusses why 40 years of sustainability frameworks have failed to prevent environmental decline and explores regenerative tourism as a transformative alternative.
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View AllChanging the Spark Plugs Won’t Start a Car That’s Out of Gas
Hotels waste marketing spend chasing demand instead of creating it, allowing OTAs and intermediaries to control traveler decisions from the start.
By Andrew Paul, Managing Director, Americas Great Resorts
The 5 Pillars of a Best-in-Class Hotel PMS
Growing hotel brands need flexible PMS platforms with open APIs, performance analytics, and cloud accessibility rather than rigid all-in-one systems.
By Priya Rajamani, VP of Implementation & Support, Stayntouch
Hospitality sector risks losing control over guests to Tech Giants: Hotelschool The Hague sounds alarm over ‘AI Power Gap’
Hotelschool The Hague research shows only 10% of Dutch hotels use AI structurally, warning the sector risks becoming 'sleeping utilities' controlled by tech platforms.
From Execution to Influence: Women Shaping the Future of Business Travel
Joyce Macieri of Minerva Foods discusses how women have evolved from operational roles to strategic leadership positions in corporate travel management.
The AI Power Gap: Hospitality Lags Behind as Value Shifts to Tech Giants
Hotelschool The Hague research shows only 10% of Dutch hotels use AI structurally, warning the industry risks becoming 'sleeping utilities' for tech giants.
By Alexander Lennart Schmidt, Professor of Technological Innovation, Hotelschool The Hague
Supplier News
View allA Bookmark for the Stay: Wooden Key Cards in Book-Inspired Travel
Wooden key cards serve as tactile elements that enhance book-inspired hotel room themes by mimicking the organic feel of library materials.
RMS Partners with RoomPriceGenie to Launch Revenue Intelligence
RMS integrates with RoomPriceGenie to embed real-time pricing intelligence directly into hotel management dashboards.
War in Middle East Triggers Volatile Security Perception and Early Signs of Demand Diversion
Mabrian data shows Middle East conflict caused security perception to plummet across GCC destinations, with Bahrain dropping 81 points and early signs of demand shifting to Europe and Asia.
Designing the Book-Inspired Travel: Thoughtful Objects for Story‑Inspired Travel
The article explores how hotels can enhance literary-themed stays through thoughtful design objects like bookmarks, stands, and eco-friendly accessories that support reading experiences.
Visit Hungary expands use of Amadeus Media Solutions to drive demand to the destination
The partnership delivered a 20% increase in bookings via travel agents year over year using targeted campaigns and comprehensive travel data.
VenueSuite Launches Demand-Based Pricing at ITB Berlin
The solution extends dynamic pricing beyond guestrooms to meeting spaces, with early adopter KAS Meeting-Event Location reporting increased bookings on lower-demand dates.
roommaster Appoints Mark Bloomquist as Chief Revenue Officer
Bloomquist brings 15 years of hospitality technology experience to oversee revenue strategy as roommaster invests in AI voice technology and booking engine enhancements.
Agentic Hospitality Launches TravelOS MCP Server Enabling Agentic Hotel Distribution Inside AI Platforms
The TravelOS MCP Server connects hotels' existing CRS and PMS systems directly to AI platforms, allowing real-time inventory and booking without replacing current infrastructure.
Doug Kennedy’s Next Staff Training Webcast: Five Crucial Things Hotel Group & Event Salespeople Should Do With Every Inbound Lead
Kennedy's free 40-minute webcast focuses on lead response best practices for hotel sales teams in a challenging market.
Virgin Limited Edition Announces a Complete Re-Design of Ulusaba
Virgin Limited Edition, the award-winning collection of unique retreats part of the hospitality brand Virgin Hotels Collection, is delighted to announce the re-imagining of its iconic private game reserve, Ulusaba, one of the original properties that launched the portfolio 25 years ago. Both lodges at the reserve in South Africa’s world-famous Sabi Sand will be re-designed from the ground up to create a truly extraordinary 20-bedroom retreat featuring spacious all-suite accommodations with private plunge pools and enhanced wellness facilities.
Meetings, Events, and a Ride in a Trabi: A Conversation with VenueSuite at ITB Berlin
VenueSuite announced demand-based pricing for meetings and events, applying room revenue management logic to meeting spaces with early results showing increased bookings on lower-demand dates.
Hyatt Regency Incheon Paradise City Opens Today
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the opening of Hyatt Regency Incheon Paradise City, providing more options for guests visiting South Korea’s global gateway in Incheon. The former west tower of Grand Hyatt Incheon has been rebranded, offering an accessible yet contemporary stay experience for business and leisure travelers alike. Hyatt Regency Incheon Paradise City links travelers to Incheon International Airport, integrated resort Paradise City featuring entertainment, hospitality and spas as well as broader attractions in Incheon. Hyatt Regency Incheon Paradise City and Grand Hyatt Incheon offer guests the opportunity to enjoy two Hyatt brands at one destination as a dual-branded development.
Tackling hotel compliance
HOSPA panel discusses how aparthotels, lifestyle hotels, and challenger brands navigate rising compliance costs while maintaining profitability and guest focus.
Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
Sonesta Announces Opening of Signature Inn Medford
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) today announced the grand opening of Signature Inn Medford Downtown, a 35-room, upper-economy hotel located at 345 South Central Avenue in Medford, Oregon. The hotel is convenient to Crater Lake and the wine country of the Rogue Valley.
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Sustainability Edition
The Circular Prerequisite: Why Regeneration Without Circularity Is Just Greenwashing
Manuel Maqueda argues that “regenerative” hospitality is meaningless – and often pure greenwashing – if it is built on a linear “take–make–waste” model. He outlines a three-step journey from efficiency (doing things right) to circularity (designing out waste and toxicity) to true regeneration (actively restoring ecosystems and communities), warning that you cannot skip the circular step and still claim to heal.
By Manuel Maqueda, CEO, Bionomia Institute
Optimism, investment and innovation drive Australia’s accommodation sector
The 2025 Australia Accommodation Barometer surveyed 250 industry executives, revealing 64% rate past performance as good/very good with plans to hire 7.4 employees per property on average.
By Todd Lacey, Regional Manager of Oceania, Booking.com
A Quintessential Urban Historic Hotel with Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
GM Adam Laker credits decentralized management and staff empowerment for maintaining four-star service across 557 rooms at 97% occupancy.
By Adam Mogelonsky and Larry Mogelonsky
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Sustainability Edition
My journey toward regenerative futures
Martin Hohn reflects on a personal journey from traditional hospitality management toward regeneration, arguing that sustainability has been diluted and cannot succeed as long as infinite economic growth clashes with planetary boundaries. Regeneration is framed not as a technological fix but as a social and mindset shift: a place-based, whole-systems approach that reconnects hospitality with life, community, and ecosystem health.
By Martin Hohn, Founder, ATMA.life