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Terence Ronson's Q4 Playbook: Four Things That Matter Now, The New Luxury Is Certainty, 500 Leaders Signal AI Has Moved from Experiment to Operation
Friday brought Terence Ronson's self-audit of 84 pieces yielding a four-move Q4 framework, Muhammad Tanveer on reliability as the new commercial premium in an AI-commoditized world, and Benjamin Golson's Destination AI 2026 takeaway that 500 hospitality leaders signaled the shift from AI experiments to live operational deployment. Fabian Bartnick on RM's comparison problem, Paul Forciniti on kitchen systems over chef talent, and seven property announcements closed the week.
Before You Replace Your Executive Chef, Look at the Kitchen They Inherited
The article argues that hotels misattribute restaurant underperformance to chef quality when the root cause is undocumented systems, unclear accountability, and structural gaps that any new hire will inherit.
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Answering Every Call and Eliminating Lobby Lines at The Gale Miami
The Gale Miami replaced paper registration cards with Canary Technologies' suite of tools, cutting check-in time from minutes to seconds and consolidating guest messaging into a single channel.
Why hospitality’s food waste ambitions are getting stuck, and how to get them moving
Analysis of 100 hospitality sustainability profiles finds 77% of food waste ambitions miss their original deadlines, with supply chain, staff training, and local infrastructure as the primary barriers.
By Alexandra Smith, CEO & Sustainability SaaS Leader, FuturePlus
Sapphire Sands Villas Now Welcoming Guests on Saint Lucia’s Reduit Beach
Bay Gardens Resorts has officially opened Sapphire Sands Villas, its first luxury beachfront villa property, situated directly on Reduit Beach in Rodney Bay Village. Now welcoming guests for the fall and winter travel season, the new retreat combines spacious, flexible accommodations with beachfront dining, wellness experiences, and family-friendly amenities.
Recent Appointments
View allGeneral Management
Conor Hadlington has been appointed as General Manager at Conrad Hong Kong
General Management
André Kretschmann has been appointed as General Manager at RAH GILI MALDIVES
General Management
Giorgio Di Pietro has been appointed as General Manager at Planters Inn
The New Luxury Is Certainty
A hospitality sales veteran argues that customers increasingly pay a "Certainty Premium" for predictable outcomes, framing reliability and accountability as the new drivers of commercial value.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author & Founder, The Sales Leadership Brief
"don't compare me to your ex." revenue management has the same problem.
A revenue management opinion piece arguing that over-reliance on historical patterns and reactive competitor-following are as damaging as ignoring the past entirely, especially as AI takes a larger role.
By Fabian Bartnick, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, PerfectCheck
Research shows 1 in 4 young consumers are ditching brands over outdated communications
MBA Group's report finds 25% of young consumers switch brands due to outdated communications, as 70% of businesses still rely on email while Gen Z favors messaging apps.
Pacifica Host Hotels Opens Newly Renovated voco Solana Beach - Del Mar in San Diego County
voco™ Solana Beach - Del Mar, owned and managed by Pacifica Host Hotels, announced its grand opening following a complete renovation. The first voco hotel in San Diego County and the third in Southern California, the 80-room property sits on Highway 101 just steps from Fletcher Cove Beach, bringing IHG’s fastest-growing premium brand surfside and offering travelers a fresh, modern base for exploring coastal San Diego.
AI in hotel revenue management: The ultimate guide
A guide to AI's four layers in hotel revenue management: forecasting algorithms, market intelligence, automated reporting, and conversational AI that answers commercial questions from live data.
By Jonathan Gough, Content Team Lead, Lighthouse
Supplier News
View allTravelers want AI to track room rates, not plan their itinerary
A Mews survey of 3,250 travelers finds guests accept AI for functional tasks like rate tracking but resist it for personal decisions, and prefer personalization built on data they knowingly shared.
Undefeated So Far: Pricepoint Dares Hoteliers to Out-Price Its AI in New Game Rate War
Pricepoint has launched Rate War, a free 2-minute browser game at ratewar.ai that challenges anyone to out-price its AI on 30 nights of hotel inventory.
AI makes information abundant, trusted local expertise becomes a differentiator
Citing Hilton's 2027 Trends Report and four industry studies, the article argues hotels should position staff expertise as a trust differentiator as AI handles discovery but falls short on high-stakes decisions.
IDeaS Leadership Development Programs Win Two Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards
IDeaS won two Silver Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards for its Learn Lead and Leadership Matters internal programs, both designed to build leadership capability across career stages.
Emerging Travel Group and Agoda Enter Strategic Partnership
Agoda will connect to ETG's hotel inventory via the RateHawk API, adding millions of properties across Europe, the US, Latin America, and the Middle East to its marketplace.
How to Build Buy-In for a Successful PMS Migration
A Shiji Daylight PMS expert shares a six-step framework for hotel GMs to build internal alignment before and during a PMS migration, drawing on 110+ property deployments.
Hotel Trader joins Book&Pay by Shiji Horizon Distribution, unlocking direct hotel access for Travel Buyers
Hotel Trader's Exchange joins Shiji's Book&Pay marketplace, giving 20,000+ directly connected hotels access to global travel demand partners via a single integration that handles contracting, payments, and invoicing.
Duetto Wins 930-property Deal with B&B Hotels
Duetto wins a 930-property RMS deal with B&B Hotels across 19 countries, one of the largest revenue management rollouts in European hospitality.
Duetto and B&B Hotels
The Marlborough Boutique Hotel & Vineyard Announces Expansion with 20 New Junior Suites Debuting January 2027
The Marlborough Boutique Hotel & Vineyard will open 20 new Junior Suites in January 2027, together with a dedicated wellness space, gym and new reception/dining hub. Set amongst the vineyards and established gardens of the 16-acre estate, the expansion will allow more guests to experience The Marlborough while retaining the privacy and personal service for which the property is known.
Destination AI 2026: From AI Experiments to Real Hotel Impact
Key takeaways from Destination AI 2026 in Washington D.C., where 500 hospitality leaders signaled a shift from AI experimentation to live operational deployment across hotel distribution.
By Benjamin Golson, Ben Golson Chief Operating Officer and Partner, Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics
IHCL Signs a Gateway in Lucknow
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) , India’s largest hospitality company, today announced the signing of a Gateway hotel in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This is a greenfield project.
OCVIBE Unveils Design for Sena, Anaheim's First Autograph Collection Hotel
OCVIBE, the 100-acre mixed-use development surrounding Honda Center, today unveiled the design for SENA, Anaheim's first hotel in Marriott's Autograph Collection portfolio. Expected to open in 2029, the hotel, with interiors designed by Rockwell Group, will introduce a series of best-in-class offerings to Southern California, including a signature restaurant from acclaimed Chef José Andrés and a suite of hospitality and guest service experiences led by Sage Hospitality Group.
Fivelements unveils its next chapter as a global integrative wellbeing brand
GOCO Hospitality is expanding its newly acquired Fivelements brand globally, with properties planned in Koh Samui (2027), Bali (2028), Switzerland (2029), and Montenegro (2030).
OTH Hotels Resorts Expands Southern U.S. Portfolio with Two Hotels in Kentucky and North Carolina
OTH Hotels Resorts adds 275 guestrooms via Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort, KY (set for a 2027 rebrand as The Franklin Hotel) and Four Points by Sheraton Greensboro Airport in NC.
The Knox, Auberge Collection, A New Destination-Defining Social and Cultural Landmark in Dallas’s Iconic Knox Street Neighborhood, is Now Accepting Reservations
Auberge Collection, the award-winning portfolio of 39 one-of-a-kind luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, is pleased to announce that The Knox, Auberge Collection is now accepting bookings for stays beginning January 29th. A new urban retreat by Auberge Collection in the heart of Dallas’s magnetic Knox Street neighborhood, The Knox, Auberge Collection will serve as the social anchor in one of the city's most dynamic locations. This one-of-a-kind urban destination will redefine the luxury hospitality landscape in Dallas, introducing captivating Martin Brudnizki-designed interiors alongside spirited culinary experiences, transformative wellbeing offerings, a bespoke concept store and exclusive private residences – a glamorous playground with the intimate, residential feel of a grand estate.
ITC Hotels Limited Signs Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, Manesar Gurugram Strengthening Presence in the National Capital Region
ITC Hotels Limited (ITCHL) has announced the signing of 104 key Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels Manesar Gurugram, a contemporary premium hotel that will further strengthen the brand's presence in the National Capital Region’s rapidly evolving business and hospitality landscape. Developed as part of ITCHL's asset-right growth strategy, the new hotel will feature elegantly appointed rooms and suites, catering to business travellers, weddings, social events, and leisure guests.
We Are Now in the 4th Quarter
A self-audit of 84 published pieces across 2026 yields a four-play Q4 framework: count AI costs on the P&L, own your machine-readable property data, prepare for agentic booking, and protect human touchpoints.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
I Still Believe in the Work
A personal leadership essay arguing that hospitality managers who drift from the floor lose credibility, using the film Boiling Point as a lens on distracted leadership and eroding standards.
By Franck Desplechin, CEO Founder | F&B Expert, Cheffranck.com