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AI Finds Her the Hotel. She Won't Book Through It Yet. Hotels Turned Staff into System Operators. RevPAR Growth Is Hiding a Cost Crisis.
Monday opened with Markus Busch on AI driving pre-booking discovery to independent hotels commission-free while websites fail to convert the visit, Martin Soler arguing hotels reduced staff to computer operators and should use AI to restore genuine hospitality, and HVS finding 5% RevPAR growth at the Lodging Conference while rising costs and debt maturities erode profitability. Simone Puorto's music tourism book, Google's Search Campaigns for Travel, and nine property announcements opened the week.
The Incentive Management Fee: Why the Line It’s Calculated From Matters More Than the Percentage
A 40-year hotel valuation veteran explains why the profit line used to calculate incentive management fees matters more than the percentage, and how an owner's priority provision resolves the GOP vs. net income standoff.
By Stephen Rushmore, Hotel Valuation Expert and Founder of HVS, Hotel Valuation Software
Latest
Strengthening the Guest Experience: How Bespoke Hotels is Using Canary Across its UK Portfolio
Bespoke Hotels deployed Canary Technologies across its 57-property UK portfolio, recovering implementation costs within weeks and gaining consolidated reporting, upsell revenue, and guest data from OTA bookings.
Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) Releases Fall 2026 Conference Industry Outlook Survey Results
HAMA's Fall 2026 semi-annual survey of 72 asset managers shows strong RevPAR and GOP gains, with 97% expecting growth to continue in 2027, while demand, wages, labor, and insurance costs top member concerns.
Relais & Châteaux launches MyImpact, a global platform empowering local sustainability action across 65 countries
Relais & Châteaux's MyImpact platform reached 39% member adoption in its first year, offering carbon footprint assessment, reduction planning, and benchmarking across 580 properties in 65 countries.
Recent Appointments
View AllOperations & Strategy
Amélie Thiriet has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer - Orient Express at Accor
UK travellers drive value growth for Palladium Hotel Group as leading European source market
UK travellers account for 30% of Palladium Hotel Group's Spanish room revenue, with ADR up 4% overall and 10% in the Balearics, backed by a €90M investment in The Site Ibiza.
Travel leaders name six biggest threats for startups in 2027
Six industry leaders at the Travel Tech Startup Summit in Washington DC identify AI obsolescence, broken acquisition funnels, and investor pressure as the top threats for travel startups heading into 2027.
Highline Hospitality Partners Acquires Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh North/Cranberry Woods
Highline Hospitality Partners acquires its 23rd hotel, a 125-room Courtyard by Marriott in Cranberry Township, PA, bringing it under common ownership with the adjacent Pittsburgh Marriott North.
A Full House Isn’t Always a Full Win: Rethinking Fall Group Revenue
Newport Hospitality Group's VP argues that fall hotel revenue strategy should shift from room-count targets to total guest value, using group events, ancillary services, and cross-departmental collaboration.
By Whitney Altizer, Chief Commercial Officer, Newport Hospitality Group
Fall F&B Forecast: Coffee, Comfort, and a Bigger Seat at the Revenue Table
An F&B operator's outlook for fall 2026 and into 2027, covering coffee as an all-day revenue driver, craft beer and bourbon programming, comfort food trends, and how hotels can attract locals not just overnight guests.
By Guy Reinbold, Corporate Director of Food and Beverage, Meyer Jabara
Supplier News
View allAccess Point Financial Releases State of the Hotel Construction Loan Report
APF's five-page report covers hotel construction loan trends, highlighting rising costs, CMBS maturities, supply constraints, and a shift toward renovations and acquisitions over new builds.
Microsoft Renews Ireckonu’s Trusted AI and Data Solutions Partner Status
Ireckonu has renewed its Microsoft Solutions Partner designations in Data AI and Digital App Innovation for 2027, confirming enterprise-grade standards for its guest data and AI platform built on Azure.
As Costs Outpace RevPAR, LodgIQ Puts Hotel Profitability at the Center of Its New Commercial Performance Platform
LodgIQ relaunches its website and repositions as a Hotel Commercial Performance Platform, combining AI-powered RMS and conversational AI to help hoteliers protect margins amid rising labor costs.
Hoxell unveils its new identity in Rimini and accelerates towards the Digital Worker model
Hoxell relaunched its brand at Rimini's Hospitality Day and TTG, repositioning from a task-management tool to a cross-departmental operations platform with agentic AI capabilities.
Thynk Partners with Meetingselect to Connect Hotels with Global Corporate RFP Demand
Thynk's integration with Meetingselect automates RFP-to-proposal conversion for hotels, routing corporate leads and generating real-time e-proposals without manual data entry.
Vingcard R-Series Electronic Reader Launch Extends the Latest in Room Entry Security and Convenience to More Hotel Areas
Vingcard's new R-Series door reader supports BLE, NFC, and mobile key technology across non-standard entry points like elevators, parking barriers, and gates, compatible with its Vostio cloud access management system.
Otelier, Avalara Launch Two-Way Integration to Streamline Hotel Tax Compliance
Otelier and Avalara have integrated their platforms to automate lodging tax filing, flag PMS rate discrepancies daily, and streamline exemption tracking for multi-jurisdiction hotel operators.
PHAL Launches the World's First Total Hotel Agentic AI Solution, as a Third Top 10 Global Operator Selects PHAL
PHAL launched PHAL OS, a modular agentic AI platform covering the full hotel lifecycle, and confirmed a third Top 10 global hotel group mandate within six months of its first client engagement.
The Future of Hotel Security Depends on Integration, Not More Technology
Siloed security systems create blind spots and waste 78 minutes per manager per shift; the fix is integrated operations that connect access, video, occupancy, and network data to enable proactive response.
By Dr. Chris Spencer, Director & Head of Global Product Security, ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions, Nomadix Inc.
Build the hotel you want to run, not the one your tech allows
Cactus Cove Inn owner Matt Marrs shares how migrating to Mews PMS helped scale a mixed portfolio of hotels, STRs and RV parks while enabling creative, family-focused guest experiences.
Stop Chasing the Market: Build a Revenue Strategy That Stays Ahead
Opinion piece arguing that reactive pricing is not a strategy, with practical guidance on segment-level forecasting, yield management, and reading demand signals before the market shifts.
By Stefano Sciamanna, Senior Revenue Manager, Lybra Tech
Roomiy Finance CEO Khal Ladha Takes On the OTAs to Put Billions Back in Hotel Owners' Hands
Roomiy Finance co-founder Khal Ladha describes his flat-fee, 0% commission distribution model designed to shift more booking revenue back to hotel owners and franchisees.
Khalid (Khal) Ladha in conversation with Ivana Johnston
City Express by Marriott Debuts in India with the Opening of City Express by Marriott Udaipur Nathdwara Highway
City Express by Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio of over 30 extraordinary hotel brands, today announced the opening of City Express by Marriott Udaipur Nathdwara Highway, marking the debut of the City Express by Marriott brand in South Asia. City Express by Marriott is designed for both business and leisure guests who focus on quality, efficiency and simplicity. Every element of the brand experience is thoughtfully curated to provide convenience, modern comfort, and value.
WTTC Members Announce $2BN Investment Commitment in Malta, Reflecting Strong Confidence in the Government’s Tourism Vision
WTTC members pledged $2BN in new investment in Malta at the 26th Global Summit in Valletta, as the country posted the highest tourism GDP growth in Europe at 16.8% in 2025.
India Selected to Host WTTC Global Summit 2027, the World’s Most Important Tourism Event
India beat 21 other destinations to host the 2027 WTTC Global Summit in Delhi, as WTTC forecasts the country's travel and tourism economy will nearly double to $527 billion by 2036.
Winning the Travel Advisor’s Eye Starts with GDS Content
A podcast episode argues that incomplete or inaccurate GDS content causes hotels to be filtered out before price competition even begins, framing content quality as a revenue and discoverability issue.
Natalie Kimball, Vice President of Strategic Account Management for Horizon Distribution and Iceportal Content, Shiji
Oakwood Premier to Open Atop YAESU CORE, One of the Largest Redevelopment Projects in Front of Tokyo Station
The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a Singapore-headquartered global hospitality company wholly owned by CapitaLand Investment (CLI), will partner with Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. (“Mitsui Fudosan”), a participating member of the Yaesu 2-Chome Central District Type 1 Urban Redevelopment Project (facility name: “YAESU CORE”), together with Mitsui Fudosan Residential Co., Ltd. (“Mitsui Fudosan Residential”), to manage Oakwood Premier YAESU CORE Tokyo within YAESU CORE.
IHG Hotels & Resorts accelerates growth of Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Hungary with Debrecen signing
IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, announces the signing of a new Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Debrecen, Hungary, adding to its existing portfolio of 56* open and pipeline Suites properties across Europe. Developed in partnership with Xanga, a Hungarian privately owned investment and development company headquartered in Debrecen, the hotel will further expand IHG's presence beyond Budapest, supporting the company's strategy of growing in high-potential regional destinations across Hungary and the wider Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region.
Leadership and Motivation: What Really Drives Employee Performance
EHL's Dr. Sébastien Fernandez argues leaders cannot directly motivate employees but can create conditions, built on trust and psychological safety, where motivation emerges naturally.
By Bianca Lüthy and Sébastien Fernandez