Expert Views (16)
View all Answers
Finding Your Guests in the ChatGPT Data, Most Hotel Budgets Are Agreed but Few Are Owned, The HR Playbook for Competing with Alternative Stays
Friday brought Martin Soler on what OpenAI's Signals data shows about who uses ChatGPT for information-seeking and what it means for ChatGPT ad placements, Muhammad Tanveer's Revenue Provenance Ladder for testing whether hotel budgets are owned or merely agreed, and Merrick P. Dresnin's HR playbook for competing with alternative stays. France's lease reform, Gen Z travel spending, and seven property announcements closed the week.
How is broke Gen Z always traveling?
Gen Z's financial disillusionment is driving doom spending on travel over retirement savings, with implications for how hospitality brands can serve a generation seeking meaning and identity through experience.
By Emma Näpänkangas, Hospitality Strategy Writer, The Philosophy of Hospitality
Latest
How CIVILIAN Hotel Uses Canary to Eliminate Lobby Lines in a Small Space
CIVILIAN Hotel's 203-room NYC boutique property reduced front desk congestion by deploying Canary's kiosk, mobile check-in, digital authorizations, and guest messaging tools.
Most Hotel Budgets Are Agreed. Few Are Owned.
The author argues that most hotel revenue budgets are agreed but not owned, introducing a "Revenue Provenance Ladder" to classify budget by certainty and expose how growth targets are often speculative wishes.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author & Founder, The Sales Leadership Brief
Hotel leases: the impact of France's 2026 Simplification Act - a mixed outcome
France's 2026 Simplification Act changes commercial lease rules, capping tenant guarantees at three months' rent, which threatens the viability of built-to-suit hotel lease structures.
By Christopher Boinet and Anne Epinat
Recent Appointments
View allNeurodiversity in Hospitality Work: Barriers and Opportunities
A report-based opinion piece argues that hospitality's standard recruitment and management practices create unnecessary barriers for neurodivergent workers, and calls for practical adjustments without lowering operational standards.
RIU achieves a historic milestone with the purchase of its first hotel in Barcelona
RIU Hotels & Resorts has just confirmed the purchase of the historic Hotel Princesa Sofia in Barcelona from its previous owners, Blasson Property Investments and BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts. The asset has a strategic location on Avenida Joan XXIII, just one block from Avenida Diagonal, right next to the Camp Nou, the iconic CaixaBank headquarters and opposite the Jardines de las Infantas and various University of Barcelona campuses, in the most elegant part of the Les Corts - Pedralbes district.
amã Stays & Trails Opens Its 200th Bungalow; Villa Maya in Alibaug
Amã Stays & Trails , the premium homestay offering from Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) , opens doors to its 200th bungalow, Villa Maya, Alibaug, a private retreat where contemporary design meets the quiet charm of nature.
PATA and Azerbaijan Tourism Board Sign MOU to Strengthen Tourism Connections with Asia Pacific
PATA and Azerbaijan Tourism Board signed an MOU in Baku to grow Azerbaijan's presence in Asia Pacific markets, covering trade engagement, media outreach, and source market development.
WTTC Hails London as a Model for Growth as Global Travel Leaders Gather for WTM
WTTC forecasts 3.1% European travel sector growth in 2026 and cites London's Oxford Street pedestrianisation as a model for government-backed tourism investment.
Supplier News
View allIDeaS Expands Strategic Relationship with Accor Through Selection of Optix Business Intelligence
Accor has selected IDeaS' Optix BI solution as a referenced tool for its 5,800+ hotels globally, extending the existing partnership where IDeaS already serves as Accor's revenue management system of record.
GuestCentric Boosts Hotel AI Search Visibility with 91% Faster Data Extraction
GuestCentric benchmark data from 800 hotel sites shows its platform enables AI systems to extract hotel data 91% faster, with AI-referred visitors converting at up to 11% vs. the 2% industry average.
Nelsen Architects Launches Nomad Hospitality Interiors, Expanding Luxury Hospitality Design Platform with Early Projects Throughout US
Nelsen Architects has launched Nomad Hospitality Interiors, a new independent luxury interiors studio led by Heather Chilton-Gantt, with early projects including the La Posada de Santa Fe renovation.
Hotels are putting AI agents to work in live operations, with Apaleo MCP Server use up 70%
Apaleo reports 70% growth in MCP Server usage between July and September 2026, with hotels deploying AI agents for tasks like bulk reservation changes, forecasting, and rate management.
AI-Powered Guest Engagement Linked to Higher Hotel Revenue, Better Personalization and Happier Guests, Study of 10+ Million Interactions Finds
Canary Technologies releases a study of 10+ million hotel guest interactions, linking AI-powered engagement to higher revenue, improved personalization, and guest satisfaction.
HotelPartner adds profit with brand refresh
HotelPartner rebrands to HotelPartner Revenue Profit Management and launches a new service-light platform tier in Europe for consultants and smaller hotel groups.
Closing the Loop in Guest Experience Management
A fireside session at the 2026 Quest Guest Experience Leadership Workshop highlights how hotels must connect feedback systems to operational workflows, assigning ownership and verifying outcomes to prevent problems rather than react to them.
The fastest hotel replies don't win the most bookings. How you answer does.
A study of 2M emails across 48 hotels finds reply speed is a poor predictor of bookings, while complete, action-oriented responses and follow-ups drive conversion rates up to 58%.
Budgeting Is Becoming a Test of Discipline
The article argues hotel budgets must move beyond RevPAR to incorporate Flow Through and Flex metrics, which reveal whether revenue growth converts to profit and how well costs can be managed in downturns.
By Chan Wai Sun, Regional Marketing Manager, Shiji
Lauren Maunder Receives 2026 Rising Star Award Asia Pacific
ISHC and HICAP named EVT Hotels & Resorts Financial Operations Controller Lauren Maunder the 2026 Rising Star Award Asia Pacific recipient at the 36th HICAP conference on 22 October.
Hyatt and Saraca Hotels & Resorts Announce Plans for Four Hotels Across North India
Hyatt signed agreements with Saraca Hotels & Resorts to add four hotels in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, including the first Unscripted by Hyatt property in India.
Four Seasons Announces First Standalone Private Residences in Colorado
Four Seasons, together with 215 Detroit Street Cherry Creek Property LLC, announce Cherry Creek, A Four Seasons Private Residence, a new standalone residential offering from the world's leading luxury hospitality and branded residential company. The 42 homes in the heart of Denver's Cherry Creek neighborhood will be the brand's first standalone offering in Colorado, complementing and building on its existing presence in the Denver community.
JOIA Rose Hall Undergoes Full Renovation, Bringing a New Expression of Jamaican Luxury to Montego Bay
JOIA Rose Hall, Iberostar Group's luxury, adults-only, all-inclusive beachfront resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, will welcome guests back on December 1, 2026, following a full renovation. The transformation marks a new chapter for the brand's JOIA luxury collection segment, introducing reimagined interiors and guest experiences that celebrate the culture, character and natural beauty of the destination.
Raffles Hotels & Resorts Unveils Its First Standalone Branded Residences, Selecting Miami's Coveted Coconut Grove Neighborhood
Raffles Hotels & Resorts, part of world-leading hospitality group Accor, together with South Florida real estate developers Mast Capital and BH Group, today announced Raffles Residences Coconut Grove, an intimate collection of just 35 private residences at 2545 South Bayshore Drive in Miami's historic Coconut Grove neighborhood.
Atari Hotels Breaks Ground in Phoenix With Gaming-Inspired Hotel and Entertainment Complex
Atari Hotels, the first-of-its-kind immersive entertainment and hospitality venue, today announced construction will begin on its Phoenix, Arizona location. Groundbreaking commences this week in Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, putting the venue on track to complete construction by late 2028 to early 2029.
Plant-based food industry evolution: how a new alternative became a global standard
A broad industry overview of the plant-based food sector covering market growth, technology trends (AI, 3D printing, fermentation), and the shift from niche trend to mainstream food category by 2026.
HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE Announces December 2026 Opening
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., and Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management Co., Ltd., today announce that HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE will open on December 15, 2026, in the renowned hot spring destination of Kowakudani, Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture. Debuting as Mitsui Fudosan Group's flagship luxury resort and the second property in the acclaimed HOTEL THE MITSUI collection following the success of HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, the resort marks a significant expansion of the brand and a new chapter in its vision for luxury hospitality in Japan.
Why NFC door locks are replacing Bluetooth and key cards at hotels
ASSA ABLOY's Tess Mattisson explains why NFC wallet-based room keys outperform Bluetooth, and how the Mews-Vingcard integration delivers keyless check-in without requiring hotels to replace existing RFID locks.