has made its debut in The Democratic Republic of the Congo with the opening of Protea Hotel by Marriott Kinshasa. The launch of this distinct hotel introduces a globally recognised brand to Kinshasa, offering tailored experiences for business and leisure travellers in one of Africa's most vibrant and strategically important capital cities.
It's abundantly clear that the US hyperscalers are unable and unwilling to regulate themselves. Some owners are wealthier than entire EU countries and act like mini-kings, beholden to no one. Many have taken the view that it's more cost-effective to steal the IP of original authors (text, image, video, music, etc.) for use in Gen AI model training and pay to throw legal challenges at any copyright penalties. A $100 million pro-AI super PAC formed in August backed by OpenAI's president has identified its first democrat target to oust. Anti-regulation, deep-pocketed Silicon Valley interests are injecting themselves into local US contests from afar.
It's abundantly clear that the US hyperscalers are unable and unwilling to regulate themselves. A $100 million pro-AI super PAC formed in August, backed by OpenAI's president, has identified its first pro-legislation target to oust.
The divergence in AI regulation is less about "innovation versus control" and more about who will define the operating system of the future economy. The US optimises for velocity and scale; the EU for rights, accountability, and systemic risk.
Yes, the gap in AI innovation and adoption will continue and expand. This disparity is less about well-intentioned policy and more about an ongoing geopolitical battlefield where technology sits squarely in the 'armed forces' of the major powers.
South Africa's G20 Presidency secured commitments from leaders representing 70% of global tourism to advance digital innovation, air connectivity, and sustainable tourism financing.
This is a really thought-provoking take. I agree that metasearch isn't dead. it's evolving, quietly powering AI-driven interfaces rather than existing as a visible marketplace. The first to benefit will be those who can move fast and think at scale likely OTAs while traditional booking engines risk becoming just another costly layer.
Rather than disappearance, we're witnessing transfiguration: the logic of metasearch is alive, but its form is shifting from a visible comparison table to an invisible, integrated intelligence layer.
Simone's argument resonates strongly with me. If metasearch has dissolved into the invisible infrastructure of distribution, then the next challenge is redefining where real value lies. With conversational AI agents now capable of pre-filtering, recommending, and contextualizing travel options, simply consolidating data from various sources is no longer enough.
Kerten Hospitality, the global lifestyle operator renowned for creating community-driven destinations, today announced the signing of Cloud 7 Dersa Tetuàn in partnership with Oromecanica Group, a distinguished Moroccan jeweler celebrated for its commitment to authentic craftsmanship and fine artisanal heritage. The signing, which took place in Casablanca, marks Kerten Hospitality's foray into Morocco's vibrant and rapidly growing hospitality market.
The shift from revenue growth to profit optimization isn’t just about changing metrics—it’s changing how hotels think about performance. With rising costs across labor, energy, and distribution, a strong RevPAR doesn’t guarantee a strong bottom line. Being busy isn’t the same as being profitable.
Radisson Hotel Group proudly announces the debut of Radisson Residences Taghazout Bay, in the heart of Morocco's surf capital. Nestled on the scenic hills of Taghazout Bay with sweeping views of the Atlantic, the new property features 208 modern serviced apartments, padel court, two outdoor pools and a kids area.
Revenue management isn't just yielding prices. In fact, the difference between yield management and revenue management is precisely that revenue management doesn't stop at room revenue and captures all revenue streams.
Brilliantly articulated. This is exactly where the conversation needs to be moving forward. The era of chasing topline numbers is over, today's commercial leaders are being judged by flow-through intelligence, not occupancy percentages.
We've been having these conversations for about 20 years now. A lot has been said and published on this topic, including my own articles, podcast episodes, webinars, and even dedicated chapters in my last two books. The answer, at least to me, is obvious: until RMS providers build true profit optimization capabilities into their products (which requires proper data flow for the missing pieces of the equation), we're not going to move forward.
The ambitious vision for Total Profit Optimization is not a destination we are equipped to reach today. It's not a pipedream, but a strategic challenge demanding a phased, constructive approach. The core issue is a structural disconnect stemming from the historical focus on Rooms: The Talent Evolution: We currently possess excellent Rooms Optimizers, whose skill sets were sharpened by focused toolsets and market dynamics.
Accor, a world-leading hospitality group, has announced strategic agreement with John Williams Hotels & Resorts and Boulevard Hotel Group to launch Mövenpick and Mövenpick Living in Abuja, Nigeria.
Nearly seven in ten South African travellers (69%) plan to take the same or more holidays in 2026 compared to 2025, including 49% who intend to travel more frequently, according to Marriott Bonvoy’s Ticket to Travel research. Younger generations are leading demand, with 66% of Gen Z planning on taking more holidays next year and embracing AI planning tools, luxury add-ons, and passion-driven trips.
In my previous airline and telcoms world, we used service buses like TIBCO to sit on top of enterprise systems. The upside was the potential of plug and play (although we never actually changed back end ERPs). The downside was extra latency and cost.
In practice, it's not that simple. A hub always depends on common integration standards — yet many systems still lack proper REST APIs to communicate effectively. For example, we dynamically manage room assignments and reassignments based on guest fit and preferences, but not all PMSs even offer APIs that allow us to do this.
Radisson Hotel Group proudly announces the debut of Radisson Residences Taghazout Bay, in the heart of Morocco's surf capital. Nestled on the scenic hills of Taghazout Bay with sweeping views of the Atlantic, the new property features 208 modern serviced apartments, padel court, two outdoor pools and a kid's area.
The hospitality industry must build on the exemplars of performative sustainability towards a transformative regeneration. In other words, from sustaining to healing! The sector can no longer afford to dwell at the periphery of systemic change, tinkering with low-leverage interventions such as LED bulbs, reusing towels and low-flow fixtures. While these remain necessary, they are insufficient and superficial.
Looking ahead to 2026, the hospitality industry stands at a pivotal crossroads, facing mounting pressure to address its environmental and social responsibilities more transparently and effectively. The first priority should be the establishment of comprehensive data platform in collaboration with industry membership organizations. These platforms must not only aggregate sustainability KPIs and attributes for internal benchmarking and B2B purposes but also translate this data into educational content for end consumers, fostering wider public engagement and understanding.
In some ways, 2025 has been a challenging year for sustainability in the hospitality industry, particularly in the US, where the policy changes of the new administration are less supportive of programs addressing environmental and social initiatives. Nevertheless – I am heartened that the work goes on and progress is still being made across hospitality and tourism.
The starting point of my short feedback here is Donella Meadows" twelve leverage points. I am looking at current hospitality practices and what could be "transformative" (for lack of better word) along those leverage points (LP).
Understanding Opting-In and Opting-Out Strategies Knowing the difference between opting-in and opting-out is essential when aiming to influence behaviour and drive change effectively. The "default option" principle can be applied to almost any business or operational process, allowing organisations to guide decisions without lengthy explanations or losing control over outcomes.
In 2026 hospitality should prioritise shifting from surface-level sustainability actions to systemic change through investment in leadership training. While technical improvements remain important, the primary focus must be on transforming internal mindsets.
As we say goodbye to 2025, I am optimistic for the future of the hospitality industry in 2026 and beyond, it is truly a resilient business. Travelers continue to seek a memorable experience and the corporate sector is back doing events that fuel our economic growth!
Profitability is what every budget really comes down to. Still, building a budget is more than just organizing or plugging numbers into the excel file (If it´s your go-to tool, still). It's about understanding what is coming in, what's going out, and how your revenue plan ties everything together.
For our 2026 budget, my primary focus will be on sustaining brand awareness and strengthening the property’s positioning. Guests today are increasingly attentive to consistency; they expect the same level of quality and service regardless of market conditions or rate fluctuations.