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.
In the future, brands and OTAs will need to: Reduce their inventory and storytelling — so it's portable, embeddable, and instantly bookable anywhere. Invest in API-first distribution — enabling social, AI, and agent ecosystems to transact on their behalf.
That's an interesting question. However, I don't believe social media will become transactional when it comes to travel and hospitality. That doesn't mean it can't and won't become so for other industries - I can see this already happening for everyday purchases: apparel, jewelry, consumer goods, clothings, etc.
Good one! 💡 I definitely get a lot of product and service inspiration through my social media feeds. Entertainment is a big factor, but as someone tied into the hospitality sector, I particularly enjoy seeing industry offerings—whether that's cutting-edge technology or tangible experiences like hotels, resorts, and restaurants.
Fresh from the most extensive renovation in its history, Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa is thrilled to welcome back guests this October, following a transformative $14 million investment (approx. £10.5 million). Adding to the excitement, Coconut Bay has been named Saint Lucia's Leading Family Resort in the 2025 World Travel Awards, an honour that reflects the resort's dedication to providing exceptional experiences for guests of all ages.
The shift toward experience-based booking is absolutely transforming the game. AI can finally solve the paradox of choice. Hotels can now showcase everything they offer but in a way that's targeted and relevant. Don't sell me a romantic getaway when I'm traveling alone.
There is a massive industry gap here. Full stop. Discussion about this capability in the industry is topical. Those in a position to enable it are few, if even thinking about it. Packages are a clumsy solution to the underlying problem of being able to successfully deliver rooms digitally.
If the game has shifted...so must our KPIs. Today's revenue leaders must zoom out and focus on TRevPAR, capturing not just what happens in the room, but around it. Whether you're luxury or budget, you can take advantage of experiential revenue, something that thanks to digitalization, every hotel can play (and not only ultra-luxury resorts).
Meliá Hotels International, in partnership with Grupo Puntacana, reinforces its commitment to the Dominican Republic's tourism sector with the joint development of Meliá Bergantín Beach. This project marks the beginning of a new chapter aimed at positioning Puerto Plata as a globally recognized destination, restoring the prominence of the country's northern coast.
Online personalisation is easy, as it's mostly a pattern-matching algorithm between known guest likes and available services, and the results are pumped out via emails or into a guest portal. It isn’t personalisation, rather it is just mass customisation.
Kempinski Grace Bay, a collection of luxury residences and beachfront villas on the world-renowned Grace Bay Beach, will break ground in mid-November, marking the arrival of Kempinski Hotels, Europe's oldest and most storied luxury hotel brand, to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
We all talk about personalization, but I worry that we lack a common and agreed definition of the term - a definition that is crucial if we are to deliver on the personalization promise.
The problem isn't that personalization fails on property. The problem starts much earlier: we still don't speak the right language of guest experience in the digital space. Take booking. A traveler may want a big bed, a walk-in shower, and a quiet location.
Online personalisation is easy, as it's mostly a pattern-matching algorithm between known guest preferences and available services. It isn't personalisation, rather just mass customisation. On property, a guest walking around is essentially anonymous, even after checking in.
This is a question at the heart of hospitality’s digital transformation. Hotels excel at digital personalisation (curated offers, smooth booking, and tailored communications) because online, data is structured, accessible, and actionable.
Antigua's premier resort, Carlisle Bay, has launched a multimillion-dollar renovation project, with all phases expected to be completed by November 2027. A five-star resort and proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Carlisle Bay will unveil the first phase of its transformation this year. The full evolution—encompassing guest suites, public areas, dining venues, and enhancements to its signature spa—will unfold over the next three years, aligned with the resort's annual seasonal closure periods.
Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, Puerto Rico's legendary oceanfront retreat originally built in 1919 by Frederick William Vanderbilt, proudly announces the completion of an extensive renovation to all guestrooms, suites, and corridors. Designed by HBA International, the project seamlessly blends the hotel's historic grandeur with contemporary sophistication. Marking a new chapter in its legacy, the hotel also introduces an exclusive In-Suite Wellness Package.
Millennials and Gen Z are inheriting a world where everything costs more. Housing, food, even free time come at a higher price. There's less money left for travel, so when they do travel, it has to matter. They're careful with budgets, but when they spend, they spend with purpose. They'll trade frequency for depth, choosing one meaningful trip over several forgettable ones.
Club Med Punta Cana - Club Med's flagship North America resort will unveil 5 major renovations that set a new standard for the all-inclusive experience, including: brand new social spaces, fresh culinary experiences and newly renovated accommodations, all designed to offer more elevated, immersive experience for all types of guests. Designed by GG&Grace International, the award-winning design firm known for creating distinctive hospitality experiences in the world's most sought-after destinations, highlights include:
The end of the hyperlink economy may very well also mean the end of Google domination. Owning 92% of online searches worldwide, Google has long been in a quasi-monopoly situation, but this is shifting quickly, as people are catching on the ease of using LLM for search purposes: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Mistral, Deepseek...
The Fundamentals Stay the Same Discovery may shift from hyperlinks to AI answers, but advertising still rests on the basics: segmentation, targeting, positioning, and brand building. These don"t vanish when the funnel compresses — they adapt.
The investment won't be any less; maybe more. The search landscape, whatever its form, will inevitably migrate back to Google, a shift that the introduction of Gemini inside the browser will only accelerate. If the OTA model is truly sidelined, Google may look to take a significant portion of that revenue stream for itself.
The NFL’s announcement of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show comes off the tail end of the performer’s 31-show residency in Puerto Rico, which has been estimated to have brought as much as $200 million dollars into the local economy with a carryover boost for local hotels.
IDeaS recently held its annual client conference Converge with the theme of "Bold Moves, Big Impact: A New Era in Hospitality"
The "right time, right place" mantra has always been complete nonsense to me. It treats humans like logical machines, as if only the left side of their brain exists, ignoring emotion and gut feeling, which is what ultimately drives decisions.
If the real question is about skills, mindset, and capabilities, then here's my take: Skills: a Revenue Manager today must think strategically, not just tactically. Revenue management is about defining where the business should go in terms of product and revenue in the next 3–5 years.
A broader skill set — especially in marketing — is becoming increasingly beneficial. Since specialized tasks can now be handled perfectly by AI, commercial roles are moving closer together. This shift makes broad, cross-functional skills more important than ever.
The Revenue Manager we need today looks very different from the one many hotels still have in place. The role can no longer be defined by Excel spreadsheets and static reports. The markets move too fast, the data is too complex, and the opportunities are too big to leave in the hands of manual processes.