The AI visibility game just got serious for hoteliers
As guests increasingly use AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini to research stays, hotels risk losing bookings to OTAs if they lack visibility or accuracy in AI-generated recommendations.
Explainer Articles
Wellness Tourism Trends: What's Shaping Travel and Wellness in 2026
The global wellness tourism market hit $990B in 2025 and is projected to reach $2.4T by 2035, driven by longevity travel, sauna culture, digital detox retreats, and a luxury shift toward radical simplicity.
By Emma Näpänkangas, M.Sc. Student in Hospitality Management, EHL
Hotel Robots: Integrating Automation in Hospitality
The hotel robotics market, valued at $0.76B in 2026, is expanding rapidly as labor costs hit 33% of revenue and turnover stays 76% above pre-pandemic levels, driving adoption of delivery, housekeeping, and concierge robots.
By Emma Näpänkangas, M.Sc. Student in Hospitality Management, EHL
The numbers behind AI's rise as a booking channel for independent hotels
Lighthouse data shows AI referral traffic to hotel websites surged over 50% in weeks after ChatGPT expanded outbound links, with independent hotels best positioned to capture commission-free direct bookings.
By Femke Nollet, Content Specialist, Lighthouse
How to Map the Hotel Customer Journey and Increase Bookings
A practical guide to mapping all six stages of the hotel guest journey, from inspiration to post-stay loyalty, with tactics to increase direct bookings at each step.
AI terms for independent hoteliers: what actually happens when a guest books through AI
A practical guide for independent hoteliers explaining AI booking discovery, hallucination risks, GEO, and how connectivity to AI platforms determines whether bookings land direct or via OTAs.
By Femke Nollet, Content Specialist, Lighthouse
What is the Experience Economy? A Foundational Guide for Leaders
A foundational explainer on the experience economy covering its four dimensions, psychological drivers, KPIs, and how luxury, retail, and hospitality brands can apply it to drive loyalty and growth.
By Abigail Ward, Digital Communication Consultant, EHL
Hotel Mobile Check-In: Faster Guest Arrivals
An explainer covering how hotel mobile check-in works, the operational and revenue benefits, first-party data capture opportunities, and when the technology is or isn't the right fit for a property.
By Stephanie Clemo, BOSC 6 Student and Hospitality Strategy writer, EHL
Adopting Enhanced Cultural Intelligence in Swiss Hospitality
EHL research based on executive interviews finds Swiss hotels lack structured cultural intelligence training, leaving staff unprepared for growing Indian, Middle Eastern, and Asian guest segments.
Beyond Medals: Beer Industry Awards as Bridges to High-End Gastronomy
Swiss craft beer awards like the Swiss Beer Award are acting as legitimacy signals that help beer enter fine dining contexts, with implications for HORECA operators, chefs, and distributors.
By Margarita Cruz and Yuliya Navrotska
Stop reactive pricing: How independent hotels catch high-demand dates early
A practical guide for independent hoteliers to build a weekly demand-spotting routine using booking pace, local events, and competitor behavior to price proactively.
By Femke Nollet, Content Specialist, Lighthouse
Winning the AI inbox: What hotel marketers need to know about email deliverability in 2026
A guide for hotel marketers on adapting email strategy to AI-powered inboxes like Gmail Gemini and Apple Mail, covering deliverability, segmentation, and content optimization.
Strategic Sustainability & Collaboration: The Power of Ecosystem Position
Research on Kenya's circular economy finds that ecosystem position and strategic collaboration matter more than business model innovation in determining access to capital, legitimacy, and scale.
By Carlos Martin-Rios and Hala Linck
Bordeaux 2025: Is it Time to Buy En Primeur Again?
Analysis of the 2025 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign finds pricing better aligned with market conditions than recent vintages, with the 2025 vintage ranking among the three best in 18 years by critic scores.
By Philippe Masset, Associate Professor, EHL
You track your Google rank every week. Why aren't you tracking your AI rank?
As AI assistants reshape how travelers research hotels, most properties lack tools to track whether or how they appear in AI responses, ceding bookings and brand narrative to OTAs.
By Paige Lopez, Content marketer, Lighthouse
Investing in Liquor: Baijiu’s Luxury Asset Moment
EHL research using 20,000+ auction transactions shows baijiu returned ~6% annually from 2010-2023, with near-zero correlation to traditional assets, signaling growing potential as a collectable luxury spirit.
How to turn the 2026 World Cup into your hotel website's direct booking moment
A tactical guide for hoteliers on optimizing hotel websites to convert high-intent World Cup 2026 traffic into direct bookings using urgency messaging, personalization, and upsell strategies.
By Paige Lopez, Content marketer, Lighthouse
The Price of Auditor Experience: How Disclosure Regulation Shapes Audit Fees
A study of 5,016 firm-year observations across 14 European countries finds that one additional year of audit partner tenure raises fees by 17.35% in weak-disclosure markets, versus just 2.02% in strong-disclosure ones.
Mobile only price: What it means and how hotels can use it
An explainer on mobile-only pricing on OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia, covering setup, strategic use cases, revenue trade-offs, and rate parity risks for hoteliers.
By Laure Cremers, Content Specialist, Lighthouse