Payments, AI Commerce, and Why Retail Went First: A Conversation with Stripe at ITB Berlin
Stripe's James Lemon discusses payment infrastructure challenges in hotels and why AI booking technology is more complex for travel than retail.
AI in Hospitality
This dedicated AI in Hospitality section explores how AI is reshaping the industry, from guest communication and marketing personalisation to revenue management, operations, staffing, cybersecurity, and the evolving role of data and automation across the hotel and travel ecosystem. It brings together practical use cases, expert insights, product and partnership news, leadership viewpoints, and real world lessons from properties and brands of all sizes, helping hospitality professionals separate substance from hype and make informed decisions about where AI delivers value today and what to prepare for next.
The Hidden Truth About AI in Hospitality, and Why It’s Not Here to Fix You
The author argues hotels must audit systems and align culture before implementing AI, as technology amplifies existing problems rather than fixing them.
By Are Morch, Digital Transformation Coach for Hotels, Are Morch, AI Champion
Hospitality Doesn’t Have an AI Problem. It Has an Operations Problem Pretending to Be an AI Problem
The author argues hotels need strong operational foundations before AI can be effective, as technology amplifies existing processes rather than fixing broken ones.
By Are Morch, Digital Transformation Coach for Hotels, Are Morch, AI Champion
Agentic Hospitality’s Brad Brewer to Speak at First-Ever ‘Destination AI Virtual Conference’ on the AI Distribution Shift
Brad Brewer will discuss how AI agents are reshaping hotel discovery and booking behavior, urging hoteliers to optimize for AI systems or risk losing guest relationships to intermediaries.
Will The SaaSpocalypse Come for Travel Tech?
The article examines how AI-powered agentic engineering threatens traditional SaaS business models in travel tech by enabling companies to build custom solutions more efficiently.
By George Roukas, President, GAIPAN
Geopolitics, Energy Shocks, and AI
AI systems can process geopolitical signals, energy markets, and supply chain data to help hotels adapt quickly to global disruptions and maintain operational resilience.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
OpenAI just saved Booking.com
OpenAI's decision to scale back direct booking in ChatGPT benefits Booking.com by keeping AI platforms in discovery rather than transaction completion.
Unlock the power of AI: A checklist for hospitality professionals
The guide outlines seven AI applications for hotel sales teams, from automated email personalization to reputation monitoring, with a focus on eliminating repetitive tasks.
By Diana Tamboly, Manager, Field Marketing, Hospitality Cloud, Cvent Europe Ltd
AI in Foodservice: Operational Value and What It Requires
The article examines how AI can address labor shortages, cost volatility, and consistency challenges in foodservice, but warns that operational discipline and data quality are prerequisites for success.
By Paulina Schmidt, Food and Beverage Copywriting Specialist, EHL
The AI Revolution is One Missile Away from a Global Blackout
A strike on UAE data center infrastructure highlights how concentrated AI and cloud computing creates critical vulnerabilities for hospitality operations worldwide.
Hotel Chatbots Explained: Benefits, Challenges, and Best Practices
The comprehensive guide covers implementation, ROI metrics, and future evolution toward LLM-powered concierges for hotel operations.
By Emma Näpänkangas, Hospitality Strategy Writer, EHL
The first direct booking app for hotels launches in ChatGPT, powered by Lighthouse
Lighthouse launches the first hotel app in ChatGPT's 800M-user platform, allowing properties to control their AI presence and offer direct rates with zero commissions.
How to use AI to ease staffing pressure in hotel revenue and distribution teams
Outlines a four-stage AI adoption framework (assist, standardize, automate, connect) to help hotel commercial teams reduce manual reporting and focus on strategic decisions.
When AI Laws Arrive at Check-In
The EU AI Act, Vietnam's AI law, and South Korea's regulations now require hotels to treat AI systems as auditable assets with transparency and oversight obligations.
Helping or hindering? AI and technological advances in the hospitality sector
The article argues that AI should enhance rather than replace human judgment in hospitality, emphasizing the industry's opportunity to offer authentic connection in an increasingly automated world.
By Cassie Davison, Founder, Kith & Kin Hospitality
Hotels Enter the Ask and Book Era as AI Reshapes Discovery, Distribution, and Operations, According to NYU SPS and BCG
NYU and BCG study reveals 37% of travelers use AI for trip planning while hotels face 65% staffing shortages and 11.2% labor cost increases in North America.
Agentic Hotel Bookings: What Are We Actually Talking About Here?
The author defines three distinct models of AI booking – assisted, mediated, and executed – each requiring different technical infrastructure and commercial frameworks.
By Ira Vouk, Hospitality Tech and AI Consultant, Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
OpenClaw: The Agent Architecture That Will Supercharge Agentic Commerce in Travel
OpenAI acquired OpenClaw's creator to build autonomous travel agents that can handle complex itineraries and disruptions without human supervision.
By George Roukas, President, GAIPAN
Get Ahead of the Curve: AI, Jobs, and the Future of Hospitality
The author argues hospitality leaders should strategically integrate AI to handle transactional work while humans focus on emotional guest connections and high-touch service.
ITB Berlin 2026: Hotel booking lead time increases 14% compared to last year, according to RateGain’s data
Berlin hotel bookings for ITB 2026 show travelers planning 84.75 days ahead versus 74.4 days last year, with ADR rising to €146.86.