Travelers Use AI to Dream, Trusted Brands to Book, Travel Hit $11.6 Trillion in 2025, SiteMinder Connects 53,000 Hotels to AI Platforms

Today's content converges on one question the entire industry is trying to answer: if AI is reshaping how travelers discover and plan, what does that mean for who captures the booking? Three pieces land different aspects of the same answer. Travelers are leaning on AI earlier in the journey than ever, but pulling back at the point of transaction. The infrastructure to close that gap is now being built. And the macro context behind all of it: travel just had its best year in recorded history.

Expedia Finds the AI Trust Gap: Discovery Yes, Booking No

Expedia Group's AI Trust Gap report, based on a YouGov survey of more than 5,700 adults across the U.S., U.K., and India, maps where AI sits in the traveler journey today. The planning numbers are striking: 53% are comfortable letting AI suggest travel options, 42% use or would use AI to monitor prices, and 40% use it to build itineraries. Nearly half say AI saves them time and surfaces places they would not have found otherwise. But the booking picture is entirely different. Only 8% feel comfortable booking through an AI platform. Two-thirds say they would not trust an AI assistant to buy or book anything on their behalf.

The barriers are specific. Loss of control (57%), payment and data privacy (57%), and misuse of personal data (56%) are the top concerns. Expedia Group Chief AI and Data Officer Xavi Amatriain said travelers do not have a technology problem with AI, they have a trust problem, and that the kind of trust required to transact takes decades of real-world relationships and customer support to build. The implication for hotels is clear: AI will drive discovery and inspiration, but the brand relationship remains the decisive factor at the point of purchase. Read the analysis →

Travel and Tourism Had Its Best Year Ever in 2025

WTTC's latest Economic Impact Research, produced with Chase Travel as lead research partner, puts travel and tourism's 2025 global GDP contribution at a record $11.6 trillion, equivalent to 9.8% of the global economy. The sector grew 4.1%, outpacing overall global economic growth of 2.8% by nearly 50%. It supported 366 million jobs worldwide, more than the total population of the United States, and accounted for 1 in 3 new jobs created globally. International overnight arrivals reached 1.54 billion, equivalent to 4.2 million people travelling every day.

The regional divergence is the most consequential detail in the data. Asia-Pacific recorded 8.1% growth in travel and tourism GDP, reaching $3.29 trillion, driven by reopening momentum and rising international demand. North America grew just 1.0%, with travel and tourism GDP of $3.05 trillion, reflecting continued challenges in international visitor recovery. WTTC president Gloria Guevara called 2025 a defining moment and urged governments to treat travel and tourism as a strategic economic priority. Read the analysis →

SiteMinder Connects 53,000 Hotels to AI Booking Platforms via MCP

SiteMinder announced two platform expansions that move its 53,000-hotel network into AI-era distribution. Through Demand Plus, hotels will now be surfaced in AI-driven conversational environments including ChatGPT, with travelers able to view live rates and complete reservations on the hotel's own booking page. DirectBooker, which connects live hotel rates to major and emerging AI platforms, is the inaugural partner. Through Channels Plus, AI-enabled OTAs and intermediaries that search and book on behalf of travelers will gain access to SiteMinder's hotel inventory, with the full guest experience from discovery to confirmed booking taking place within the partner platform.

Both expansions are powered by Model Context Protocol, the technical standard that gives AI platforms access to live hotel data in real time rather than static information. SiteMinder CEO Sankar Narayan framed the move as an extension of the company's core purpose: helping hotels remain visible and bookable as AI becomes a larger part of travel planning. SiteMinder's own Changing Traveller Report 2026 found that eight in ten travelers now want AI assistance during their booking journey, a figure that gives the infrastructure announcement its commercial urgency. Read the analysis →

Signals

Amadeus: 74% of travelers want personalization, sustainability commands an 11.7% rate premium. The Travel Dreams 2026 report from Amadeus, based on 6,000 travelers and 500 hoteliers across nine countries, finds travel is increasingly used as a mental health reset, with 41% aspiring to return with a calmer nervous system. The top six revenue-generating attributes identified include early check-in and late check-out, room view selection, and sleep optimization packages, with Amadeus modeling that a 150-room mid-scale hotel could generate over $1 million in incremental annual revenue by retailing them effectively. GEO and SEO are now the top demand-generation priority for hoteliers, with 69% of travelers reportedly relying solely on AI search summaries for discovery. Average AI spend budgeted per hotel in 2026: $320,000, rising to $400,000 in the U.S.

Milan hit a March ADR record of €202.42. CoStar data shows Milan hotels achieved their best-ever March performance, driven by the convergence of Fashion Week, the MCE tradeshow, and the Winter Paralympics. The combination of events demonstrates how supply-constrained markets respond when multiple demand drivers land simultaneously.

Paris March ADR reached €438 at 88% occupancy. Fashion Week and a strong concert calendar drove record March performance in Paris, with CoStar data showing the city's hotel market operating near its ceiling on both price and volume simultaneously.

São Paulo Design Week lifted March occupancy 13% to 67.8%. ADR rose 7.4% to BRL871.48, with peak performance on March 11 coinciding with the event's core programming. Event-driven demand continues to separate strong performance months from baseline in Latin American city markets.

World Cup host cities are seeing double-digit flight booking growth. RateGain launched a free dashboard tracking flight and hotel bookings across FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities, with the current data already showing double-digit growth in flight bookings in the majority of markets, months before the tournament begins.

People

Autumn Griffith was appointed General Manager at Davidson Hospitality Group. Senior appointments were light across the day.

Properties

Jumeirah Burj Al Arab announced a phased restoration programme to preserve the landmark property's legacy. Hilton signed Paradise Breeze Nassau, Curio Collection by Hilton, expanding its Caribbean presence. The Langham Group announced The Langham Jinan, bringing luxury to Shandong's capital in the historic Honglou neighbourhood. IHG signed Kimpton Kota Kinabalu, adding a beachfront Malaysia property to the brand's Asia-Pacific footprint.