International Visitors Are America’s Best Brand Ambassadors. The Data Proves It.
A YouGov survey of 1,284 international visitors to the U.S. found 91% were satisfied, 83% felt welcome, and 61% left with a more favorable view of America.
News
Global Hotel Alliance Adds Four Distinctive New Member Brands
GHA adds Almanac Hotels, Regal Hotels, STORY Hotels, and TemptingPlaces Collection, bringing 22 new properties across Europe, Middle East, and Asia to its 35 million-member loyalty programme.
The Invisible Hotel: Why the Best AI in Hospitality Is the AI Guests Never Notice
The concept argues AI works best when it enhances human interactions invisibly, providing staff context without disrupting guest connections.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
The Hospitality Industry Doesn’t Need More AI. It Needs Better Memory.
The author argues that fragmented, siloed hotel data undermines AI's effectiveness, and that structured institutional memory must come before AI deployment can deliver reliable guest experiences.
EHL HumanX Summit Sharpens the AI Debate, Hotels Are Doing AI Backwards, APAC Luxury Deals Surge 77%
Tuesday leads from EHL Lausanne, where the HumanX Summit sharpened the AI debate, alongside a sharp take on AI strategy and surging Asia Pacific luxury deals.
Cybersecurity in hospitality: what every hotelier needs to know
Mews CEO Matt Welle and two cybersecurity experts warn that hospitality is an underinvested, high-value target for cybercrime, urging hoteliers to adopt passkeys, SSO, and business continuity plans.
Most hotels are doing AI backwards
A five-step framework urging hoteliers to identify high-friction, measurable workflows before selecting AI tools, rather than deploying technology in search of a problem.
By Vassilis Syropoulos, Founder & CEO, Juyo Analytics
HumanX Summit 2026, Day One: Seven Things That Actually Stood Out
Day one coverage from the HumanX 2026 summit at EHL Lausanne distills ten cross-industry interviews into six arguments: AI consensus, luxury redefinition, labor honesty, guest memory, divergent threat readings, and broken metrics.
Why hospitality agentic platforms are the future of hotel technology
Agentic platforms act as an AI orchestration layer above existing hotel systems, letting staff interact via natural language to execute multi-system workflows in seconds without replacing current tech investments.
By Alan Young, VP, Strategy | Hospitality, Infor
Borrowed trust.
Consumers trust AI least for travel yet AI-referred bookings are growing 111% YoY with cart values nearly twice traditional traffic, creating a high-stakes "borrowed trust" dynamic hotels must understand.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
Two new signings as Valor expands African portfolio
Valor Hospitality signs two South African properties: a 102-room Tapestry Collection by Hilton in KwaZulu-Natal (2028) and a lifestyle aparthotel in Cape Town (2027), expanding its 100+ hotel African portfolio.
Three Existing Radisson Blu Meetings and Events Hotels in Norway to Join Radisson Hotel Group’s Verified Net Zero Hotels Program
Three Radisson Blu hotels in Bergen, Trondheim, and Tromsø will join Radisson Hotel Group's Verified Net Zero program by summer 2026, bringing the total to four certified properties in Norway.
The Great Customer Experience Game: Customer Service Without Winners and Losers
Author proposes a self-scoring gamification model for customer service where employees compete against their own past performance, not colleagues, to build better habits and culture.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Hospitality in the GCC: Hotel Owner and Investor Sentiment on the U.S.-Iran Conflict
HVS surveyed owners and investors representing 160,000 GCC hotel rooms, finding cautious but intact long-term confidence despite the 2026 U.S.-Iran conflict disrupting aviation and traveller demand.
By Hala Matar Choufany, President - HVS Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Dubai, HVS
Technology, Managed Travel and Hotel Distribution Gaps Stall Progress Toward the “Perfect Business Trip,” According to New GBTA Research
A GBTA survey of 269 corporate travel buyers finds 58% say AI has had little impact on their programs, 61% struggle with global program management, and 72% cite hotel pricing disparities as a top pain point.
AHLA Statement on Passage of the Los Angeles Minimum Wage Amendments
AHLA CEO Rosanna Maietta welcomed LA City Council amendments to the hotel minimum wage law, calling it necessary relief amid rising costs and declining travel demand.
FHS Saudi Arabia pre-event feature: hospitality investment outlook
FHS Saudi Arabia (22-24 June, Riyadh) previews the Kingdom's 358,000-room pipeline and investment outlook, featuring perspectives from Wyndham, The First Group, Amsa, and Ewaa Hotel Group.
Welcoming Guests with Space
Research shows that overcrowded hotel rooms with excess pillows, documents, and amenity trays hinder guests' ability to personalise their space, reducing psychological ownership and satisfaction.
By Lee-Keng Ng, Associate Professor, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
The AI Concierge has checked in: how artificial intelligence is amplifying efficiency across the entire traveler journey
AI is reshaping every stage of the hotel and travel journey, from intent detection and influencer conversion to dynamic pricing, GEO, and post-stay re-engagement, demanding integrated data infrastructure to compete.
By Anurag Jain, Executive Vice President, RateGain
Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques Debuts Design Shop, A New Era of Hotel-Inspired Living
Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques launches Design Shop, a hotel-inspired home décor line anchored by W Hotels and Westin collections, with JW Marriott and destination-themed drops planned for late 2026.