U.S. hotel results for week ending 17 October
U.S. hotel RevPAR rose 5.5% for the week of 11-17 October 2026, with Detroit and San Diego leading gains while San Francisco posted steep declines against Dreamforce 2025 comparisons.
News
Hilton for Business Introduces New Travel Coordinator Tools and Program Enhancements Shaped by Member Feedback
Hilton adds booking-on-behalf, shared reservation views, and duty-of-care tools to its free Hilton for Business program, which now serves over 400,000 SMB members globally.
Kimpton Serves Up The Curious Palate: A New Chapter of Culinary Originals
Kimpton launches The Curious Palate, a global F&B platform spanning secret menus, chef collaborations, and pop-ups across its portfolio, debuting at an inaugural multi-chef dinner in Monterey, CA.
Asia-Pacific's Autumn Travel Boom Sees Rising Demand for Emerging Destinations
Trip.com Group data shows Chiang Mai, Surabaya, and Busan leading Asia-Pacific booking growth this autumn, with Japan claiming 11 of the top 12 global foliage spots.
Artotel Group Strengthens Its Presence in Central Java Through the Management of Ramada by Wyndham Yogyakarta and Wyndham Garden Yogyakarta Conference Hotel & Action Park
Artotel Group appointed as third-party operator of two Wyndham-branded properties in Sleman, Yogyakarta, adding 260 rooms and MICE capacity for up to 1,000 guests to its Central Java portfolio.
Beyond Green Expands Its Global Portfolio With New Members in Costa Rica and Spain
Beyond Green adds El Silencio Lodge Spa in Costa Rica and Hotel Món Sant Benet in Spain, bringing its sustainable travel portfolio to 22 countries with 90+ member properties.
The Bell Stays on Top
Pertlink marks its 26th anniversary by repositioning as a hospitality technology and AI advisory, flagging AI discoverability as the defining challenge for hotels in 2027.
Hotel distribution in 2026: The GDS runs the business trip
Sabre GDS hotel reservations grew 8% year-over-year in Q2, with corporate travel now 45% of its volume, as booking tools blend GDS rates with OTA prices on a single screen.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
Why Success belongs to Hotels that Dare to be Different
Independent and boutique hotels command ADR premiums of up to 34% over traditional same-class hotels by leaning into authentic identities rather than chasing chain-style standardization.
By Melissa Rodrigues, Lead Content Manager, GuestCentric Systems
Hotel vs. vacation rental: 5 key differences to know
An explainer comparing hotels and vacation rentals across five dimensions: guest experience, location, amenities, pricing transparency, and distribution, aimed at helping hoteliers position more effectively.
By Femke Nollet, Content Specialist, Lighthouse
Read the Meter
Drawing on a McKinsey explainer, this piece introduces "token literacy" for hoteliers, explaining how AI billing works and why spend can nearly quadruple from pilot to portfolio rollout.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
Global Soccer Tourney Provides Roadmap for Future Mega Events
Lessons from the 2026 FIFA World Cup offer hoteliers a practical playbook on supply chain prep, staffing, cultural adaptation, and procurement for LA's 2027 Super Bowl and 2028 Olympics.
By Heather Altieri, Vice President, Client Relations, Avendra
Your hotel website is your 24/7 salesperson. Would you hire it?
A practical checklist for hoteliers to audit their website like a salesperson, covering page speed, booking paths, content accuracy, and personalization to drive direct bookings over OTAs.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Speedy Arrivals, Seamless Stays: How Hotel June Malibu Eliminated Wait Times With Canary's Mobile Key
Hotel June Malibu cut check-in wait times from 7 minutes to zero using Canary Technologies' Mobile Key and Mobile Check-In, with over half of mobile check-ins now opting for a mobile key.
Why wellness is your hotel’s most important new booking driver
With wellness tourism growing at 14.5% annually and spa-enabled hotels generating 108% higher TRevPAR, operators are urged to integrate wellness into booking strategy, not treat it as a cost centre.
How Hotel Work Changes as Software Becomes an AI Teammate, AI Travel Agents Carry a Hidden Token Cost, 40 AI Trip Planners Mapped
Thursday brought a World Panel viewpoint on how hotel work changes as software tools become AI teammates, Terence Ronson on the hidden token cost of AI travel agents that hotels should expect to see migrate into commissions, and Martin Soler's map of 40 AI trip planning products. Hilton's Pay with Points, PATA's Asia Pacific recovery data, and five property announcements rounded out the session.
Medical Wellness and the New Guest Expectation in Hospitality
Medical wellness is entering luxury hospitality through assessments, body composition scans, and AI-guided fitness, shifting wellness from amenity to a personalized, prevention-focused revenue opportunity.
By Rachel Lenzner and Gary Young
The AI Travel Planner Market Map
The author maps 40 AI trip planning products across four categories and questions whether AI will transform travel booking or simply replicate the transactional convenience of OTAs.
By Martin Soler, Partner, Soler & Associates
If Love Will Tear Us Apart, Good Music Will Keep Us Together: Simone Puorto’s new book on Ian Curtis and Joy Division launches in Curtis’s hometown on 26 October
Italian writer Simone Puorto launches a new book on Ian Curtis and Joy Division in Macclesfield on 26 October 2026, exploring pilgrimage and cultural afterlife around the late singer.
How to use flight search data to forecast hotel demand
Lighthouse research across 40 destinations confirms flight searches predict occupancy 9-10 weeks out and hotel searches 4-5 weeks out, with strongest signals at leisure and event destinations.
By Jonathan Gough, Content Team Lead, Lighthouse