2025: The Year Hospitality Embraced Its Hybrid Future
Industry analysis shows 2025 marked hospitality's shift from AI hype to practical implementation, with 36% of users now viewing technology as a "good friend."
HN Originals
AI is Becoming the Consumer: What Travel & Hospitality Brands Need to Know Now
Accenture research shows 50% of AI users make purchase decisions based on AI recommendations, with travel brands needing to optimize for AI discovery platforms.
Winning over OTA guests with trust and convenience in the website and CRM
The article provides tactical strategies for reducing OTA dependence through website improvements and personalized CRM campaigns that build trust and convenience.
Direct booking in the AI era: 10 OTA winback strategies
The guide provides 10 actionable strategies to convert OTA bookers into direct customers, from identity resolution to AI optimization.
Swire Hotels: “Houses, Not Hotels” and the Art of Staying Different
Swire Hotels' managing director discusses the company's 'Houses, not Hotels' philosophy, expansion to 15-18 properties by 2030, and growth in Chinese domestic travel demand.
Holiday Shopping 2025: More Spending, More Stress, More AI
Accenture research shows 66% of consumers now use generative AI for shopping decisions, with 60% comfortable letting AI automate travel planning.
The 2026 AI Disruption Map - 24 Tech Leaders Reveal Where Hospitality's Future Is Being Built
Survey of 27 hotel technology suppliers reveals AI will disrupt five key areas by 2026, creating a two-speed industry between AI-ready and legacy properties.
Another Star, same ambition to redefine hospitality
Another Star CEO discusses the company's $685M refinancing and strategic plans following citizenM's integration into Marriott Bonvoy.
OTA guest conversion strategy for hotels: The ultimate guide
Comprehensive guide on converting OTA guests to direct bookers through staff training, automated email sequences, and incentives to reclaim up to 30% commission fees.
Expedia Guess The Guest: A Conversation on Hospitality, Dead Internet Theory, Artificial Intelligence, and Human Stupidity
Expedia executive Elisa Ragno discusses AI's impact on hospitality and the balance between technology and human connection in guest services.
Sales equals Speed in 2026 for hotel lead nurturing
The author argues hotels must respond to inquiries within five minutes to capture 100% lead quality, with response effectiveness declining exponentially after that.
Culture First, Not Campaign First: Inside Arlo’s Social Strategy
I had the opportunity to sit down with Dino Jevric, Arlo’s Social Media Manager, to discuss how the brand is taking a different path on Instagram at a time when many hotels still use social mainly to push rates and packages. Arlo is treating the platform less like a sales channel and more like an extension of the guest experience, curating its feed as a living diary of hotel life and neighbourhood energy. The aim is simple but ambitious: make people feel like they are already there, before they have even booked.
Top 10 DOs and DON’Ts for your hotel lead nurturing strategy
What if the secret to better lead nurturing isn't picking between technology and people, but knowing exactly when to use each?
LodgIQ's CEO Vincent Ramelli on Reinventing Hospitality: Data, People and the Future of AI-Driven Hotels
Vincent Ramelli, CEO of LodgIQ, has been at the forefront of hotel technology for decades. In his recent interview for Hospitality Net, he reflects on a career that spans the early days of the internet, the rise of online distribution, and now the integration of generative AI into hotel operations.
Hilton Grand Vacations COO Gordon Gurnik on Innovating Timeshare Experiences and Expanding Global Horizons
Hospitality Net recently had the opportunity to speak with Gordon Gurnik, COO of Hilton Grand Vacations, about the company's evolution, innovations, and future plans. Gurnik explained that Hilton Grand Vacations is a standalone public company closely affiliated with Hilton Worldwide, managing over 720,000 members across more than 200 properties worldwide. The company prioritizes team member investment to reduce turnover and maintain high service standards, supporting seamless guest experiences. Hilton Grand Vacations is positioned as the world's largest timeshare company, committed to evolving with market trends and delivering value through technology and memorable vacations.
How Club Mahindra Quietly Solved Hospitality’s Biggest Plastic Problem
India’s hospitality industry is waking up to a silent pollutant: "Plastic". While many hotel chains are still searching for alternatives, Club Mahindra has already turned sustainability into action. Partnering with WAE, the brand has installed in-house Glass Bottling Plants (GBPs) across its resorts systems that purify, bottle, and reuse glass containers, completely eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles.
Lead nurturing for hotels: From inquiry to confirmation
You have revenue hiding in plain sight…and it’s slipping away.
Beyond Price: The Future of Hotel Upselling and Cross-Selling
In this insightful interview, Scott Dahl and Mercedes Blanco discuss the evolving landscape of upselling and cross-selling in the hotel industry heading into 2026. They highlight how traveler preferences have shifted away from just prices and views toward meaningful, personalized experiences, emphasizing the emotional story behind offers. Mercedes shares her extensive expertise in digital marketing and hospitality technology, underscoring the fast-paced integration of AI in enhancing guest experiences, marketing strategies, and direct booking channels.
AI will turn upselling from “send offers” into “solve needs”
The next wave of upselling will be smarter, quieter, more contextual, and more effective. Instead of static menus or one-off emails, AI-powered upselling will coordinate offers across channels and moments to meet the guest’s true goal: reducing friction, enhancing comfort, and creating delightful moments.
Why your upsell strategy is failing: When digital & voice live in different worlds
Upselling should be a seamless part of the guest journey, elevating the experience for guests, while strengthening the bottom line. Yet many properties invest heavily in offers, scripts, and campaigns — only to see limited return. The root cause is rarely the quality of the upgrade itself, but the disconnect between digital browsing behavior and voice-channel conversations.