GBTA's 2026 BTI report projects global business travel spending will hit $1.71 trillion, with trip volume growing just 1.3% versus 7.2% spending growth, reflecting rising transportation costs.
White Lodging will break ground this month on a new Autograph Collection® hotel in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood, marking the company’s fifth Autograph property in its national portfolio of more than 60 hotels. Situated at South Tryon Street and Bland Street – at the heart of Charlotte’s fastest-growing mixed-use corridors – the project is the first full-service lifestyle hotel in South End and underscores White Lodging’s long-term commitment to Charlotte as a priority growth market.
After more than 35 years in hotel leadership, I've seen our industry evolve through major technological shifts. I began my career as one of the youngest leaders in the hotel, and today I'm often the person with the deepest institutional knowledge and operational experience.
My first honest lesson with AI was this: the technology was never the hard part. The people were. Our earliest AI applications were practical — sentiment analysis and review response support, demand forecasting tools, and pre-arrival personalization.
As a General Manager, my biggest learning has been that AI is not a replacement for hospitality—it is an enabler of better hospitality.Our first steps with AI focused on improving productivity rather than replacing people. We have used AI to support content creation, communication, brainstorming, data analysis, guest feedback summarisation and operational planning.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has opened Canopy Bangkok Sukhumvit, marking the debut of its lifestyle brand, Canopy Hotels, in South East Asia. Set in Bangkok’s vibrant Asoke neighborhood, the hotel brings together public spaces by award-winning interior design studio AvroKO, four distinctive dining concepts and city-curated experiences that reflect Bangkok’s layered character and creative energy. The opening represents another milestone in Hilton’s expanding lifestyle portfolio across Asia Pacific.
A 2026 Amadeus report found 69% of travelers trust AI summaries enough to book without further research, making AI discoverability the top demand strategy cited by hotel GMs.
Monday opened August with Americas Great Resorts' single-day audit finding five hotels capturing half of all AI recommendation slots across six US luxury markets, a demolished Miami hotel still being recommended 108 days after implosion, and a sharp analysis of agentic booking's unresolved commission question across three competing models. Hyatt Q2 results showed RevPAR up 5.9%, Greek hotel revenue up 10.1%, and Wynn Palace securing approval for a USD 900M-plus Macau expansion.
The GBTA Foundation's inaugural Gala at Chicago's Field Museum honored leaders in sustainable and inclusive business travel, raised $83,250 for student career scholarships, and announced 2026 Impact Award winners.
A roundtable podcast covering staff wellbeing, career development, and regional collaboration in Kent hospitality, featuring voices from Champneys Eastwell Manor, HOSPA, and Hospitality Action.
A single-day audit of 824 AI hotel recommendations across six US luxury markets found just 23 properties captured half of all slots, and a demolished Miami hotel was still being recommended 108 days after implosion.
A hospitality operations professional argues that hotels over-index on outcome metrics like RevPAR and satisfaction scores, missing earlier signals of operational drift that experienced managers can see but systems cannot.
Hard Rock Hotel Cancun and Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta will pause operations in summer 2026 for a full renovation, reopening late December 2026 with upgraded rooms, public spaces, and new music memorabilia collections.
The Balmoral has unveiled a new collection of private event spaces inspired by three of Scotland's most celebrated literary icons, designed to transform celebrations, private dining and corporate entertaining into distinctive story-led experiences.
Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel brand which operates over 630 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, has officially opened its new, 73-room hotel in Wakefield.
The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok is now accepting bookings for stays from 20 December. Set along the Chao Phraya River in the Thai capital’s Bang Rak District, the highly anticipated hotel centres on the city’s storied Custom House building, which is undergoing meticulous restoration. Established in 1888 under King Rama V, the landmark was once regarded as the country’s gateway to the world.
Banyan Group ("Banyan Tree Holdings Limited" or the "Group" – SGX: B58), an independent global hospitality company, has expanded the presence of its flagship Banyan Tree brand in China with the opening of Banyan Tree Mount Emei in China's Sichuan Province. Nestled in the foothills of Mount Emei (also known as Emeishan), the resort serves as a gateway to the Mount Emei Scenic Area, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed for both its cultural and natural significance and known for its rich biodiversity.
The Lakeshore Inn is proud to announce the completion of renovations to a large selection of its guest rooms, introducing refreshed accommodations at Lake Oswego's only hotel located directly on the water.
Hotelogix, a BIR-certified cloud PMS, reports that ~75% of 3–5 star hotels in the Philippines have adopted certified systems as tax compliance becomes a deal-breaker in tech procurement.
Hyatt Q2 2026 saw system-wide RevPAR rise 5.9%, gross fees up 7.8% to $324M, and Adjusted EBITDA of $297M, with full-year RevPAR growth guidance set at 3.5%–4.5%.
A comprehensive overview of modern hotel HR covering talent acquisition, training, engagement, retention strategies, and digital transformation tools like HRIS and ATS.
As AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google AI Mode begin executing hotel bookings, no settled commission structure exists, leaving hotels to navigate three competing models with vastly different cost implications.