A hospitality sales strategist argues that digital reputation now functions as a pre-sales tool, with buyers forming opinions via LinkedIn, podcasts, and AI long before any direct outreach occurs.
Mirai argues hotel distribution is splitting into two ecosystems: the traditional web and an emerging AI agent ecosystem requiring structured knowledge, MCP endpoints, and new optimization strategies beyond SEO.
Airbnb's hotel team leaders Andrea D'Amico and Lou Zameryka, both ex-Booking.com, discuss how Airbnb is expanding into hotels and what that means for the distribution landscape.
HSMAI MEA's 9th annual Commercial Strategy Conference returns to Conrad Dubai on 17-18 November 2026, covering AI, data analytics, commercial leadership, and a new Women Voices segment.
The piece argues that sales teams should use meeting intelligence platforms to prioritize re-engagement with lost group accounts based on actual booking activity, not generic outreach schedules.
A framework for evaluating corporate accounts as investments across four dimensions: return, growth potential, risk, and strategic value, rather than room nights or revenue alone.
Cogwheel argues hotels should reframe marketing as digital revenue infrastructure spanning the full funnel, reducing OTA reliance and compounding direct booking growth over time.
A mystery shopper study of 308 calls across 135 luxury hotels found 92% captured no guest contact details, exposing major direct booking losses through poor phone handling.
The author argues luxury hotel marketing is structurally incomplete, focusing too heavily on conversion while neglecting upstream demand origin, leaving properties dependent on OTAs and AI intermediaries they don't control.
Exely's internal data shows tiered loyalty rewards tied to direct bookings can reduce OTA dependency and protect margins when reward costs are benchmarked against re-acquisition costs.
PATA and GBTA signed an MOU to co-develop the corporate travel component of PATA Travel Mart 2027 in Macao, combining buyer networks, knowledge forums, and joint marketing.
Hotel marketers are falling behind OTAs in AI search fluency, risking direct bookings as AI assistants increasingly surface inaccurate or OTA-sourced property information.
Leonardo Hotels survey of 2,000 UK adults finds 63% argue during holiday planning, with sleep disruption and budget disputes among top stressors affecting couples on city breaks.
HSMAI's Washington D.C. chapter hosts a $55–$75 half-day workshop on Sept. 10 covering hotel marketing fundamentals, demand generation, and commercial strategy using the CHDM credential as a framework.
Analysis of H1 2026 hotel distribution trends finds OTA commissions at 15-25% vs. 5-12% for direct, while AI and metasearch are reshaping how guests discover and book hotels.
A best-practice guide covering SEO, generative engine optimization, paid media, and AI strategy to help hotels capture direct bookings as zero-click search and AI platforms reshape travel discovery in 2026.
Hotels loading rates into GDS have no visibility into how AI-powered corporate booking tools like Concur and Navan rewrite, merge, and rank their listings before a traveler ever sees them.
A growing segment of travelers, 47% of surveyed Americans per IHG/Talker Research, want trips centered on learning skills like cooking, pottery, or sailing, blending personal development with destination culture.
Hyatt survey of 2,000 U.S. business travelers finds 90% rely on their hotel room as the only true off-clock space during work trips, used to promote its 700+ property Essentials portfolio and limited-time loyalty bonus point offers.
Influence Society hosts a free, invite-only half-day event for Swiss hoteliers in the Geneva area, focusing on AI, data, and digital marketing's impact on hotel visibility and guest relationships.