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Opinion Articles

HN Original
Opinion Article

Guest segmentation in 2025: Moving beyond broad-brush marketing with AI

Anna is planning a business trip to Tokyo. Eager to get the best recs for the city, she whips out her smartphone and finds a hotel touting everything she wants. She books her stay within minutes. Her dream stay wishlist was made possible by AI — and behind that magic is guest segmentation. Large Language Models (LLMs) and other AI tools can now segment data (like intent, behaviors, or loyalty preferences) and instantly spin up personalized recommendations that feel one-to-one, not one-to-many.

By Karen Stephens and Henri Roelings
Opinion Article

No, Booking Won’t Be the Plumbing for OpenAI’s Agents

The hype cycle on AI agents keeps going. The Financial Times tells us that the “rise of AI shopping agents” is set to transform e-commerce. OpenAI even renamed its Operator system simply “Agent,” making the pitch clear: AI will browse and buy on our behalf. Sounds great, but not totally sure it will pan out (most of Amazon’s profit comes from ads not from product sales).

Martin Soler
By Martin Soler, Partner, Soler & Associates
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Opinion Article

The AI Revolution in Hotel Revenue Management: Why the Future Is Already Here

Revenue management, at its core, has always been about balance—the delicate calibration of price, timing, and demand. For decades, this equilibrium was achieved by revenue managers hunched over spreadsheets, fueled by experience, instinct, and often, last-minute adjustments. But in an industry increasingly defined by data and disruption, those days are fading fast.

Mayank Rastogi
By Mayank Rastogi, Senior Vice President & GM, RateGain, RateGain
HN Original
Opinion Article

AI Max, Ads in AI Overviews and the End of the Hyperlink Economy: Hotel Marketing in the Post-Search Age

For thirty years, the web has been a system of exits, a labyrinth of blue underlined doors pointing outward, each page no more than a step toward another place. With the global launch of AI Max for Search and, more generally, “Ads in AI Overviews” (awaiting a shorter name or acronym… AIO, maybe?), Google will likely invert this very ontology. The centrifugal logic of hyperlinks will collapse into a centripetal mechanism, where answers no longer reside elsewhere but are generated, framed, and monetized in place, with no escape. This is not a cosmetic refresh or one of those algorithmic oscillations that SEOs obsessively chart. It is a tectonic rupture, a rewriting of the rules that sustained the entire economy of discovery. The line between information and promotion, between organic and paid, between presence and intrusion, dissolves. For the hotel sector, which has always fought for visibility on the precarious margins of the SERP, this is nothing less than the advent of a new era, the one I have long described as the “post-search” world.

By Simone Puorto, Head of Emerging Trends and Strategic Innovation, Hospitality Net
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Radical Innovation Hospitality TECHNOLOGY

Radical Innovation is an initiative that challenges creative thinkers and visionaries in hospitality TECH to pioneer compelling innovations that fuel the future of the hospitality and travel industries.  
Radical Innovation
Opinion Article

Decoding AI’s Impact on the Changing Guest Journey

The traditional guest journey, a straightforward path from dreaming and discovery to conversion and experience, is being fundamentally reshaped by AI. Large Language Models (LLMs) are creating a new, non-linear journeys by delivering multimodal, personalized, and conversational experiences right from the discovery phase. This shift is happening quickly, with the 'hockey-stick' growth in traffic driven by LLMs showing that AI is set to become a major force in driving web traffic.

Benu Aggarwal
By Benu Aggarwal, Founder and President, Milestone Inc.
Opinion Article

From Service to Experience: How Hospitality Brands Can Win in 2025

In the world of hospitality, offering “great service” used to be enough. Guests wanted clean rooms, friendly staff, and maybe a complimentary breakfast. Fast forward to 2025, and the game has changed. Today’s travelers aren’t just looking for a place to stay—they’re searching for experiences that make them feel seen, valued, and inspired.

Prince Sanders
By Prince Sanders, Hospitality Managing Director, Prince A. Sanders
Opinion Article

Pacific Island Property Evolution with OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort

The very best of resort hospitality has always involved strong storytelling wherein guests are invited to participate in experiences they wouldn’t be able to enjoy quite the same way anywhere else. While this may be obvious, in practice the development and maintenance of the programming that underpins this sense of place requires a ton of work and a passion for continuous property evolution.

Larry MogelonskyAdam Mogelonsky
By Larry Mogelonsky and Adam Mogelonsky
Fiji
Opinion Article

The Art of Personalization

In today’s rapidly evolving meetings and events landscape, personalization has emerged as a critical element in ensuring successful, impactful gatherings. No longer is it enough to offer a one-size-fits-all approach – clients and attendees now expect tailored experiences that reflect their specific needs, preferences, and goals. Hotels and meeting planners must work collaboratively to curate events that go beyond logistics, fostering deeper engagement and delivering lasting impressions. From integrating advanced technology to refining service touchpoints, personalization in events is redefining how meetings are designed and executed.

Jamie Bruce
By Jamie Bruce, President, Teneo Hospitality Group