The New Economics of Visibility
Research shows 81% of travelers trust media outlets more than other channels, yet hotel executives still prioritize paid search despite the AI-driven shift in discovery.
By Nick Slavin, CEO and Co-Founder, Curacity
Opinion Articles
Is hospitality distribution the modern RM swingers club?!?
Bartnick argues modern hotel distribution resembles casual dating rather than committed relationships, with guests constantly comparing options across multiple platforms.
By Fabian Bartnick, Founder, Infinito
A CX Lesson from Spider-Man
Research shows 79% of customers value personalization and 63% will pay more for it, but companies must use AI-powered data responsibly to avoid the "creepiness factor."
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
The $100K Mistake Hospitality Vendors Keep Making (Hint: It's Not Marketing Spend)
The article outlines how hospitality vendors lose deals by lacking online social proof despite heavy outbound spending, offering a 90-day framework to fix it.
By Susan Tucker, Partner & COO, The Lure Agency, Lure Agency
What’s Past Is Prologue: The Sales Challenges Hospitality Still Hasn’t Solved
Sales challenges like weak prospecting, poor follow-up, and team alignment issues persist unchanged since 1999, requiring human-centered coaching solutions beyond AI.
By Gary Hernbroth, Founder, Training for Winners
How Luxury Hotels Are Expanding Into Yachts and Airlines To Grow Their Brands
Luxury hotel brands like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and Aman are launching yacht and private jet services to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market.
By Nikolas Skrivanos, Contributor, HFTP
The Two Problems in the Travel Value Chain We Never Solved
The article argues group travel and vacation packages remain structurally inefficient despite two decades of innovation in hotel room distribution.
The Modern Sales Leadership Stack: Strategy, Systems, Signal & Story
The author introduces a four-layer leadership framework covering strategy, systems, signal interpretation, and storytelling to build resilient revenue organizations.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author - The Sales Leadership Brief (Linkedin Newsletter), The Sales Leadership Brief
Revenue Management is dying
The author argues that revenue management faces growing public resistance not because it's ineffective, but because consumers increasingly notice and resent dynamic pricing.
By Fabian Bartnick, Founder, Infinito
Human vs AI in Hotel Paid Ads
The article argues hotels should automate ad execution while keeping humans in control of strategy, positioning, and commercial objectives.
By Savina Karaivanova, Marketing & Product Strategist, Userguest
Expanding Hotel Marketing Analysis with Website Performance Insights
Exely's marketing director explains how website analytics reveals demand patterns before booking, citing cases where traffic analysis led to localization and content updates that boosted direct revenue.
By Anna Belash, Chief Marketing Officer, Exely
Your Hotel Isn't Being Found by AI — Here's Why That's a Crisis (and a Fix)
Hotels must optimize content for AI engines like ChatGPT as nearly half of website traffic will soon come from AI-driven searches, not traditional Google results.
By Cory Falter, Partner, Lure Agency
The New Front Line of Hotel Distribution: When Regulation Rewrites the Rules of Visibility
Google's DMA-compliant changes to hotel search results are giving OTAs and intermediaries more visibility while pushing hotel direct booking channels further down in search rankings.
By Brad Brewer, Chief AI Officer, Agentic Hospitality
Running 5 Hospitality Brands with a Team of 3
The operator uses automation tools like n8n, Make, and AI to handle workflows, content production, and reporting while maintaining human oversight for strategy.
By Lucas Stamm, Director of Marketing & Digital, Nara Hospitality Group
Grow Your Hotel Brand: Essential Facebook and Instagram Strategies
The guide covers profile setup, content optimization, hashtag strategies, and follower growth tactics for both Facebook and Instagram marketing.
By Kylie Chen, Director of Paid Strategy, Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics
Leveraging Your Destination for Hotel Marketing
Your hotel’s performance and success are invariably tied to the context of its destination. By tapping into local organizations, cultural events, and neighborhood experiences, you can inspire and amplify your marketing strategy and create offerings that resonate with travelers. Listed below are some ways to leverage your destination resources effectively and in ways that still differentiate you from your competitors.
Revenue Architecture: How Elite Sales Leaders Engineer Predictable Growth in 2026
The article outlines a systematic approach to building predictable revenue through four pillars: signal intelligence, pipeline physics, conversion velocity, and cross-functional alignment.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author - The Sales Leadership Brief (Linkedin Newsletter), The Sales Leadership Brief
Score big during FIFA World Cup 2026: How hotels can maximise revenue with Mobile Ordering
IRIS promotes mobile ordering solutions for hotels to maximize F&B revenue during the 2026 FIFA World Cup across North America.
By Graham Rushin, VP Sales & Marketing, IRIS
Emailing at the Right Tempo for Fewer Cart Abandonments and More Winbacks
Storey Hotel Management Group uses microsegmentation and strategic email timing to reduce cart abandonment and convert OTA guests to direct bookings.
By Adam Mogelonsky and Larry Mogelonsky
Beyond the RFP - How independent hotels compete for corporate visibility
A practical guide for independent hotels on joining consortia and TMC programs to gain corporate GDS visibility, including fees, requirements, and key deadlines for the 2027 season.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today