The AI visibility game just got serious for hoteliers
As guests increasingly use AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini to research stays, hotels risk losing bookings to OTAs if they lack visibility or accuracy in AI-generated recommendations.
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Why great guest experiences start before check-in
Dream Inn Santa Cruz's Director of Sales and Marketing shares how human-led reservations, pre-arrival outreach, and storytelling convert OTA visitors into direct bookers and build multi-generational guest loyalty.
Karen Stephens, Chief Marketing Officer, Revinate, Inc.
AI Reality Check Series: Before Chasing AI Visibility, Get Your Digital Basics Right
Hotels chasing AI visibility should first fix digital fundamentals: quality content, reviews, social presence, and accurate listings before optimizing for ChatGPT or LLM-based discovery.
Stephanie Sparks Smith, CEO & Digital Matriarch, Cogwheel Marketing, Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics
Why your hotel’s direct booking rate is still stuck below 15%
Namastay founder Frédéric Robles argues that friction at checkout, not pricing or loyalty, is the primary reason hotel direct booking rates remain stuck at 5–15%, while digital wallets have doubled mobile bookings on some properties.
Revinate thinks the AI trusts your guests more than your brand
We didn't go to HITEC 2026 for the demos. We went for the conversations. We sat down with exhibitors right there on the show floor. No script, no prepared questions, just one starting point: tell us what you do, in plain language. This is where it went with Frank Trampert, Chief Revenue Officer at Revinate.
Book the Restaurant, Then the Room: OpenTable Reveals the 2026 Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in America
OpenTable's 2026 Top 100 Hotel Restaurants list coincides with data showing hotel restaurant bookings by travelers up 13% YoY, plus an upgraded AI Concierge tool now live on its homepage.
Jersey Banks and Lyon Porter of Urban Cowboy on Nostalgia, Community, and Building Hotels That Feel Like Home
Urban Cowboy founders Lyon Porter and Jersey Banks discuss their 12-year journey across multiple locations, zero marketing spend, and plans for larger properties including a beach location and branded residences.
The night auditor who built a unicorn: Richard Valtr opens The Boardroom Reboot
Mews founder Richard Valtr traces the origin of the hospitality unicorn from night audit boredom in Prague to a billion-dollar PMS, sharing predictions on AI, loyalty, and the future of hotel work.
HSMAI Europe launches new whitepaper on the agentic future of hospitality technology
HSMAI Europe's AI Advisory Board whitepaper examines how autonomous AI agents will reshape hotel discovery, booking, and communication, and what hotels must do to become "AI-bookable."
Grevon joins AI Hospitality Alliance as a founding partner
Grevon joins the AI Hospitality Alliance as a founding partner, contributing to technical standards and direct-booking workstreams as AI reshapes hotel distribution and guest ownership.
The half of corporate travel that's growing skips the RFP
Independent hotels can capture growing unmanaged corporate travel by loading rates into the GDS, bypassing RFPs entirely and appearing in corporate booking tools where off-channel spend is being corralled.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
Winning Over OTA Guests with Trust and Convenience in the Website and CRM
Hotels can reduce OTA commissions by making their websites more convenient than third parties and using CRM data to send personalized, trust-building emails rather than generic promotional offers.
By Adam Mogelonsky and Larry Mogelonsky
Hotel Image Standards Vary Across Distribution Channels and What Hoteliers Need to Know
Image dimensions, aspect ratios, file formats, and gallery structures differ by platform, creating inconsistent brand presentation and conversion risk for hotels managing content across OTAs and other channels.
ExplorUS Expands Partnership with roommaster, Bringing AI Concierge to More Than 20 Park Destinations
ExplorUS will deploy roommaster's AI voice concierge across 20+ national and state park lodging sites, extending a partnership dating back to 2012 to capture after-hours bookings and reduce staff call volume.
Check-out is where the real marketing begins
A practical guide arguing that post-checkout is the highest-ROI marketing window, outlining a 5-stage framework using CRM automation, personalization, and retention strategy to drive repeat bookings.
One Hotel in Your Market Already Owns the AI Answer
AI platforms now resolve hotel recommendations to a single dominant name per market, creating a winner-take-most dynamic that bypasses traditional attribution tools entirely.
By Andrew Paul, Managing Director, Americas Great Resorts
Pests Like Bed Bugs Rank Ahead of Cleanliness, Staff and Value as Travellers' #1 Hotel Booking Concern, Phocuswright Research Confirms
Phocuswright survey of 1,082 travellers across the US, UK and France finds bed bug safety outranks cleanliness, value and staff friendliness as the top hotel booking concern, with 79-84% preferring a certified 4-star over an uncertified 5-star.
Valpas and Phocuswright
Navan and Hilton to Co‑Create Hotel–TMC Direct Connect
Navan becomes the first TMC to integrate directly with Hilton's Central Reservation System via Booking and Content APIs, enabling real-time rates, rich property content, and streamlined virtual payments for corporate customers.
How Hotels Can Use Reviews to Book More Direct Group Business
Opinion piece argues hotels neglect review-gathering for group/MICE business, and outlines a practical SOP for capturing testimonials at peak emotional moments to win direct bookings.
By Cory Falter, Partner, Lure Agency
Ask ChatGPT About Your Hotel. Now Ask It the Question Your Next Guest Actually Asks.
Hotels that pass the name-search test on AI engines often fail category queries like "best luxury hotel in [destination]," where guest shortlists are built from third-party sources hotels rarely manage.
By Andrew Paul, Managing Director, Americas Great Resorts