OTAs spend $14 billion annually intercepting travelers in search, but AI conversations bypass those platforms, creating a window for hotels to establish direct presence.
Mitsis today announced the launch of Canvas by Mitsis, a new hospitality brand inspired by the essence of simple, warm, and authentic Greek hospitality. Conceived as a “canvas where creation begins,” the brand invites guests to celebrate what matters most through meaningful, everyday moments.
KAYAK, the world's leading travel search engine, has dropped its 2026 'What the Future' (WTF) Report, offering a look at the destinations and travel behaviors that will shape the year ahead. Along with exclusive community data from TikTok, the report focuses on the places and patterns that matter before they become mainstream news. In its second edition, the WTF report uses billions of KAYAK user queries to spotlight overlooked destinations offering lower prices, fewer crowds and more flexibility.
Fresh off its grand debut as the flagship resort of Appellation – a visionary, culinary-first hospitality brand founded by Michelin-starred chef Charlie Palmer and luxury hospitality veteran Christopher Hunsberger – Appellation Healdsburg proudly announces its acceptance into Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH), a curated collection of the world’s most characterful, independently spirited hotels. The partnership marks the first Appellation hotel to join SLH, signaling a major milestone for the brand’s growth and global recognition.
Duetto, a hotel industry provider of revenue and profit software, and HotStats, a global leader in hotel P&L benchmarking, have released a joint performance analysis showing a widening gap between top-line growth and bottom-line reality.
Expedia and Booking is not a duopoly. I said this some weeks ago when I got a sneak peek at the OTA research data.
Namron Hospitality did not start as a conventional hotel story. "I do not come from a background of hospitality," Yves Naman told Hospitality Net, tracing his path from business school in Canada to Mexico, where he fell in love with the country’s creativity and the way people host. "We were really amazed by the level of hospitality," he said, describing being cared for by Mexican friends "like last time I was taken care of like that was when I was born and my mother had me in her arms."
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced Apartment Collection by Hilton, a new lodging category within Hilton's growing collection brand portfolio – offering unique, spacious furnished apartments with the trusted hospitality and reliability guests expect from Hilton. Apartment Collection by Hilton will be available for booking through Hilton channels in the first half of 2026, with initial properties in the U.S. launched in partnership with Placemakr—a leading apartment hospitality brand and operator specializing in flexible, short-term and extended-stay accommodations in urban and suburban markets, with nearly a decade of experience integrating innovative hospitality solutions and trusted service.
In this episode of Pillow Talk Sessions, Ulrich Pillau, Co-Founder and CEO of Apaleo, joins host Jessica Gillingham to explore how digital acceleration, AI integration, and platform openness are redefining what it means to operate in the hospitality space — and why legacy thinking may be the industry’s biggest risk.
A whimsical corridor of mushrooms. A painting of a floppy-eared dog dressed to the nines in military finery. An inclusive spa that favours family time over restrictive hours. A dog bath before you’ve even reached the lobby. I’ve only been exploring New Park Manor for five minutes, and already it’s clear there’s something a little bit different about this hotel.
A whimsical corridor of mushrooms. A painting of a floppy-eared dog dressed to the nines in military finery. An inclusive spa that favours family time over restrictive hours. A dog bath before you’ve even reached the lobby. I’ve only been exploring New Park Manor for five minutes, and already it’s clear there’s something a little bit different about this hotel.
A trio of new openings in the American West and Northeast sets the tone for a hospitality industry in transition. From a modular, steel frame hotel on commercially zoned desert land near Joshua Tree to an off grid eco lodge by Grand Teton and a Vermont retreat repurposed from historic farm buildings, the examples underline a shift toward lighter footprint development, community sensitivity, and concepts designed around place rather than pure scale. The message is clear: growth is still possible, but the route forward is becoming more inventive, more local, and more operationally disciplined.
Early adopters include Barceló, H10, Palladium, and Vincci, with the SaaS solution enabling corporate app launches without large development teams.
Author reflects on podcast with Amadeus executive about the Shiji-Amadeus partnership and shift toward truly integrated hospitality technology platforms.
The guide outlines strategies for hotels to optimize their websites and data for AI search engines like ChatGPT to compete with OTAs for direct bookings.
London-based group used AI tools via Apaleo's open API platform to automate guest communications, review analysis, and voice bookings across 14 properties.
Blastness processed over €2 billion in bookings annually and helped clients increase direct channel bookings by 104% over seven years.
SiteMinder won seven awards including Best Channel Manager and Best Booking Engine, processing 130 million reservations worth $55 billion annually.
Lighthouse swept four categories for the sixth straight year while integrating acquired Hotels Network into unified platform serving 80,000+ hotels.
Cloudbeds won Best Hotel Management Software and earned finalist status in four other categories based on verified hotelier reviews across 200+ global solutions.