We all talk about personalization, but I worry that we lack a common and agreed definition of the term - a definition that is crucial if we are to deliver on the personalization promise.
The problem isn't that personalization fails on property. The problem starts much earlier: we still don't speak the right language of guest experience in the digital space. Take booking. A traveler may want a big bed, a walk-in shower, and a quiet location.
Online personalisation is easy, as it's mostly a pattern-matching algorithm between known guest preferences and available services. It isn't personalisation, rather just mass customisation. On property, a guest walking around is essentially anonymous, even after checking in.
This is a question at the heart of hospitality’s digital transformation. Hotels excel at digital personalisation (curated offers, smooth booking, and tailored communications) because online, data is structured, accessible, and actionable.
Moxy Hotels, part of Marriott Bonvoy's portfolio of over 30 extraordinary hotel brands, proudly announces the opening of Moxy Tulum, marking a pivotal moment in Marriott International's growth strategy for the Caribbean and Latin America. As the first Moxy property in the region, Moxy Tulum introduces a fresh, youthful energy to CALA's hospitality landscape—catering to a new generation of travelers seeking immersive, design-forward experiences.
A mix of events helped São Paulo’s hotel industry post its highest average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) on record, according to September preliminary data from CoStar, a global leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets.
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) today announced the addition of a Colombian hotel to its distribution channels as part of its strategic alliance with AKEN Hotels & Resorts (AKEN). Effective immediately, the Bio Habitat Hotel, AKEN SOUL Collection, in Armenia, Quindío, Colombia, has joined the Sonesta family. This property marks the first to fall under the strategic alliance in Colombia, joining two other AKEN hotels in Argentina, La Urumpta Hotel & Spa, AKEN MIND, and Böden Hotel & Spa, AKEN SOUL, announced in September 2025, and the 8th Colombian destination within the Sonesta portfolio.
Millennials and Gen Z are inheriting a world where everything costs more. Housing, food, even free time come at a higher price. There's less money left for travel, so when they do travel, it has to matter. They're careful with budgets, but when they spend, they spend with purpose. They'll trade frequency for depth, choosing one meaningful trip over several forgettable ones.
Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino announced today that The Westerly, the resort's new oceanfront tower set to debut in early 2026, is now accepting reservations. Situated within the iconic Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, The Westerly will provide an elevated stay, granting guests the experience and privileges of a boutique hotel alongside the access and amenities of the larger resort. Guests will enjoy spacious guest rooms and expansive balconies, bespoke amenities, thoughtfully curated experiences, and a stunning 10th floor rooftop terrace, all while being steps from the beach. With a seamless fusion of refined comfort and local inspiration, The Westerly will offer travelers an elevated retreat in the heart of paradise to create lasting memories.
RIU Hotels & Resorts has announced that the Hotel Riu Guanacaste is to reopen following a full refurbishment to update the facilities and take the holiday experience to a new level. This iconic resort, located in the privileged setting of Matapalo Beach in Costa Rica, has been refurbished to continue offering a high-quality service to its guests, all while respecting the essence of the destination.
The end of the hyperlink economy may very well also mean the end of Google domination. Owning 92% of online searches worldwide, Google has long been in a quasi-monopoly situation, but this is shifting quickly, as people are catching on the ease of using LLM for search purposes: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Mistral, Deepseek...
The Fundamentals Stay the Same Discovery may shift from hyperlinks to AI answers, but advertising still rests on the basics: segmentation, targeting, positioning, and brand building. These don"t vanish when the funnel compresses — they adapt.
The investment won't be any less; maybe more. The search landscape, whatever its form, will inevitably migrate back to Google, a shift that the introduction of Gemini inside the browser will only accelerate. If the OTA model is truly sidelined, Google may look to take a significant portion of that revenue stream for itself.
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) today announced the opening of Sonesta Hotel Miraflores in Lima, Peru with Master Franchisor GHL Hoteles. The 133-room upscale hotel is located within walking distance of Kennedy Park, Iglesia Matriz Virgen Milagrosa, Love Park and Lima's main shopping district.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced the opening of Hilton Garden Inn Mexico City Polanco, a 10-story hotel strategically located in the stylish Polanco neighborhood known for its cultural attractions, posh shopping district and worldly cuisine and vibrant nightlife. Owned by Grupo Hotelero Gosa, the hotel features 81 thoughtfully designed guest rooms and an outdoor restaurant with views of the Chapultepec Castle, one of the city's most iconic landmarks.
IDeaS recently held its annual client conference Converge with the theme of "Bold Moves, Big Impact: A New Era in Hospitality"
The "right time, right place" mantra has always been complete nonsense to me. It treats humans like logical machines, as if only the left side of their brain exists, ignoring emotion and gut feeling, which is what ultimately drives decisions.
If the real question is about skills, mindset, and capabilities, then here's my take: Skills: a Revenue Manager today must think strategically, not just tactically. Revenue management is about defining where the business should go in terms of product and revenue in the next 3–5 years.
A broader skill set — especially in marketing — is becoming increasingly beneficial. Since specialized tasks can now be handled perfectly by AI, commercial roles are moving closer together. This shift makes broad, cross-functional skills more important than ever.
The Revenue Manager we need today looks very different from the one many hotels still have in place. The role can no longer be defined by Excel spreadsheets and static reports. The markets move too fast, the data is too complex, and the opportunities are too big to leave in the hands of manual processes.
The award-winning Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal will continue to redefine luxury with the culmination of a multi-year property-wide transformation with a grand reveal planned on October 1. The final phase of the renovation includes a complete redesign of all 112 guest rooms, suites, beachfront suites, presidential beachfront suite, casitas, and villas, as well as additional updates to the Beach Club Restaurant, adult pool, and the Salon at the Waldorf Astoria Spa.
The debate over proprietary vs. open AI is a symptom of a deeper issue: whether hospitality is willing to collaborate to truly move forward together. At Alliants, the path is open—not about building walled gardens. Distrust of tech vendors has pushed many large hotel brands to build in-house, often because people weren"t listening to one another openly. Innovation rarely happens in a closed room.
When it comes to where our Distribution landscape is headed - it's not even a question. Of course uniting our efforts is the only way to go. Otherwise we'll lose another OTA battle. But there's much more to the world of AI functionalities, it has its tenticles in every part of our tech ecosystem, not distribution alone.
I think we are in danger of running before we can walk here. MCP is Anthropic’s pitch for an open standard to let "agentic AI" bots built on next-word LLMs share data, for example, an OpenAI bot talking to a Gemini bot. Unless you are Marriott or Hilton with hundreds of in-house developers, or a big OTA like Expedia or Booking.com, this really isn’t something you need to worry about.
You could establish your own protocols instead of MCP, A2A, or other widely endorsed standards for agentic interactions. But that would be like creating your own version of HTTP. Not a great idea. The good news is I don't think companies feel the need to change that basic agent-friendly plumbing.
Costa Rica hotel performance over the past five years has resembled other leisure destinations frequented by Americans. Specifically, higher-end hotels and resort areas have done well, while other areas have remained flat.
RIU Hotels presented its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy in Cancún, Mexico. The event, held at the Riu Caribe, was led by Naomi Riu, Executive Director of the group and head of Corporate Social Responsibility, alongside more than 100 guests, including municipal and state authorities from Quintana Roo, such as the State Secretary of Tourism, Bernardo Cueto, as well as the various organisations supported by RIU, key industry figures, and members of the media.
Hilton welcomed government officials and project partners to Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in elegant, sustainable hospitality in the Guanacaste region. Set atop the dramatic cliffs of Punta Cacique with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, the ceremony marked a major milestone in Hilton's global luxury expansion—particularly across Latin America.