Over 100 years ago, the modern hotel chain was invented, and it dominated travel for nearly a century. Then, in 2007, we had an idea: what if we designed a way for people to book a home as easily as they could book a hotel? Since then, Airbnb has surpassed 2 billion guest arrivals and changed the way people travel. But a great trip is about more than the home you stay in. That’s why we’re introducing:
Expedia® today announced Expedia® Trip Matching, a first-of-its-kind feature that allows travelers to seamlessly build an itinerary based on an Instagram Reel and then book directly on Expedia. Travelers can share any publicly available travel-related Reel—whether from content creators they follow or trending posts—directly with Expedia and receive customized itineraries, destination ideas, and travel tips based on the video. Powered by AI, this new experience transforms inspiration into real-world travel plans, making it easier than ever to book travel directly from Instagram.
Modern hoteliers are faced with the challenge of meeting rising guest expectations while keeping operations efficient and profitable. In this fast-paced industry, innovative hospitality solutions have become essential tools for success. From personalizing guest experiences to streamlining day-to-day operations, the right hotel software can make all the difference. In this article, we’ll explore how these solutions are transforming the hospitality industry and helping hoteliers thrive…while maximizing profit.
Growth Advisors International Network (GAIN), the leading global travel & hospitality advisory firm for growth & innovation, has entered a strategic partnership with Techne Infiniti Ventures, the leading venture platform investing in the most innovative and exciting AI-powered innovation across the hospitality and travel industry.
In a recent conversation Simone Puorto and Brian Reeves, Founder and CEO of the roomangel Foundation they shared his thoughts on how hotel distribution has evolved, and why it needs a serious rethink.
Today, Hilton, a leading global hospitality company, is advancing the business travel industry as the world's first hotel group to automate the integration of virtual card payment details into its property management system. This technology will be implemented in thousands of Hilton properties globally, creating a more efficient and secure experience for business travelers and corporations around the world.
h2c is conducting a global study on how hotel chains are using AI and automation—and we’d love your input.
AI is no longer just a buzzword—it's transforming hospitality at a rapid pace, and Cendyn's Michael Bennett believes the biggest AI breakthroughs are already here. Speaking at ITB, Bennett highlighted AI-powered call centers and contextual chat agents as two of the most impactful innovations, boosting efficiency while reducing labor costs.Through Cendyn's partnership with Poly AI, hotels can now fully automate voice reservations, allowing human agents to focus on high-value guest interactions.
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) is pleased to announce the Headliner session lineup for the 2025 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®). The highly anticipated conference is poised to provide groundbreaking insights and inspiration for technology enthusiasts and industry leaders. This year’s standout headliners include Todd Buchholz, a distinguished economist, Harvard professor, former White House economic adviser, and acclaimed author and Jeremy Gustche, CEO of TrendHunter.com, a globally renowned platform for innovation and change.
AI in hospitality isn't just about chatbots—it's about automation, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. At ITB, Chris Egan of Cendyn emphasized that the most impactful AI applications are often behind the scenes, streamlining revenue management, marketing optimization, and business intelligence. Instead of just enhancing guest experiences, Cendyn is using AI to cut routine tasks, speed up decision-making, and maximize profitability.
Marriott International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAR) today announced it has entered into a strategic agreement with technology company PathSpot Technologies, Inc., the creator of a real-time hygiene management and digital kitchen system that protects against the threat and spread of illness with a handwashing validation system and equipment monitoring technology. As Marriott continues its legacy of hospitality industry innovation, including food and beverage operations, it is the first hospitality company to make PathSpot technology available to the company’s portfolio of over 9,300 properties across the U.S. and Canada, Caribbean and Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe and the Middle East.
Hospitality is all about creating unforgettable guest experiences, yet sound quality is often overlooked. Michael Kinzel, Global Segment Manager Live & Entertainment Venues at d&b audiotechnik, reveals how their world-class speaker technology—trusted by music icons like Coldplay and Taylor Swift—is now enhancing hotel and restaurant soundscapes.
Hospitality is about people helping people. Technology can enhance this through robust tools, enabling the workforce to deliver memorable guest experiences. Successful organizations must regularly evaluate their technology stack, processes, data infrastructure, and security to ensure practical support for internal operations and provide the desired guest journey to meet today’s guest expectations.
AI dominates hospitality discussions, but Oracle Hospitality's Tanya Pratt is cutting through the noise, focusing on AI's real business impact—enhancing efficiency, reducing friction, and empowering frontline staff. At ITB, Pratt shared Oracle's practical AI applications, including content automation, real-time support via conversational AI, and machine learning-driven revenue optimization.
Cloudbeds is pioneering AI-driven predictive hospitality, combining revenue management and marketing into a single intelligent system. CEO Adam Harris explains how their proprietary AI model analyzes billions of data points every hour to help hotels optimize pricing, fine-tune marketing campaigns, and attract guests with precision.
Hotels are sitting on a goldmine of guest data, but few are fully capitalizing on its potential. Dylan Cole, Managing Director EMEA at Revinate, explains how the latest Benchmark Report provides critical insights for hoteliers and why voice remains the top revenue-driving channel for upselling.
The hospitality industry produces vast amounts of data, yet many hotels struggle to translate it into actionable insights. At ITB Berlin, Infor's VP of Hospitality Strategy, Alan Young, unveiled the company's approach to solving this challenge through AI-driven revenue management and conversational analytics.
The hospitality industry thrives on evolution, and Shiji is embracing that change with a modular, service-oriented approach to hotel technology. At ITB, Kevin King, CEO of Shiji International, shared how the company has shifted away from enterprise-heavy, all-in-one models to offer flexible solutions that let hotels choose the tools they need—without unnecessary complexity.
In an era where hotels are competing with hyper-personalized digital experiences, Rik van Leeuwen of Ireckonubelieves that data-driven automation is the key to guest loyalty and revenue growth. Speaking at ITB Berlin, he outlined how hoteliers can harness AI to predict guest behavior, automate engagement, and eliminate data silos.