Amex buys TheFork, TravelAI acquires Sonder brand, Alexa+ sells trips with Priceline, Airbnb adds car
Read → Amex wants TheFork for data and cardmembers. TravelAI snaps up Sonder. Alexa+ books trips with Priceline. Airbnb adds cars. EU digital wallet for hotel check-in. China fines Trip.com $770M.
roommaster Linq AI, Radisson ChatGPT, IHG AI Search, Google Travel Ads, Dertour Acquisition
Read → AI invades hotel distribution: roommaster launches Linq, Radisson opens ChatGPT bookings, IHG tests AI search, Google bet on travel ads.
The Local Supermarket as the New Hotel Experience
Read → 39% of travelers visit local grocery stores while traveling. Hotels can turn this into curated experiences, minibar localization, and guided market walks.
IHG Launches AI Conversational Search for Hotels
Read → IHG's beta AI conversational search lets guests describe travel needs in natural language across 7,000+ properties, with agentic booking coming next.
Your hotel's AI visibility changes every hour, don't trust a screenshot
Read → A study of 28,600 AI answers shows the top hotel result shifts 40% within an hour. Relying on a single screenshot is dangerous.
Newbury Guest House: small hotel, big tech beats chains with roommaster
Read → How a historic Boston brownstone used roommaster’s cloud PMS, direct booking engine, and AI revenue management to outshine chain competitors.
Hotel rooms as interactive art galleries
Read → HCN and Artography bring 200,000+ artworks to in-room tablets, letting guests browse and buy art for delivery. A smart revenue play for hotels.
USD500M for luxury hotels: Aman and Janu projects in Asia-Pacific
Read → HVS newsletter highlights five Asia-Pacific transactions, led by a USD500M joint venture for Aman and Janu luxury hotels.
MCA Expands Managed DAS for Hotels Amid Carrier Coverage Changes
Read → Mobile Communications America combines SSaaS and SecurePlan to help hotels outsource mobile signal management as carriers shift indoor coverage.
Glasgow Marriott boosts room service revenue 24% with IRIS mobile dining
Read → The Glasgow Marriott deployed IRIS Mobile Ordering and Digital Guest Directory and saw a 24% revenue lift and 23% order volume increase. 80% of orders are now digital.