Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence stopped being a trade-show promise and became the layer rewriting how travel is sold, run and experienced.
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.
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.
AI automates late check-outs for extra revenue
Read → AI agents can handle late check-out requests end-to-end, from confirming housekeeping to processing payment. No human needed.
Connected Hotels Demand More Humanity, Not Less Tech
Read → Federico Domínguez argues that AI frees hotel staff for personal interactions. The key is balancing connectivity and human touch in your property.
Hotels: Focus on 2026 AI Confidence, Not 2030
Read → Why building trust in AI for the near term matters more than a distant strategy.
Skift brings its Data + AI Summit to Europe for the first time
Read → Skift launches its Data + AI Summit in Europe, targeting travel leaders who want to move from AI hype to real results, especially in a fragmented regulatory landscape.
AI becomes mainstream travel planning tool for 37% of US travelers
Read → A new Allianz Partners survey reveals 37% of US travelers now use AI to plan trips, pushing hotels to rethink digital strategy.
54% of Travelers Distrust Your AI Recommendations, Now What?
Read → A new report from Wunderkind reveals that over half of travelers don't trust AI-powered travel recommendations. Here's why trust is the new battleground and what hoteliers can do about it.
Google is taking the wheel of hotel ad budgets. That's not bad news.
Read → Google is automating ad targeting and budget allocation, reducing manual control for hotel marketers. Kylie Chen explains why this is a opportunity.