Automatic - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 164

2 min

Beyond bookings: How OTAs became strategic partners for hotels

📈 Jul 4, 2025, at the HSMAI Commercial Strategic Conference, industry leaders from Crescent Hotels, Expedia Group, and Booking.com emphasized the value of online travel agencies (OTAs) for hoteliers. Expedia manages over seven petabytes of data, providing actionable insights. Key strategies include leveraging OTA data, enhancing content consistency, and embracing AI-driven personalization. The focus is shifting from competition to partnership, with OTAs seen as strategic collaborators in marketing and revenue generation. It's a new era for hotel-OTA relationships.

Amazon Prime Day takes off with travel deals

🛫 Jul 8-11, 2025, Amazon Prime Day expands into travel deals with up to 40% off hotels, 60% off cruises, and 30% off car rentals. Exclusive offers for Prime members through Expedia, Royal Caribbean, and Budget. Hotels: 40% off with Hotels.com, 20% with IHG. Cruises: 60% off second guests, kids sail free. Car Rentals: up to 30% off, 10% back in gift cards with Budget. Book via partner sites using Amazon login.

Brand USA hit with major funding cut in new budget bill

🌎 Jul 4, 2025: Brand USA's federal funding was drastically cut from $100M to $20M, impacting their "America the Beautiful" campaign. The agency, which relies on these funds, faces challenges as international travel has not fully recovered. Despite a funding request from President Trump for FY2026, no federal funds have been received since January 2025. With events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics nearing, the cut raises concerns among travel leaders.

Booking.com’s 2025 European Accommodation Barometer

💻 Jul 4, 2025, Europe's accommodation sector is optimistic despite challenges. Booking.com's survey of 1,160 executives reveals 63% positivity, especially in Southern Europe. However, 62% plan stable or increased investment, with chains leading. Hiring remains difficult due to salary and work-life expectations. A training gap persists, with 17% of independents lacking training programs compared to 2% of chains. Smaller hotels face tech adoption barriers like AI due to cost and expertise shortages.

1 min

Triptease unveils smarter website personalization

🏨 Jul 3, 2025, Triptease launched a redesigned Messages product at the 2025 Direct Booking Summit. This platform revolutionizes hotel website personalization, boosting direct bookings through personalized campaigns, mobile-optimized designs, and seamless integration with paid channels. Key features include a drag-and-drop interface for intuitive message creation, enhanced multimedia engagement with videos and GIFs, and cross-channel integration for consistent messaging and simpler reporting. This empowers hotels to bypass OTAs by meeting modern guest expectations effectively.

2 min

Tripadvisor just turned its user reviews into a new brand

🌎 Tripadvisor's rebrand, launched on July 3, 2025, focuses on user-generated content and experiential bookings. The company introduced a vibrant electric lime color and animated its iconic owl logo. With 72% of travelers relying on reviews, Tripadvisor emphasizes authenticity by integrating real photos and reviews. The strategy supports post-pandemic demand for local experiences. An AI-enhanced app and a global travel membership program are set to launch in Q3 2025. Design agency Koto spearheaded the visual transformation.

1 min

Shiji enhances ReviewPro’s AI responses

📈 Jul 3, 2025, Shiji unveiled an upgrade to the ReviewPro Reputation AI Responses tool for hotels, enhancing guest review responses. HM Hotels achieved an 82% response rate for 661 reviews in a month, with a 100% response rate on platforms like Google and Booking.com, addressing negative reviews in under 2.7 days. Features include customizable tones, bulk reply for 20+ reviews, and editorial control to ensure brand consistency while improving efficiency.

2 min

Airbnb trials ‘Reserve Now, Pay Later’

💳 July 3, 2025, U.S. and Canada: Airbnb tests "Reserve Now, Pay Later" for eligible guests, allowing bookings without upfront payments. It aims to improve affordability and flexibility. Payment is collected later using the original payment method, before a free cancellation deadline. If payment isn’t completed, bookings are canceled. Hosts are unaffected as Airbnb handles payments. This isn’t installment financing. The feature is still under quiet experimentation with no official launch announced yet.

2 min

Inside Agoda’s DIY tech strategy

🌍 Jul 3, 2025, Singapore – Agoda, an online travel agency, saw its revenue rise from $1.2B in 2020 to $2.2B in 2024, leveraging in-house technology and AI. With 1,800 tech staff mainly in Bangkok and India, Agoda focuses on GenAI for personalisation and cybersecurity. Their investment in technology is their second-largest expense after marketing. Agoda aims for a global reach with localised experiences, enhancing offerings and targeting tier II cities and domestic travel.

1 min

The cost of isolation

📈 Jul 3, 2025: Trump-era travel policies are impacting U.S. hotels significantly. With new travel bans affecting nationals from 12 countries, international visitor numbers are plummeting. France reports an 8.3% drop, and New York anticipates 400,000 fewer tourists, revising forecasts to 64.1 million. The World Travel & Tourism Council predicts a $12.5 billion loss in foreign tourism revenue, marking the U.S. as the only country with declining international visitor spending. Future hotel investments may be at risk due to restrictive policies.

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