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Automatic

2861 posts

Booking Holdings falls behind in 2025

🗺️ Booking Holdings underperformed in 2025 due to European regulations removing price parity clauses, allowing hotels to promote direct bookings. AI-driven tools are disrupting traditional travel agencies, embedding travel planning within digital ecosystems. Consumer behavior shifts and uneven demand affected Booking's commission-based model. Competitors with diversified offerings fared better. The travel industry is transitioning to AI-first experiences, challenging established players. Jan 6, 2026, marks a pivotal point for examining these changes.
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Gen Z abandons cash, reshaping how guests pay

💳 Jan 6, 2026: Gen Z's shift to mobile payments is reshaping hospitality. Digital wallets are a must, as younger travelers view cash as disposable. Pandemic habits like contactless check-in are now standard. Preferred payment methods include debit cards and buy now, pay later, impacting spending and hotel operations. While frictionless payments boost ancillary sales, they risk post-stay regret. Trust in digital security is key, but backup options for cashless failures remain critical.
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Hotel websites see rising AI-driven traffic as search clicks decline

🏨 Jan 6, 2026: AI assistants are transforming hotel discovery as travelers shift from traditional SEO to AI-driven searches. Since late 2024, hotel websites see month-over-month rises in AI-driven visits, while organic search clicks decline due to zero-click behaviors. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) emerges to ensure hotels appear in AI-generated responses, expanding discoverability beyond owned channels. Reputation management now influences AI visibility, emphasizing the need for a holistic strategy beyond traditional SEO.
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Expedia brings hotel booking to Alexa+

💻 Amazon, 2026, partners with Expedia to integrate its next-gen AI assistant, Alexa+, for voice-activated hotel and vacation rental bookings. This expansion includes partners like Tripadvisor and Uber, with new collaborations from Yelp, Angi, and Square. Alexa+ will prioritize personalized recommendations, enhancing Expedia’s AI strategy. Expedia is also collaborating with Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity. This signifies a shift to AI-powered travel services, focusing on user convenience and expanding Expedia's AI partnerships.
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How TravelAI finds trips you didn’t know you wanted

🗺️ Jan 6, 2026, Vancouver: TravelAI Solutions Inc. leverages AI and niche data across 470 travel domains to personalize trip discovery. They achieved a 441% revenue growth from 2021-2024 and expect US$27M in 2025 from US$480M in gross bookings. Using anonymized data, they provide targeted hotel recommendations, earning commissions on platforms like Expedia. Growth is driven by acquiring distressed travel sites, enhancing their AI-driven marketing and data profiling capabilities.
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How much more can the U.S. travel industry take?

🌎 Jan 6, 2026 - The U.S. is facing a decline in international tourism due to new fees, visa hurdles, and border uncertainty. Millions fewer international trips were made compared to last year, significantly impacting Canadian and European markets. Domestic travel cannot cover the revenue gap as international visitors spend more. The 2026 World Cup might offer temporary relief, but long-term risks persist. Industry experts warn of weakening U.S. tourism competitiveness amid global growth.
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  • 7 min

Top 10 Reasons Hoteliers Are Ditching Fragmented Contactless Technologies for a Unified Guest Journey

🏨 Hotels are shifting to unified guest experience platforms, ditching fragmented tech systems. Why? Reduced total cost of ownership, faster deployments, and enhanced security. A centralized system improves guest satisfaction and operational efficiency, offering a consistent experience across properties. This tech boosts brand reputation and supports growth with ease. By integrating check-ins, ID verification, payments, and more into one solution, hotels streamline operations and attract repeat customers, meeting modern expectations for a seamless, digital journey.
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  • 11 min

What was the impact of regulation on short-term rental markets in 2025?

🗺️ New York's Local Law 18, effective from September 2023, restricts short-term rentals to under 30 days with an in-residence host. In 2025, average occupancy slightly increased to 25.34% from 2024's 24.98%. Prices peaked at $696.40 in December 2024 but dropped 24.89% by 2025, averaging $442.87. In Amsterdam, regulations reduced annual whole-home rentals to 30 nights, with occupancy peaking at 60.33% in 2023, then declining.
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  • 3 min

AC Hotels by Marriott Debuts in the Philippines with the Opening of AC Hotel by Marriott Manila

🏨 AC Hotel by Marriott Manila debuts in the Philippines, located in the GLAS Tower, Ortigas Center. The hotel offers 160 rooms, panoramic skyline views, and blends European and Filipino hospitality. It features 802 square meters of meeting space and various dining options like AC Kitchen and AC Lounge. Guests enjoy a pool, 24-hour gym, and Marriott Bonvoy benefits. Perfect for business and leisure, the hotel's strategic positioning offers easy access to shopping and key establishments.
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  • 2 min

Minor Hotels to Rebrand Hua Hin Property as NH Hua Hin, Expanding Select Service Portfolio in Thailand

🏨 From January 16, 2026, Minor Hotels will manage NH Hua Hin, offering 152 rooms with city and mountain views starting from 30 sqm. Located 200 km south of Bangkok, it features a 110 sqm meeting room for up to 90 guests. Guests can enjoy three dining outlets, a rooftop pool, and easy access to Hua Hin Beach, just 400m away. NH Hua Hin is Minor Hotels' fourth NH property in Thailand, joining others in Bangkok and Phuket.
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