Innovation

💻 Most hotel sales approaches are outdated as of 2015. Sales leaders must blend human expertise with machine intelligence, embracing "hybrid intelligence." Predictive algorithms can adjust rates 600 times daily, but human insight remains crucial. A sales team increased response rates by 34% in eight weeks by flagging at-risk accounts. Future leaders will excel in empathy, speed, and judgment, with a focus on data literacy and AI integration. Adapt or risk being replaced by tech-fluent competitors.

📊 In 2026, hotels will revolutionize guest experience through HyperCommerce, integrating Property Management Systems with AI-driven tools to enhance booking conversions and personalize experiences. Booking engines will become central to guest interaction, doubling conversion rates. Direct channels will serve as commercial hubs, with experience merchandising boosting revenue by 5-10% and average booking value by 20%. Hotels will reinvest 20-25% OTA margins into owned demand, emphasizing monthly strategies over daily rate reactions, and using emotion as a key performance metric.

🤖 40% of US employers are using AI in recruitment, as reported by SHRM. AI optimizes HR tasks like candidate engagement and wellness check-ins. It requires human oversight to avoid errors, akin to a "brilliant seven-year-old" according to expert Paul Carney. SHRM suggests a 4-step prompt process: Specify, Hypothesize, Refine, Measure. AI prompts should include role, request, context, format, audience, style, and length. Ensure vendors use AI ethically. Transparency in AI's workplace role is culturally important.

📝 GCSTIMES has been innovating since 2011, focusing on sustainable development. This year, they expanded their wooden key card collection to include animal designs for family and pet-friendly resorts. These cards, now emotional keepsakes, enhance guest experiences and foster loyalty. GCSTIMES operates in five countries, including the US and France, with services in over 140 countries, supporting 100,000 hospitality groups in sustainable initiatives. Their products promote cultural heritage and sustainability worldwide.

✈️ Switchfly, in 2025, offers no-code travel loyalty technology for quick platform deployment worldwide. New capabilities support airlines, employee rewards, and financial services with 24/7 multilingual support and multi-currency options. The platform increases engagement, with packaged trips yielding 3-5x more value than flights alone. CEO Nowell Outlaw highlights rapid results for partners. In early 2025, five new clients joined, with an expected 2.4 million bookings worth $2.25 billion by year-end.

💰 Perk’s rebrand introduces an AI-native platform uniting travel and spend management, automating 67% of non-core tasks like booking travel and filing expenses. Research shows shadow work costs $1.7 trillion annually across six economies, with UK losses at £95 billion. UK employees lose 9 hours weekly to these tasks. Perk aims to reclaim time by simplifying work processes, achieving $300 million annual revenue. The company has 1,800 employees, dual headquarters in Boston and London, and plans for growth with strategic acquisitions and Series E financing.

🇨🇳 WildChina, the first DMC to use GuideGeek AI tech, introduces WildConcierge, an AI travel assistant, to enhance China travel planning. Available on wildchina.com.au, it offers real-time responses in 50+ languages, integrating data from over 1,000 sources. This tool streamlines initial inquiries, saving time by automating repetitive tasks and providing personalized travel inspiration before connecting travelers with human experts for bespoke planning.

🛩 Airlines are advancing in New Distribution Capabilities (66%), but only 27% have progressed in Offer and Order transformation, despite 72% seeing it as strategically important. AI aids by optimizing pricing and automating services, delivering up to 6% revenue uplift and cutting onboarding time by 85%. The shift to Offer Order Settle Deliver (OOSD) is crucial for modern retailing, offering a smoother journey for passengers and higher conversion rates for airlines.

✈️ RateGain finalizes acquisition of Sojern, integrating their AI-powered travel tech solutions. Serving 13,000 customers across the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, this union strengthens their market position. The combined platform enhances marketing, distribution, and revenue strategies, leveraging AI for precision targeting and engagement. Bhanu Chopra highlights the strategic global expansion; Mark Rabe sees it as a growth catalyst. Focus: innovation, customer outcomes, and a future-ready travel platform.

🗺️ TUI partners with Mindtrip, integrating TUI's booking into Mindtrip’s AI travel platform. Users in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands can book TUI packages via a ‘Book with TUI’ button. Mindtrip’s platform uses AI to offer personalized travel suggestions, while Nezasa maps these to real-time inventory. This initiative marks an industry-first, offering insights into AI-based travel sales and enhancing TUI's digital and offline channels.