By Tony Loeb, cofounder of 10 minutes hotels Fifteen years ago, hoteliers didn’t see OTAs coming. Not because they were naive, but because the shift was gradual. By the time the warning signs were obvious, a big chunk of control was already gone. Something similar is unfolding right now. But this time, it’s not about distribution. It’s about how your hotel is described, understood and recommended by artificial intelligence. To dig into this, I recently sat down on the 10 minutes hotels podcast with Nicki Graham, Chief Marketing Officer at Cendyn, and Apollos Gause,…

Hotel distribution has seen very few true disruptions. But when they happen, they permanently reshape how hotels are chosen and booked. In 1997, the industry gradually shifted from travel-agent bookings to online reservations. Websites became central, OTAs emerged, and digital visibility became a critical issue for hotels. This transition took several years, but it irreversibly changed the rules of the game. Nearly thirty years later, a new milestone is emerging: 2026. We are now entering a transition just as structural—the gradual move from internet bookings to bookings driven by AI…

The fifth edition of the quarterly publication explores the design, technology, luxury and cultural signals shaping hospitality in 2026 Influence Society, a leading digital marketing agency serving high-end hospitality brands, has released SOCIETIES for Q1 2026, the fifth edition of its editorial intelligence brief for hospitality leaders. The new issue examines the shifts already shaping luxury hospitality, from AI-powered trip planning and AI’s growing role as back-end service infrastructure to the rise of design-led independent hotels and wellness concepts such as the new Guerlain…