Follow Radisson Hotel Group in one feed. This hub gathers the latest news, brand launches and openings across Radisson, Radisson Blu, Park Inn and more, curated from trusted sources. Stay on top of a major international hotel group.
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AI Travel Planner Market Expands with 40 Products; Hotels to Face Potential New Booking Commission Costs
22 October 2026🏨 In October, Martin Soler proposed that AI tools are turning hotel staff into computer operators. Terence Ronson noted hidden costs in AI travel agent bookings, suggesting fees will rise. Hilton plans to offer digital pay-with-points at 800 U.S. hotels by 2026. Asia Pacific reached 96.3% of 2019 tourist arrivals in early 2026, with Korea and Vietnam thriving. A $725M expansion at Hard Rock Casino Tejon began, and new hotels opened in Wroclaw, Amsterdam, and Midtown Manhattan.
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HSMAI MEA Announces 2026 Commercial Strategy Conference in Dubai with 40 Sessions and 65+ Experts
22 October 2026📅 On 17-18 November 2026, the HSMAI MEA Commercial Strategy Conference takes place at Conrad Dubai, featuring 18 hours of learning, 40 sessions, and 65+ expert speakers. With themes like AI and revenue management, the conference includes seven ROCKSTAR award finalists and four hours of networking. Key topics include Travel Demand, Commercial Strategy, and Leadership. Dr. Florian Ilgen delivers the keynote on change mindset. Partners include Amadeus and Global Hotel Alliance.
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In 2026, Booking Holdings Collects Payment on 73% of Bookings, Increasing Control Over Guest Pricing.
21 October 2026💸 In 2025, OTAs accounted for 29.9% of European hotel bookings, while direct bookings slightly increased to 51.3%. Expedia’s share rose to 16.6% in Europe. Booking Holdings now collects payments on 73% of its bookings, a rise from 69% in 2024, enabling them to set prices lower than hotels do. Radisson has automated price matching to OTAs, affecting over 1,600 hotels. Expedia’s B2B side saw 21% growth, while consumer brands grew 8%.
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Morocco’s Tourism and Hospitality Sector Expands with 75 New Hotels Planned by 2027 Amid FIFA 2030 Preparations
20 October 2026📈 Morocco’s tourism and infrastructure sectors are booming as it prepares for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. On 26 November, API Events’ Morocco Showcase in Casablanca will highlight the country’s growing investment appeal. SMIT aims to add 60,000 hotel beds by 2030, with Radisson expanding from 11 to 30 hotels. Ranked second in Africa for hotel development, Morocco has 75 hotels in the pipeline. Major acquisitions since 2025 totaled $113 million, with the stock market capitalized above $103 billion.
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Hotel AI faces the customer: the battle is played out before the booking
20 October 2026This article was written by HospitalityOn. Click here to read the original article A traveler can now search for an Accor hotel by chatting with Claude, Anthropic’s assistant, as they have been able to do in ChatGPT since January, according to Mehdi Hemici, managing director of the ALL Accor program. Wyndham and IHG opened their apps in ChatGPT in the spring, while Hilton and Marriott are testing natural-language search on their own sites. All are entering ground that Booking.com and…
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India’s Hotel Pipeline Surges with 1,033 Projects, Set to Become Marriott’s Third-Largest Market by 2026
19 October 2026🏨 Marriott International predicts India will become its third-largest market by 2026. Hyatt aims to expand five-fold in India over five years. IHG secured 24 hotel signings in the first half of 2026, with 110 in the pipeline. Accor agreed on 46 new hotels recently. India’s hotel pipeline rose to 1,033 projects and 137,601 rooms, up 36% and 39% from Q2 2025. Domestic trips in India reached 4.287 billion in 2025, up 46% from the previous year.
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OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Ads in Europe, Offering Hotels New Marketing Opportunities with Daily Budgets Starting at €15
19 October 2026📱 On 9 February 2026, OpenAI began testing ads in the US, expanding to 31 European markets by 31 August 2026. Hotels can advertise via ChatGPT Ads, which appear under responses and are visually labeled as sponsored. Radisson’s July 2026 campaign saw a booking conversion rate 1.5 times higher than organic search. Hotel campaigns can choose objectives for views, clicks, or conversions, with daily budgets starting at €15. Sponsored Agents and visual formats are developments to watch.
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Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport Featured in Mulberry Media’s Industry-Leading Digital News Platforms
19 October 2026📰 Mulberry Media, founded in 1997, specializes in B2B media and events, providing fast and insightful journalism. They focus on delivering analysis through modern, data-driven platforms, targeting professional business audiences.
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Booking Holdings Launches AI Startup Vayo with Planned $100 Million Investment to Enhance Travel Management
15 October 2026📅 Booking Holdings is investing $100 million in Vayo, an AI tool that manages travel plans even after bookings are made through other providers. Announced on October 14, this tool, currently in a private beta phase, watches for price drops, availability, and potential disruptions. Meanwhile, PROS launched Kairos, an AI platform for airlines, aiming to optimize pricing and offers. Trip.com’s TripGenie saw AI usage for booking queries rise from 30% to 60% since February 2023, enhancing customer reassurance.
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$2 billion for 93 US hotels and five European disposals in one week
15 October 2026This article was written by HospitalityOn. Click here to read the original article Dated October 9, the offer covers the 93 hotels owned by Service Properties Trust, a little over 21,000 rooms in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada, operated notably under the Sonesta, Hyatt Place, Radisson, and Courtyard brands. The portfolio of 745 long-term leased commercial properties is not part of the scope. TKO attributes more than $500 million in annual EBITDA to it. Jim Koehler, who heads…
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Hospitality Action’s Survey Reveals Managers Becoming ‘Accidental Counsellors’ Amid Team Mental Health Challenges
14 October 2026🏨 Who? Camilla Woods, Services Director at Hospitality Action. When? Recent episode. Where? Hospitality sector. What? Discussion on the ‘accidental counsellor’ trend, where managers are increasingly responsible for team mental health. How? Through findings from the Taking the Temperature survey, Camilla Woods addresses early warning signs and practical steps for leaders to support mental health, emphasizing the growing role of managers in this area.
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Radisson Hotel Group Aims to Double India Portfolio to 500 Hotels by 2030 Through Local Partnerships
13 October 2026🏨 Radisson Hotel Group aims to double its presence in India to 500 hotels by 2030 without acquisitions. Instead, CEO Federico González plans to partner with Indian hotel groups, leveraging their network and loyalty program. Radisson already collaborates with MBD Group and seeks further Indian ties for access to its technology and operating systems. This strategic move highlights Radisson’s focus on growth in India by integrating local partnerships rather than capital-heavy acquisitions.
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The Ski Lodge to Open 36-Room Boutique Hotel in Verbier, Switzerland, Emphasizing Wellness and Year-Round Luxury
13 October 2026🏖 36 rooms, no TVs. Opening in December, The Ski Lodge in Verbier offers a new 36-key boutique hotel experience in Switzerland’s Alpine region. Featuring luxury amenities like an indoor pool, cold plunge, Japanese onsen jacuzzi, sauna, hammam, and treatment rooms, it emphasizes wellness and disconnection. Guests can enjoy The Peak restaurant and The Listening Room, a vinyl bar with DJs. Operating year-round, it redefines luxury hospitality beyond just ski season.
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TKO Offers $2 Billion Cash for Service Properties Trust’s 93-Hotel Portfolio Covering 21,110 Rooms
12 October 2026💸 TKO offers $2 billion cash to acquire Service Properties Trust’s 93-hotel portfolio, totaling 21,110 rooms/suites. Properties span Sonesta, Hyatt Place, Radisson, and Crowne Plaza brands. The deal aims to boost SVC’s liquidity for debt reduction and strategic repositioning. TKO CEO Jim Koehler believes the acquisition will unlock the portfolio’s full potential, offering significant value to SVC shareholders while simplifying operations and reducing capital intensity.
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McKinsey Report Reveals 78% of US Travelers Continue Planning Trips Despite Confirmed Hotel Bookings
9 October 2026📅 Oct 9, 2026: McKinsey’s report states 78% of US travelers keep planning after booking, with only 18% stopping after the main reservation. Cancellation policies, highlighted by Marriott’s CIO Naveen Manga, keep decisions open until deadlines. The survey involved over 1,000 US travelers, with 49% swapping hotels for better options. Hoteliers holding bookings have details like dates and rates but need proactive communication during the free-cancellation window to secure bookings.
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Radisson’s ChatGPT Plugin Converts at 1.5 Times the Rate of Organic Search, Shows Promising Results
8 October 2026🗺 On October 6, 2023, Southwest Airlines launched a ChatGPT plugin in collaboration with OpenAI and AWS, allowing flight discovery via ChatGPT while bookings occur on Southwest.com. Radisson’s ChatGPT plugin, released in July, converts at 1.5 times the rate of organic search. Propellic’s study found 71% of U.S. travelers direct-booked with operators, but over 75% of handoffs failed to transfer booking details. Via.ai reported AI-driven conversion increases 3-5x, with a 30% larger average basket size.
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Booking Holdings Controls 70% of European OTA Bookings Despite Claims of Hotel Independence from Single Platforms
7 October 2026📈 Booking Holdings, including Booking.com, controls 70% of European OTA bookings, contrary to claims of no platform dependency. AI referral traffic has quadrupled but remains under 1% of hotel site visits. European hotel investment reached €11.7 billion in H1 2026, up 19.5% from the 10-year average. AI governance frameworks and Bain’s warnings on AI’s impact on direct bookings are highlighted. Japan’s hotel rates surged up to 31% during autumn foliage season, with domestic travel offsetting reduced inbound tourism.
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Oliver Hotels & Resorts Rebrands, Manages Over 30 Properties, Reports $1 Million March Revenue for Hilton Checkers LA
6 October 2026🏨 Oliver Hotels & Resorts, headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, manages 30+ properties in 14 states, totaling nearly 5,000 keys. The company, led by CEO Danny Givertz, rebranded from OCI Hospitality to emphasize owner-first management. Notable achievements include Hilton Checkers Los Angeles’ record $1 million monthly room revenue and Radisson Cedar Rapids’ 318% room revenue increase. The leadership team includes Seth Oliver as President & COO and Colleen Anderson as CFO. Oliver prioritizes strategy-focused operations and curated expansion.
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Google Adopts Universal Commerce Protocol for AI Hotel Bookings, Excluding Travel Agency Intermediary Functions
6 October 2026🏨 Universal Commerce Protocol, adopted by Google for AI hotel bookings, excludes travel agency terms. Phocuswright’s August research shows 69% of travelers trust AI for booking, yet 72% want human access. Aven Hospitality reports inaccurate AI content costs travelers $1,900 per trip. Italian hotel investments hit €1.3 billion, up 53% from the ten-year average, with RevPAR up 11.3% in H1 2026. Greater Paris hotels’ RevPAR reached €116, rising 3.7%, with investments at €845 million.
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H World Group’s Hua Xiao AI System Automates 1.8 Million In-Stay Requests Across 10,000 Hotels in China
2 October 2026💻 In late 2025, The Lux Collective trained 133 senior executives with a 20-week AI-powered program in Mauritius, the Maldives, Zanzibar, and Réunion. Accor’s app logged over 542,000 cleanliness checks in 2025 across 611 hotels, boosting customer satisfaction. Accor’s procurement achieved “Leading” maturity in June 2026. H World deployed AI in over 10,000 hotels, completing 1.8 million tasks. Radisson’s AI matches online prices in real-time since July 2026. Wyndham’s AI saves 40-80 hours per review in a 9,300-hotel network.
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SAP Concur Introduces Hotel Sorting by Emissions Using Thrust Carbon Data, Impacting Corporate Travel Choices
2 October 2026📈 Oct 2, 2026: SAP Concur integrates Thrust Carbon to rank hotels by emissions in its booking tool. Advito’s sustainability index uses data from 45 hotel companies covering 31,872 hotels. Only about 30,000 of the world’s 880,000 hotels use the HCMI carbon method. The EU mandates large companies to report emissions from 2027, using estimates initially. Radisson in Manchester uses rooftop heat pumps for emissions data. The free HCMI tool converts utility bills into per-room carbon figures.
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Radisson Hotel Group Expands Verified Net Zero Portfolio to Nine Hotels in Nordics and UK, Targets 100 by 2030
1 October 2026📋 Radisson Hotel Group launched four new Verified Net Zero hotels in Sweden and Denmark, increasing their count to nine in the Nordics and UK. This move supports their goal of 100 such hotels by 2030. The newly added hotels include three in Stockholm and one in Copenhagen, with capacities ranging from 180 to 3,000 guests. Verified by TÜV Rheinland, these hotels focus on sustainable operations with 100% renewable energy and low-carbon menus, reducing carbon footprints by up to 40%.
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Gavin Taylor Discusses Clermont’s Strategy to Stand Out in London’s Competitive Hotel Market with New Collaborations
1 October 2026🏨 Gavin Taylor, CEO of Clermont Hotel Group, shares insights on managing iconic London properties. With a finance and operations background, he emphasizes leadership, hotel identity, and guest experience. Clermont Hotel Group is innovating in the competitive London market, including notable collaborations like introducing Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen to The Cumberland, aiming to redefine luxury for today’s travelers.
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Crossbasket Castle Appoints Katie Moran and John Abercrombie Amid Multimillion-Pound Expansion Near Glasgow
1 October 2026🏝️ Katie Moran joins Crossbasket Castle as hotel manager, bringing over 10 years of hospitality experience, previously at AC Hotel by Marriott. John Abercrombie becomes the resort director with over 20 years in hotel operations, last at The Westerwood Hotel. Crossbasket Castle, near Glasgow, is undergoing a multimillion-pound expansion, including a Four Angels Spa and new riverside cabins. Owner Steve Timoney expresses excitement about the new leadership and the estate’s future growth.
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FHS World Hospitality Investment Summit to Return to Ras Al Khaimah in 2027 at Wynn Al Marjan Island
1 October 2026📅 In November 2027, FHS World will return to Ras Al Khaimah at Wynn Al Marjan Island, United Arab Emirates. The summit will host 1,200 delegates, including 250 investors and 200 speakers from over 60 countries. The event will feature a 7,708 square-metre venue with a 2,633 square-metre ballroom. Since its previous editions in 2018 and 2019, FHS World has evolved into a global hospitality investment platform. Further details, including the full programme, will be announced soon.
