Automatic - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 8

5 min

51% of European Hotels Report OTAs Underselling Their Rates, With 65% Using Booking.com's Payment Service

🏨 Sep 28, 2026: In Europe, 51% of hotels report OTAs selling rooms below hotel rates, up from 40% two years ago. Booking.com, used by 65% of hotels for payments, leads with 66.1% of OTA bookings. Booking Sponsored Benefit lowers rates, impacting revenue management. By early 2026, 72% of Booking Holding's bookings used its payment service. Independent hotels manually monitor OTA prices, while large chains automate rate matching with systems like Radisson's.

Booking.com Allows 365 Days to Charge Virtual Cards; Unused Balances Become Revenue, Expedia Allows 180 Days

💳 On September 28, 2026, Booking.com allows hotels 365 days to charge virtual cards post-check-out; Expedia allows 180 days. Unused balances become revenue for the platforms. A Marriott director notes most losses stem from unprocessed charges at hotel desks. Booking provides a non-cumulative weekly email of open balances, maintaining transaction records for 18 months. Companies reclaiming uncharged amounts retain up to 25%, while in-house recovery incurs a 2-3% fee.

American Express Global Business Travel Forecasts 6.1% to 9.2% Hotel Rate Increase in Madrid for 2027

📈 Madrid forecasts a hotel rate increase for 2027 between 6.1% and 9.2%. American Express Global Business Travel released city-by-city projections on September 22, 2026, with London's rates rising 3.6% to 5.4% and Paris's 3.1% to 4.8%. The forecast advises using the lower end if the Middle East conflict persists or inflation remains. For a Madrid hotel room currently at €200, next year's rate could reach €212 to €218, significantly impacting revenue.

Austrian Hotel Association Files EU Complaint Against Booking.com for Breaching Digital Markets Act with Unfair Practices

📅 Sep 23, 2026, Austria's Hotel Association (ÖHV) filed a complaint against Booking.com with the European Commission, alleging breaches of the Digital Markets Act. Booking.com, labeled a gatekeeper since May 13, 2024, controls 73.9% of Austria’s platform bookings and 68.8% across Europe. The complaint cites five contentious practices, including uncapped payment fees and unilateral cancellations. Booking.com asserts compliance, while 65% of European hotels use its payment service, with 51% reporting price undercutting.

Study Reveals 22% Hotel Booking Cancellation Rate Linked to Price Drops and Flexible Rate Policies

🛑 Four in ten US travelers track room prices post-booking. A study analyzing over two million bookings from 2021-2024 at 327 Mallorca hotels found a 22% cancellation rate. Price drops increased cancellations by 4.7% for €10 decreases. Non-refundable bookings were 82% less likely to cancel compared to fully refundable ones. OTA bookings were 72% more likely to be canceled than bedbank bookings, while direct bookings were 42% less likely. Partially refundable rates saw 3.7 times more cancellations than fully refundable ones.

2 min

SiteMinder to Launch AI-Powered Engine to Address 11% Room Listing Gaps on Distribution Channels

💻 SiteMinder, serving 56,000 properties, announced its Dynamic Commerce Engine to address distribution channel issues, potentially costing billions to hotels. By September 25, 2026, it found 11% of hotel rooms (about 24,000) were missing from a top channel. The engine, launching soon, will identify broken connections, requiring hotel approval for changes. SiteMinder's CEO, Sankar Narayan, highlights room type and inventory mismatches as key problems. Only SiteMinder connections are checked, and costs are unspecified.

5 min

OpenAI's ChatGPT Memory Feature Retains Traveler Preferences, Omitting Specific Hotel Names in Recommendations

📑 June 4, 2026, OpenAI announced updates to ChatGPT's memory, allowing it to store traveler preferences like wildlife photography, strong AC, and quiet dining spots, but not specific hotel names. Preferences are portable, transforming into specifications that many properties can match. This update is initially available to Plus and Pro users in the US. Memory is user-specific and can be turned off. The memory converts past trips to history, influencing future travel planning.

3 min

Booking Holdings Shares Drop 9% Due to AI Competition Concerns, Highlighted by Meta's Muse Launch

📈 Shares of Booking Holdings fell 3.9% on September 22 and about 5% more the next day, due to Meta's Muse AI agent, launched September 8, which compares prices and books travel. Booking.com relies on independent hotels and small rentals for 90% of revenue. Analysts argue AI will challenge OTAs by accessing member-only discounts, while Wall Street counters that signing these properties manually is difficult for AI. Booking Holdings was trading 29% below its August high by late September.

3 min

Meta's Muse AI Agent Integrates Expedia for Hotel Bookings, Downloaded Over Two Million Times in Initial Weeks

💻 On September 8, 2026, Meta launched Muse, an AI agent downloaded over 2 million times by September 23. By September 22, Expedia joined, allowing Muse to book hotels directly in chat. The integration streamlines booking without leaving the chat, but specifics on functionality remain unclear. The agent can book flights through a partner or an airline site, but requires user interaction for logins. Expedia's integration is pending, with no public testing yet.

3 min

Accor Launches AI Concierge on WhatsApp and iMessage After Over a Million Pilot Conversations

📱 On September 24, 2026, Accor launched its AI concierge on WhatsApp and iMessage after over a million pilot conversations since July 2025. The service, supporting 11 languages, suggests hotels, answers property questions, and integrates with Accor's booking system. This strategy aims to meet guests on familiar platforms. Meta's Muse AI, available since September 8, and Expedia's integration announced on September 22, highlight the competitive landscape in travel booking through messaging apps.

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