💻 Leaders must focus on two priorities to implement AI strategies: custom evaluations and data governance. Custom evals are essential, testing AI against high-value tasks like rebooking flights with 99% accuracy and applying EU261 rules with 98% accuracy. Proper data governance is crucial, as inaccurate data can lead to significant errors in AI systems. Companies that prioritize data quality and governance effectively bridge AI experimentation and transformation, ensuring reliable AI performance in the travel industry.

💻 Google shipped an early preview of WebMCP last week. By the end of 2026, this browser standard is expected to be widely available, backed by Google and Microsoft. This new tool streamlines hotel booking processes by eliminating the need for AI agents to guess through website interactions, condensing 20-30 steps into a single interaction. However, implementing WebMCP requires access to the front-end code of booking engines, often controlled by third-party vendors. Hotels must ensure their vendors support WebMCP to stay competitive.

💻 €200,000 was invested in a custom tech platform, but maintenance costs and complexity highlighted over-engineering. Influence Society pivoted to brand-focused design, using Webflow for stability, saving boutique hotels €5,000 to €15,000 annually compared to WordPress. Webflow ensures 99.99% uptime, reaching 95% globally in under 50ms. 80% of hotel traffic is mobile. AI tools optimize analytics, previously costing €20,000 annually. Influence Society streamlined management for a growing group, managing 7 hotel and 4 restaurant websites under one system.

💻 Shiji, a technology company, collaborates with high-end hotels globally to innovate hospitality technology. This aims to enhance service by making processes guest-centric. Their initiative, "Move," was introduced at ITB. Rather than adding flashy features, "Move" shifts the focus to supporting guest experiences seamlessly. Hotels of all sizes can gradually integrate these methods, moving towards a more natural and fluid service model. More insights are available on LinkedIn.

🛒 ChatGPT's ecommerce brain now processes real-time product feeds from retailers like Walmart, Etsy, Target, and Home Depot. It aims to replace Google Shopping scraping with a comprehensive ecommerce database featuring current product, brand, review, and inventory data. Amazon ceased its Google Shopping feed, and it's unlikely to support ChatGPT soon. ChatGPT has paused integrated checkout but enhances shopping discovery by structuring retailer data, fostering more precise results. Some feeds may reference Bright Data, a web scraping firm.