Innovation

📰 Liquid Death's marketing strategy is a standout example—selling water in cans resembling energy drinks, appealing at rock concerts for its relevance. CitizenM initially seemed odd but succeeded due to its relevance for business travelers. In AI-driven travel, 54% of travelers use AI for planning, whereas only 22% of destinations offer AI trip planners. Expedia is shifting focus towards discovery, indicating an industry trend. Trivago's checkout grew 24x in a year, marking a potential success in direct marketplace sales.

🏨 Aug 28, 2026, Google launched hotel booking via AI Mode in the U.S., allowing users to book using Google Pay. Ten companies, including Choice, Hilton, and Wyndham, participated. Launch partners can also show hotel costs in points. This service is English only and excludes the EEA. The points pricing doesn't affect hotel visibility in AI Mode. Google's rate feed changes on September 30, affecting how hotels manage their pricing feeds.

💻 Revolut, with 70 million users, sources hotel rooms from Nuitée, Expedia, and VRBO. On October 14, 2025, Revolut acquired AI startup Swifty. By April 9, 2026, Revolut launched AI assistant AIR in the UK. Nuitée connected 1.5 million properties in 2022. Booking.com joined in November, accepting Revolut Pay and offering RevPoints. The AI, based on extensive customer data, is yet to be fully live. Revolut focuses on customer context, not supply, emphasizing that rooms are commodities.

📊 Aug 28, 2026, Google unveiled three AI Mode travel features: flight price tracking in over 180 countries (excluding EEA), global points pricing (limited in EEA), and US-focused hotel booking. Ten partners, all chains or resellers, offer rooms in places like Lyon and Lisbon, accessible to Denver users but not Düsseldorf. Points partners include Accor, Flying Blue, and Lufthansa. Google changes hotel rate inputs on September 30. EU fined Google in July over hotel ranking practices.