Innovation

💻 February 10, 2026, Marriott expressed optimism about AI boosting direct bookings, but warned shareholders that AI could erode brand loyalty. By June, Marriott launched Ask Bonvoy following a 43 million increase in loyalty members, totaling 271 million. Hilton's direct business exceeds 80%, while Hyatt anticipates retaining most business through its channels. Google introduced hotel booking within AI Mode in August. Booking's AI-generated traffic remains under 1%, with precise bookings from agents undisclosed by both chains and OTAs.

I'm going to attempt to tie three disparate concepts together into a prediction of the future (which I rarely make, but IMO warrants an exception): …

I’ve been thinking about how SEO KPIs will fail us in a GEO world. I’ve written about it here and here. In that second one I talked a lot about direct …

This article was written by Mauricio Prieto. Click here to read the original article Technology is supposed to kill middlemen, but travel keeps replacing one with another. A smaller plane…

My first Independent Hotel Show Miami left me with one word that came up more often than any other: revenue. Not the vague kind. New revenue, the kind an independent…

Hilton's CEO says he wants to make booking through AI agents easy. For now, Meta's Muse struggles to pull a price from hotel group sites, and OTAs may remain an easier door.

This was the biggest week in AI + travel in a year - quick catch up

This article was written by Lodging Magazine. Click here to read the original article COLUMBUS, Ohio—Red Roof hosted Ignite, the company’s Brand Conference, in Hollywood, Florida, this week, where leaders debuted a series of initiatives…

🌎 Latin America's business travel spending is set to hit $67.7 billion USD in 2026, with an 11% annual growth. The GBTA LATAM Conference 2026 in Mexico City hosted over 450 attendees from 17 countries. Mexico and Brazil lead with $10.4 billion and $35.8 billion in spending, respectively. Mexico City's business travel contributed $3.3 billion USD to its economy in 2024, supporting 50,858 jobs. Regional growth is expected to slow to 3.3% in 2027 due to economic dependencies.

This article was written by Lodging Magazine. Click here to read the original article AMSTERDAM—Mews launched Guest Messaging and Automations. Guest Messaging brings every channel into one thread, tied to…