Innovation

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…

📈 In 2026, hotel advertising success hinges on combining AI with real hotel data and hospitality expertise. AdsPlus by Userguest integrates booking data, property-specific demand, and marketing experts to optimize campaigns. It uses real-time signals to focus on generating profitable direct bookings, rather than just cheap clicks. AI identifies opportunities, while experts validate these against the hotel's context. AdsPlus manages campaigns across Google, Meta, Bing, and TikTok, ensuring timely and relevant advertising.

This article was written by Lodging Magazine. Click here to read the original article MIAMI, Florida—Hapi announced Hapi Guest Identity and Hapi Data Lakehouse, new solutions designed to help hotel…

📄 Twilio’s 2026 survey highlights AI issues in hospitality. **70%** of APAC consumers abandon AI interactions due to memory lapses, yet **84%** of brands think their AI recognizes returning customers. Only **28%** of hotel chains have an enterprise-wide AI strategy, and **13%** report ROI. **91%** use AI, but **69%** still manually enter guest preferences. **65%** of guests repeat themselves to humans post-AI interaction. The solution involves unified data systems and improving AI memory.

Hotels have spent decades building technology around departments. Guests have always experienced one journey. The Shiji Platform is built around that …

According to Chartwells Higher Education’s 2026 Fall Flavor Forecast, Gen Z is trending toward smaller meals, fiber, and a variety of beverages. The post 5 food trends for college campuses this fall appeared first on Saladplate.

Nouria, Tso Chinese Takeout and Dave's Hot Chicken share how they're using AI beyond the IT department at Outlook Leadership event The post Retailers are using AI across the business, from holiday cups to operations appeared first on Saladplate.