Innovation

📅 In recent research, travelers review an average of 10 hotels before booking, with Millennials considering around 12, compared to Baby Boomers' seven. AI is increasingly used, with 32.2% relying on AI for recommendations, and 97.5% finding them accurate. Travelers trust AI for 70.7% of recommendations but prefer booking directly. Poor information has cost travelers an average of $1,900. Nearly 64.7% have faced booking issues, with Gen Z and Millennials leading AI adoption but showing low tolerance for friction.

This post was originally published on this site. Online, every channel a luxury hotel uses to find a new guest is an auction. Google is an auction. You bid on…

This article was written by Lodging Magazine. Click here to read the original article DALLAS, Texas—G6 Hospitality, parent company of the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands, announced a nationwide…

Strengthening direct bookings through a smoother booking journey D-EDGE supported Altitude Résidences with hospitality technology designed to strengthen its hotel distribution, direct booking performance and guest loyalty. The strategy centred…

🏨 At EXPO Real, a real estate trade fair, attendees learned that the hotel sector faces limited opportunities in Europe due to finite hotel supply and scarce development cash. David Kellett of Savills highlighted scarcity in Rome as beneficial for demand. Asli Kutlucan from TFE Hotels discussed technology's role in transitioning hotel staff from "administrators to interfacers." Marriott offers lower fees for high recommendation scores, and Kew Green Hotels' David Taylor emphasized using returning guests as a KPI.

Airbnb’s CEO says “Anyone can vibe-code a search function. The hard part is doing it without killing conversion rate.” Airbnb just rolled out AI …

🏨 In Madrid, the Formula 1 Grand Prix attracted 350,000 fans but hotels reached only about 70% occupancy due to late inventory release and rigid pricing. Wyndham’s AI deployment shows only 6% of hotel leaders recording AI savings in P&L. Minor Hotels' Life Longevity brand addresses a 15.9% CAGR wellness market. Marriott signed eight Dutch hotels, marking Series by Marriott's entry in the Netherlands. Choice Hotels opened its 600th extended stay property, confirming growing demand.

💻 Josiah Mackenzie and Naz Aydin surveyed 107 hotel leaders in August and September, revealing 63.3% regularly use AI, while 44% spend 10+ hours a week with it. Despite this, only 24% report AI investments have paid off. Barriers include change management (35%) and data quality (34%). AI budgets are set to rise, with 37% planning a 10%+ increase in spending. Meanwhile, 91% of hotel chains use AI, but just 13% see measurable ROI.

💰 Raymond Martz, co-president and CFO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, received the 2024 Paragon Award from Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) for his significant contributions to hospitality finance and technology. Since co-founding Pebblebrook in 2009, Martz has overseen over $15 billion in capital transactions, including a $5.2 billion acquisition. He played a pivotal role in the 12th Revised Edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry, enhancing financial reporting and technology integration.

🚀 Global Startup Pitch People's Choice Awards highlighted two innovative startups at WiT Singapore: Lobby AI and Crewfare, who won in the Seedup and Scaleup categories, respectively. From June's Phocuswright Europe finals, finalists presented before winning by audience votes. Winners will showcase at The Phocuswright Conference, Nov. 17–19 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Additional awards went to SPUN, BookAfrica, and Honorary Wild Cards Talk to Magpie AI and Conxi. The event emphasizes practical solutions in travel technology.