Innovation - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 159

Google’s new commerce engine will enable bookings directly inside AI search

💻 Jul 18, 2025, Google, global impact: Google launches AI Mode, transforming travel search with interactive, conversational answers. Traditional link lists are replaced, focusing on dynamic user interactions. Mentions now outweigh rankings for brand visibility. Travel content must adapt as AI Mode becomes mainstream. AI Mode is in a test phase, isolated in a separate tab, but will integrate into main search, aligned with monetization goals. Booking integration is pending future updates. Brands must build AI trust now.

Google Gemini now integrates paid hotel listings

🗺️ Jul 18, 2025, Google’s Gemini AI integrates hotel listings into travel experiences, shifting paid placements from Metasearch to AI itineraries. Hotel ads now appear early in travel planning under "where to stay," enhancing user influence during inspiration phases. Success depends on visuals, feed quality, and rate strategies. Existing Google Hotel Ads may qualify for this integration. Early adoption and optimization offer advantages, with future AI format expansions expected to enhance brand visibility and booking opportunities.

ChatGPT learns to act

🤖 OpenAI launched a significant ChatGPT upgrade on July 18, 2025, allowing it to function as an AI personal assistant globally, except in the EU. It autonomously manages digital tasks, raising privacy and safety concerns, and is limited to paying users. It requires user approval for actions, and monetization strategies may emerge. Current availability is restricted to ChatGPT’s paid “Pro,” “Plus,” and “Teams” subscribers. Users can expect AI to become integral to routine digital tasks.

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Folio Secures $14M to Streamline Hotel Financial Operations with AI

🛫 In 2025, Jumio’s report highlights that 44% of global consumers lack trust in the travel industry’s fraud protection, with concerns rising to 50% in the sharing economy and 55% in the UK. Alarmingly, 69% view AI-enabled fraud as a greater threat than traditional theft. A notable 74% of global consumers are willing to spend more time on identity verification if it enhances security, up from 71% in 2024. Sharing economy services saw 70% willing, while banking hit 80%.

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Yesterday, I shared a surprising finding: Only 4% of major hotel brands provide AI-ready data instantly—the story underneath the tech points to a major hotel industry disruption. | Jason Cincotta

📊 Yesterday, only 4% of major hotel brands provided AI-ready data instantly, highlighting a potential industry disruption. Big hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott act as mini-OTAs, using technical frameworks and strategies that hinder AI from accessing data quickly. These brands focus on team-based strategies for SEO, benefiting from internal spillover and reducing individual distribution costs. However, this approach may need reassessment as AI-powered discovery requires immediate access to detailed information.

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Need a cheap hotel this summer? | Johannes Sundlo

🏨 This article offers a guide to finding budget-friendly hotels this summer using AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Key tips include searching for the cheapest accommodations in a desired town, identifying hotel brands not on major booking sites, considering nearby neighborhoods for cost savings, checking for mistake rates or flash sales, and comparing prices across platforms like Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Agoda, and hotel websites. The goal is to find the best stay at the lowest price.

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Orbital Kitchens hopes to prove that delivery-only isn’t dead

🍗 Orbital Kitchens launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, evolving from a food hall to a delivery-only service in Union Square, Manhattan. It operates three Manhattan locations with three more planned by 2025. Handling 3,000 orders daily, Orbital offers diverse cuisines like poke and birria tacos and relies on its own couriers and third-party platforms. The company focuses on corporate catering and local events, emphasizing high-quality delivery food, leveraging brand visibility through partnerships and events.

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Actabl Launches HotelData.com, Debuts Budget Planning Guide

📈 Actabl launched HotelData.com in Atlanta, Georgia, as a free resource for hoteliers. The 2025–2026 Budget Planning Guide offers insights into labor costs, with a 6.6% year-over-year increase, and revenue performance, where RevPAR was $105.12 against a budgeted $123.89. ADR remained stable at $186.14. Forecasts anticipate RevPAR of $108.92 for H2 2025 and profit margins rising to 39.3%. HotelData.com aims to provide actionable data to enhance budgeting and decision-making.

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Travel Curious Acquires Redeam, Forms Experiences Tech Giant

📣 Peter Piper Pizza, in collaboration with SoundHound AI, has introduced a voice AI system for phone orders at all locations in Arizona and Albuquerque, NM. The AI understands natural speech and is trained on the full menu, enhancing order efficiency. This system, implemented for summer, supports simultaneous calls and provides information on store hours and services. Genaro Perez, CMO, highlights convenience, while James Hom, CPO of SoundHound, emphasizes the technological innovation in customer interactions.

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Shiji Q2 2025 Guest Experience Report: Global Satisfaction at Record High

🏨 July 17, 2025 – Shiji's Q2 2025 Guest Experience Benchmark shows the Global Review Index (GRI) at a record 86.9%, peaking at 87.0% in May. Guest satisfaction rose, especially in 3-star hotels (+0.6%). Review volumes grew by only 0.4% year-over-year, with declines in North America (–3.0%) and Europe (–1.2%). Google reviews increased by 10%, while average response times improved to 3.1 days, down from 14 in 2019, due to AI tools.

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