Innovation

📊 Big changes are coming for digital marketers using Google Ads! Channel Reporting is being introduced to Performance Max campaigns, offering insights into channel-specific performance—Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, etc. This update enhances transparency, allows smarter budget allocation, and optimizes strategies, helping marketers gain control over outcomes. This shift bridges the gap between automation and insight, potentially altering marketers' approach to Performance Max.

🏨 Nearly 30% of travelers now use generative AI tools like ChatGPT for trip planning, allowing direct bookings within conversations. Cloudbeds reveals over 55% of hotel AI citations come from Online Travel Agencies, while 6% come from hotel websites, community forums, and YouTube. Hotels must focus on GEO, optimize digital presence, and collaborate with influencers for AI relevancy. Ensuring consistent branding and leveraging user-generated content are key in the evolving SEO landscape.

🤖 Researchers at Nature introduced "Centaur," an AI trained on 10 million choices from 160 psychology experiments, outperforming human theories in 31 out of 32 tests. From May 20 to June 19, Similarweb and iPullRank tracked Google's AI Mode, noting only 4.5% click-through rate versus 24% in traditional search. On July 10, Google began indexing Instagram content, influencing travel marketing. Marc Andreessen highlights Series C-E companies as key career spots, while James Stanier notes changing roles for engineering managers.

📦 Sage Hotel Management and Resolute Road Hospitality are leveraging tech solutions to optimize inventory management. Automated systems enhance accuracy, efficiency, and cost control, addressing challenges like supply-chain disruptions, price volatility, and labor shortages. Amazon Business offers tools like Guided Buying and integrations with over 300 systems, improving procurement strategies. Real-time tracking and data analytics streamline operations, reduce waste, and enhance guest experiences. This digital shift is revolutionizing inventory and purchasing decisions across hospitality.

💻 In 2025, hotel websites can enhance bookings by using WordPress plugins like MotoPress, Yoast SEO, and WP Rocket. These tools are designed to improve user experience (UX) and increase conversion rates. The article lists the top 10 recommended plugins for this purpose. Authored by Vanshikha Dhar, the post was published on July 11, 2025, on the Hotelogix Blog, a platform for hospitality tips and trends.

📶 Airalo, an international travel eSIM provider, raised $220 million in funding, led by CVC's $185 million contribution, reaching a valuation over $1 billion. Serving over 20 million travelers in 200+ destinations, Airalo will enhance user experience and expand offerings, including eSIM bundles and new in-app features for web, iOS, and Android. CEO Ahmet Bahadir Ozdemir highlights the funding as a milestone for global connectivity, with plans to innovate international mobile solutions and enterprise platforms.

📈 In a study analyzing 400+ keywords for 16 clients, 77% of mentions in ChatGPT and Perplexity corresponded with first-page Google rankings. Ranking in the top three positions increased mentions to 82% on Perplexity. The correlation between Google rankings and AI mentions ranged up to 93% for individual clients. Domain Rating (DR) was found to influence AI tool mentions, highlighting the importance of backlinks. These findings emphasize the continued relevance of SEO in AI search visibility.

💻 RoomRaccoon partners with HiJiffy to automate guest interactions for independent hotels. HiJiffy’s AI centralizes communication in 130+ languages, automating up to 90% of interactions. The integration connects HiJiffy’s AI with RoomRaccoon’s booking engine, enhancing guest experiences and increasing direct bookings. CEO Tiago Araújo highlights the streamlined booking journey. Tymen van Dyl notes it reduces workload while increasing revenue. This aligns with RoomRaccoon’s strategy to expand AI capabilities and improve hotelier efficiency.

📈 In 2025, at HITEC, IDeaS Revenue Solutions highlighted AI's role in hospitality, noting its use in their revenue management software for 35 years. Their new IDeaS Spotlight tool, launched in July, aids marketers by optimizing ad spend using AI, reducing system setup time from three days to hours, and helping hotels efficiently plan campaigns. The tool aims to integrate with existing marketing systems for enhanced data sharing and actionability.