Innovation

💸 2026 report reveals that live selling is booming, with the market reaching $22 billion across North America and Europe. Whatnot dominates with a 60% market share. In 2025, live sales hit $8 billion, doubling the previous year. Sellers going live 3-4 times weekly average over $13,000 monthly. Europe's seller base grew 600%, France leads at 888%. UK sellers earn £30K monthly, German sellers make €475 hourly. Consistent sellers earn 40-70x more, with daily streams boosting earnings 100-250x.

📊 2026, sales leadership must pivot from the "top performer" model to a scalable system-driven approach. Traditional reliance on star sellers is outdated due to complex buying processes involving committees and digital influences. Artificial intelligence redefines sales value, emphasizing judgment and coordination over individual effort. Key shifts: team-based revenue, outcome-aligned incentives, role specialization, and data-guided decisions. The focus is on building resilient, cohesive teams, ensuring predictable performance and sustainable growth. 🏆

🍄 In a blind taste test, Nectar's blended burger with Fable's shiitake outperformed 100% beef, being one of only two products to do so. Fable’s products use 98% less water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 94% compared to beef. Replacing half of meat consumption could lower emissions by 31%. Blended proteins offer a sustainable, flavorful alternative, akin to hybrid cars, providing familiar tastes while reducing environmental impact.

🌍 Couton began her hospitality career at Accor in Paris after an MBA, inspired by travel in Thailand. She has over 20 years of experience in Thailand and Singapore, focusing on loyalty, digital marketing, and B2B. Opportunities for the Explorer community include events like a New Year’s Eve dinner with an Antarctica flight from Pullman Melbourne and a seven-night luxury retreat at Sofitel Bali. Future hospitality subscription services will prioritize hyper-personalization, evolving to include holistic lifestyle benefits.

💸 In 2026, a loyalty member of 30 years with a lifetime elite status at a global hotel brand experienced a service oversight. Despite having a branded credit card for over 25 years and staying at the hotel on their birthday, there was no recognition of the occasion. This highlights a gap in customer service, especially at luxury brands. The failure to automate birthday recognition, despite having decades of data, underscores the need for better integration of AI and staff training in hospitality systems.

By Linda Girrbach, Co-Founder & Head of Hospitality Consulting at RobosizeME Let’s talk about a silent problem that’s costing hotel groups thousands of hours a year, and quietly strangling their…

🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup: Hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this is the first time three countries jointly host. More than 200 BWH Hotels are within 40 km of stadiums. The "Go for the Goal" AI tool, leveraging Tripadvisor data, helps travelers plan itineraries, offering hotel suggestions, routes, and personalized recommendations in English and Spanish. It addresses challenges like travel between matches across vast distances. BWH Hotels has 18 brands and around 4,300 hotels worldwide.

📈 Meta's $2B Manus acquisition faces competition as Anthropic's AI-built Claude Code launches in 10 days, boasting 95% cost savings and 92% quicker timelines. Ethan Mollick's Penn experiment exemplifies AI's efficiency, compressing months-long startup tasks into four days. OpenAI introduces a 4% Shopify fee starting January 26, increasing costs to over $7 per $100 order. Meanwhile, OpenAI anticipates $14B cash burn by 2026, with Anthropic targeting $20B-$26B ARR by the same year.

💻 Oracle’s OPERA Cloud platform approved by IHG Hotels & Resorts as a property management system for America and EMEAA regions. This approval allows franchisees to choose tech solutions aligning with their needs. OPERA Cloud standardizes operations for enhanced guest interactions. Alex Alt of Oracle highlighted data-driven decision-making benefits, while Jolie Fleming of IHG emphasized its advanced capabilities for performance. Oracle has over 45 years of experience in hospitality tech.

🍻 Thompson Hotels partners with BERO, an alcohol-free beer by Tom Holland, for a year-long collaboration starting in 2026. This includes product integration, events, and content across U.S. locations like Austin. Aimed at wellness-focused guests, the partnership offers non-alcoholic options from check-in to community events. Initiatives kick off with a Dry January activation. Amar Lalvani of Hyatt highlights the collaboration’s alignment with cultural and lifestyle experiences.