Innovation

4888 posts

Innovation and technology news for the hospitality industry: AI, digital tools and how hotels are transforming, from 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers.

Guest Post: The thrill isn’t gone… it’s waiting on the next turn

🏨 The short-term rental industry is at a crossroads. AI is automating tasks like marketing and guest messaging, impacting operator decisions. One path focuses on cost reduction and efficiency, leading to commoditization, while the other emphasizes personalized experiences, enhancing brand value. Investing in hospitality can boost repeat bookings from 5% to 18%, as shown in an analysis of 230,000 bookings. Operators achieving 28% direct repeat bookings can surpass the 9% on platforms like Airbnb, thus improving economic outcomes.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 2 min

I’ve been playing around with Claude Cowork Anthropic’s AI and OpenClaw (Now part of OpenAI) lately… and honestly, It’s a shift. If you work in hospitality and you’re not experimenting with AI… | Joan Sanz

💻 Claude Cowork by Anthropic and OpenClaw (now part of OpenAI) are revolutionizing hospitality with AI. AI agents can now optimize CRM pipelines, set up hotel PMS in minutes, and manage room types in Channel Managers with full mapping logic, reducing manual errors and inefficiencies. These agents can detect operational anomalies, optimize room assignments, and predict maintenance issues, all through platforms like WhatsApp, Slack, or Telegram, enhancing efficiency and execution in Hoteltech sales.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 3 min

Booking Studio by Shiji, a customizable direct booking engine built for hotel websites

📅 Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2026 – Shiji launches Booking Studio, a direct booking engine integrated with Daylight PMS, enhancing hotel control over booking experiences. Key features include real-time availability, centralized control, and flexible booking flows. Booking Studio supports hotels in optimizing their direct booking strategies, reducing third-party reliance. Shiji serves over 91,000 hotels and employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, offering comprehensive technology solutions for the hospitality industry. For details, visit Shiji's website.
View Post
Share

Congresses and events: without a data strategy, no viable agentic AI

🤖 Accor adopts a strategic approach to AI, prioritizing business needs over technology. By shifting from AI that responds to AI that acts, Accor aims to enhance MICE processes through automation and hyper-personalization. They have a five-year vision focusing on B2B/B2C services and loyalty platforms. A Centre of Excellence in generative AI and initiatives like Accor GPT are established. The AI interacts with business systems, triggering workflows and transactions, ensuring controlled industrialization.
View Post
Share

ChatGPT begins showing ads in first responses

💰 Feb 23, 2026, in the U.S., ChatGPT starts showing sponsored ads in its first response to user prompts about travel. These ads, marked with “Sponsored” tags and brand icons, appear on high-intent queries like booking trips, marking AI platforms as new advertising battlegrounds. Initially, ads target major hotel groups due to high budget barriers. Independent hotels should monitor AI's impact on booking behaviors for potential future visibility.
View Post
Share

Expedia flags agentic AI as a competitive turning point

🛫 Feb 23, 2026, Expedia highlights AI as a competitive risk in its filing. Generative and agentic AI could transform travel booking, affecting consumer behavior and competition. Expedia invests in AI to maintain visibility and strengthen operations. New AI-native competitors may emerge, and platform visibility becomes crucial. AI scraping threatens proprietary data, while liability concerns arise. Internal AI boosts property onboarding and advertising, but consumer-facing AI tools are still developing.
View Post
Share

Airbnb plans AI-native overhaul of search and support

💻 Airbnb, on February 23, 2026, is embedding large language models into its app to enhance personalization and automate services. Currently, AI-powered customer support resolves 33% of inquiries in North America, with plans for voice-based service and multilingual capabilities. The company is testing conversational search and aims for 80% AI tool usage among engineers. Airbnb's strategic shift aims to refine guest discovery and host management, potentially including future sponsored listings.
View Post
Share

Low-cost AI integration opens new distribution path for Wyndham

💻 Feb 23, 2026, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts reveals it integrated with AI platforms like Google AI, ChatGPT, and Anthropic for under $100,000, avoiding transaction fees by directing bookings to brand.com. This cost-effective AI-driven strategy could transform hotel distribution, bypassing traditional commission models. However, future monetization of AI platforms remains uncertain. Wyndham's strategic move aims at increasing direct bookings through conversational AI, signaling a shift in digital distribution approaches.
View Post
Share