Innovation

💻 Josiah and Janett discussed AI advancements in 2025 and expectations for 2026, highlighting Claude Code's capabilities in web development and automating processes. Janett utilized Claude Code to create a personal website and improve Brand USA's state fact sheets. She emphasized the importance of AI in tourism and launched the "America the Beautiful" campaign with AI interactions on the website. Janett also focused on internal upskilling, industry-wide training, and advocating for a data-centric role for DMOs.

🏨 U.S. hotel revenue per available room fell by 0.3% in 2025, but a minimal increase is expected in 2026. Inbound U.S. travel dropped by 5.4%, with international arrivals declining from 72.4M in 2024 to 68.5M in 2025. Canada led U.S. travel spending at nearly $16B despite a 25.1% visitation decrease. Noble Investment Group saw a strong 2025, with Q4 up 7% and January 2025 up 8%. Marriott's luxury segment and conversions fueled growth, with 40% of new openings attributed to conversions.

🐶 New York, February – BARK Air launched BARK Happy at The Windsor Court, New Orleans, replacing the pet fee with a hospitality charge for dogs. The service offers a concierge team, pre-arrival planning, custom amenities, and itineraries. Features include BARK Happy Pack Walks, The Barktail Lounge, and Canine Comfort Wellness Kits. Michael Novotny, President of BARK Air, highlights this as a high-touch service model. Ralph Mahana, GM of The Windsor Court, praises the initiative for elevating canine hospitality.

📝 SentimentAI, part of TrustYou’s Customer Experience Platform, analyzes guest feedback across 700+ categories in 23 languages without translation loss. It transforms unstructured reviews into structured data, clarifying guest sentiments and their impact on satisfaction. This system detects patterns across properties, identifies key issues, and calculates Impact Scores, enabling precise, data-driven decisions. It helps hotels improve resource allocation, marketing messaging, and brand consistency, offering a competitive advantage through actionable insights derived from guest feedback.

💸 Whatnot, the largest live shopping platform in North America and Europe, reached $22 billion in live shopping market sales in 2025, doubling from the previous year. On Thanksgiving, over 500 viewers watched a live sports card auction. Whatnot sellers spend 95 minutes daily on the app, with one in eight working full-time. Beauty, electronics, jewelry, and women's fashion categories saw significant growth, with beauty sales increasing nearly 800%. Top US live sellers generate $69,000 monthly.

☁ AUSTIN, Texas—Oracle OPERA Cloud hospitality platform has been approved by IHG Hotels & Resorts for use in their properties across the Americas and EMEAA regions. This cloud-based property management system enables IHG properties to standardize operations and data on a unified platform. OPERA Cloud, featuring enterprise-class reliability and quarterly updates, is live and supports fiscal compliance in 236 countries and territories, enhancing data-driven decision-making and guest experiences.

💻 Oracle OPERA Cloud, a property management system, has been approved by IHG Hotels & Resorts for its Americas and EMEAA regions. This enhances operational standardization and guest experiences. The platform, reliable and secure, supports fiscal compliance across 236 countries. Oracle, with over 45 years in hospitality technology, offers cloud-based solutions optimizing efficiency and profitability.

⚽ Best Western Hotels & Resorts and Tripadvisor launched the "Go for the Goal" platform using AI to assist soccer fans in planning travel for the 2026 international tournament. Available in the US, Canada, and Mexico, it offers over 200 BWH Hotels within 25 miles of stadiums. The platform supports both English and Spanish and aims to simplify multi-city trips with curated recommendations. This effort coincides with Best Western's partnership with the United Soccer League.

💻 Over the next 12-18 months, hotel websites will see decreased traffic but higher conversion rates, as AI streamlines the marketing funnel. Previously, customers learned about hotels through search engines, but AI now simplifies discovery with prompts like: "Tell me about [your brand]." It enables the purchase process with platforms like DirectBooker and The Hotels Network. Websites must now optimize content to fuel AI recommendations, shifting their role from digital shop windows to AI support.

🏨 On January 27 in Southlake, Texas, Hospitality Solutions rebranded to Aven Hospitality, an independent provider for over 35,000 hotels globally. Led by CEO Teresa Mackintosh, the company focuses on hotel-first commerce and AI infrastructure, with a platform supporting 600+ integrations. Aven's cloud-native platform enhances hotel performance with smarter retailing and reduced complexity. It will become fully independent in 2025, continuing its strategy with its SynXis platform.