Innovation

4721 posts

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

View Post
  • 2 min

Here’s the New Rules for Becoming a Successful Hotel Brand in 2026 Let’s stop pretending the old playbook still works. In 2026, hotel brands don’t win because they look luxurious. They win because… | Scott Eddy | 28 comments

📍 In 2026, successful hotel brands focus on psychology over amenities, prioritizing trust and reducing anxiety. Guests seek authenticity, preferring humanized content over polished ads. Employee satisfaction directly impacts guest experiences, driving revenue. Leadership emphasizes clarity, avoiding generic branding that leads to discounting. Technology enhances personalization, with AI fostering relevance. Content shifts from promotion to education, guiding guests. Dominant brands act as media entities, valuing emotional intelligence in hospitality.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 1 min

Hotel Tech & AI Deep Dive With Mews Founder Richard Valtr [Sponsor Bonus]

📓 02:16 - Mews offers Property Management Systems (PMS) for hotels. 05:42 - A hotel business's three key assets are rooms, staff, and guests. 08:01 - Discussed monetization opportunities. 15:44 - AI used to build customer archetypes. 27:13 - Large Language Models (LLMs) as middleware. 33:30 - AI relies on truth. 35:38 - AI speeds up training content creation. 41:36 - Advice available for finding tech partners. 42:26 - Richard's pride in Mews' current achievements.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 2 min

Stop Being a Spreadsheet Martyr: Reclaim Your Life

📈 Revenue managers spend 50% of their week on manual data entry, leading to late office hours. "Manual Reality" impacts work-life balance and efficiency. Automating with Demand Calendar saves 60 hours monthly, integrating PMS, POS, and Spa systems into one dashboard. Benefits include live rolling forecasts and reduced ad-hoc reports. The result? A 5x ROI on labor costs and better work-life balance. Demand Calendar transforms manual tasks into strategy-focused work.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 2 min

Amazon expands Alexa+ with four partners,…

🖥 Amazon and Expedia team up to transform Alexa+ into a travel booking assistant. Starting in 2026, users can book global accommodations using voice commands. This partnership allows Alexa to tap into Expedia's vast inventory and manage reservations. Complementary collaborations include Yelp and Angi for home services, and Square for wellness bookings. Amazon aims to make Alexa+ a comprehensive service hub. Expedia, expanding its AI focus, recently appointed Xavier Amatriain as AI director.
View Post
Share

Gen Z abandons cash, reshaping how guests pay

💳 Jan 6, 2026: Gen Z's shift to mobile payments is reshaping hospitality. Digital wallets are a must, as younger travelers view cash as disposable. Pandemic habits like contactless check-in are now standard. Preferred payment methods include debit cards and buy now, pay later, impacting spending and hotel operations. While frictionless payments boost ancillary sales, they risk post-stay regret. Trust in digital security is key, but backup options for cashless failures remain critical.
View Post
Share

Hotel websites see rising AI-driven traffic as search clicks decline

🏨 Jan 6, 2026: AI assistants are transforming hotel discovery as travelers shift from traditional SEO to AI-driven searches. Since late 2024, hotel websites see month-over-month rises in AI-driven visits, while organic search clicks decline due to zero-click behaviors. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) emerges to ensure hotels appear in AI-generated responses, expanding discoverability beyond owned channels. Reputation management now influences AI visibility, emphasizing the need for a holistic strategy beyond traditional SEO.
View Post
Share

How TravelAI finds trips you didn’t know you wanted

🗺️ Jan 6, 2026, Vancouver: TravelAI Solutions Inc. leverages AI and niche data across 470 travel domains to personalize trip discovery. They achieved a 441% revenue growth from 2021-2024 and expect US$27M in 2025 from US$480M in gross bookings. Using anonymized data, they provide targeted hotel recommendations, earning commissions on platforms like Expedia. Growth is driven by acquiring distressed travel sites, enhancing their AI-driven marketing and data profiling capabilities.
View Post
Share

Expedia brings hotel booking to Alexa+

💻 Amazon, 2026, partners with Expedia to integrate its next-gen AI assistant, Alexa+, for voice-activated hotel and vacation rental bookings. This expansion includes partners like Tripadvisor and Uber, with new collaborations from Yelp, Angi, and Square. Alexa+ will prioritize personalized recommendations, enhancing Expedia’s AI strategy. Expedia is also collaborating with Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity. This signifies a shift to AI-powered travel services, focusing on user convenience and expanding Expedia's AI partnerships.
View Post
Share