Innovation

💸 Nov 24, 2025, hotels worldwide are shifting focus from merely filling rooms to maximizing total guest value and ancillary spending. Revenue managers now use diverse data sources, such as airline searches and spa bookings, to inform pricing strategies. This change elevates revenue managers to strategic roles collaborating across marketing, sales, and operations. Integrated data systems support this evolution, replacing manual forecasts with advanced analytics and machine learning for holistic revenue management. Read more on this transformation at Skift.

📰 Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit are revolutionizing travel planning by compressing the journey from inspiration to booking. TikTok is piloting hotel bookings, while creator-driven content is influencing destination demand. Social media's impact is rapidly changing the travel industry, and travel sellers need to adapt to capture the next wave of travelers.

📱 ChatGPT will test ads in 2025, with a full launch for free users in 2026. Unlike Google Ads, ads will be integrated into chat replies, not as pop-ups. Pricing is based on clicks or actions. Ads use advanced targeting via chat context and session data. Users have control over personalization by disabling memory. Ad formats include sponsored messages and action buttons, tracked through session-level tokens. This marks a shift for AI as a media channel.

📺 Hotel TV is evolving into a digital touchpoint impacting guest satisfaction and revenue. Key stakeholders—owners, operators, and brands—align infrastructure with guest experience, focusing on personalization. Technological partners like Samsung and SONIFI enhance seamless user interfaces while leveraging AI and cloud services to improve content delivery and reduce latency. Balancing revenue generation and cost, TV systems enable transactions and targeted promotions. Priorities include cost reduction, content variety, and support, aiming for a home-like experience in hotels.

💻 MCLEAN, Virginia—The HSMAI Foundation's report, "How Generative AI is Reshaping Executive Hiring in Hospitality," highlights AI's impact on recruitment. SearchWide Global noted a 60-80% reduction in workloads, with AI boosting efficiency and expanding candidate pools. AI tools are used by 44% of organizations, reducing time-to-hire by up to 86%. Leadership roles now require analytics fluency, with 30-40% emphasizing this. AI identifies nontraditional talent, broadening diversity in leadership.

📈 14:00 – 15:00 GMT, online and free to attend. Learn how GEO marketing differs from SEO, its impact on hotel visibility, and AI optimization for bookings. Ideal for hotel owners, developers, and C-suite executives. Join over 7,000 professionals for interactive sessions with real-time Q&A. Hosted by BHN editor Eloise Hanson. Speaker details to be confirmed.

📰 Marketing Convergence: A significant tech acquisition merges demand intelligence and performance marketing. Distribution Defense: A major GDS is countering the rise of Agentic AI. Operational Integrity: Essential tech ensures high-volume casino cash flow. Automated Service: A fast-food giant launches an AI and robotics-driven restaurant model. Travel Infrastructure: Advances in sub-orbital tech aim to shrink global distances. The Smart PMS: A cutting-edge PMS acquires intelligence for autonomous hotel operations. #HospitalityTech #TravelTech

🛒 Shopify stores, including Glossier, SKIMS, and Spanx, are now live on ChatGPT. Users can make purchases via a new black Buy button without leaving the platform. This feature was announced nearly two months ago alongside an Etsy integration and briefly tested three weeks ago. Currently, there is no support for Shop Pay or Afterpay installment payments. While functional, issues such as incorrect product categorization and missing discount information persist. Glossier faces challenges with customer retargeting and marketing communication restrictions.

🍴 Hotel food and beverage (F&B) remains a major revenue source, with luxury properties making up about one-third of total hotel revenue. Post-pandemic, 2024 F&B revenue is 81% of 2019 levels, after inflation. Labor costs rose nearly 15% in 2024, affecting margins. Innovative F&B strategies, like those at Wind Creek Chicago Southland, emphasize creating distinctive dining experiences with renowned chefs like Fabio Viviani. Hotels must optimize real estate for F&B to boost revenue, using creative, data-driven approaches.