Marketing

📱 On 9 February 2026, OpenAI began testing ads in the US, expanding to 31 European markets by 31 August 2026. Hotels can advertise via ChatGPT Ads, which appear under responses and are visually labeled as sponsored. Radisson’s July 2026 campaign saw a booking conversion rate 1.5 times higher than organic search. Hotel campaigns can choose objectives for views, clicks, or conversions, with daily budgets starting at €15. Sponsored Agents and visual formats are developments to watch.

📈 Martin Soler highlights a crisis in hotel marketing attribution influenced by AI, zero-click searches, and eroded third-party cookie tracking, obstructing tracking from discovery to booking. Wayne West III reports optimism at the 2026 Lodging Conference but notes shifting development preferences and AI distribution concerns. Duetto implements a 930-property RMS rollout with B&B Hotels, marking major revenue management expansion. Revinate introduces a comprehensive data platform for 1.25 billion guest profiles, while property developments span locations like Saudi Arabia and Silicon Valley.

📊 In a rapidly changing marketing landscape, hotel booking attribution is becoming challenging. Zero-click searches and AI responses are complicating how bookings are tracked. As traditional methods fade, hotels struggle to trace the booking journey. Despite this, demand remains. The focus shifts towards skills like pattern recognition and intuition, rather than pure data reliance. The future of marketing may rely less on sophisticated dashboards and more on decision-making skills. Soler & Associates highlights this shift in hospitality marketing.

📅 Accor, a global hospitality leader, offers over 5,600 hotels and resorts across 110+ countries. The new "Stay for more" campaign, spearheaded by Chief Loyalty & E-Commerce Officer Mehdi Hemici, emphasizes meaningful travel experiences. Accor, founded in 1967 and headquartered in France, is listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange and OTC Market. The group promotes responsible hospitality and diversity. ALL Accor, its loyalty program, enhances member experiences beyond stays. Accor's purpose: connecting cultures with care.

🏡 Airbnb, founded in 2007, connects 5.5 million hosts in 220+ countries, allowing unique stays and local experiences. Hosts can earn up to $25,000/month and benefit from AirCover insurance. Airbnb charges guests a 14.1%-16.5% service fee; hosts pay ~3%. Competitors include Vrbo with 2 million listings, Booking.com in 227 countries, and TripAdvisor with 7.3 million listings. Airbnb’s 2026 updates added Airbnb Experiences, AI features, and boutique hotels, enhancing guest services and options.

📖 Oct 14, 2026 – Booking a luxury hotel through a Virtuoso advisor offers breakfast, room upgrades, and late check-out, valued over $550, compared to Booking.com’s 10% Genius discount. For a €200/night room over three nights, a Genius guest pays €540, with the hotel losing €141 due to a 15% commission. Studies show 59% prefer upgrades, and 85% are likelier to book direct with perks. European laws permit undercutting Booking.com rates on hotel websites.

🎼 Visit Oslo, in 2024, reintroduces Halfdan, the character from the 2024 anti-tourism campaign, in a Christmas musical titled *It’s Totally Even a City*. Now in 2026, Halfdan, portrayed by Bendik Aunan, laments Oslo’s winter quirks, while a choir and children’s troupe add musical charm. The original film garnered 15 million views swiftly, topping 2024's creative campaign list. Visit Oslo’s strategy, crafted by NewsLab and director August Jorfald, aims to make winter appealing.

📱 In early October 2026 at Ambiente Sedona, Arizona, several inquiries were made about a fictitious social media challenge offering thousands or even millions for staying a month without leaving the resort. The staff received multiple calls, including one from a South Korean travel agent. Property owner Jennifer May reported previous issues with AI-generated videos misrepresenting her resort.

📑 A 47-night minimum stay was set in a central system but failed to reach one channel. Channel managers for serviced apartments synchronize rates and availability across various booking channels, supporting durations from nightly up to monthly stays. Different channel types, such as OTAs and corporate platforms, have specific billing models and stay lengths, e.g., corporate platforms favor 30-180 nights. For serviced apartments, integrating GDS and TMC connectivity is crucial to tap into untapped revenue streams.