Marketing

💰 For Q1 2026, Booking Holdings reported $3.70 billion in merchant revenue, up 26.7% from last year, while agency revenue fell 2.3% to $1.53 billion. Merchant bookings now represent 72% of total bookings. Deferred merchant bookings rose to $8.2 billion by March 31, 2026, up from $6.9 billion a year earlier. The payment method significantly impacts cash flow, with $1.9 billion of $3.1 billion in free cash flow coming from working capital changes. Payment options vary, affecting the timing and cost of payouts.

📈 In 2025, Hawaiian Tropic launched its largest creative campaign, Tan Sutra, featuring influencer Alix Earle. By 2026, they renewed this partnership. Spacegoods, with a small team, created a community of over 1,000 creators, evolving from product seeding to an affiliate program. Influencer marketing is shifting from isolated campaigns to systems generating trust, content, and growth, showcased through Hawaiian Tropic’s identity-focused approach and Spacegoods’ creator-driven growth engine.

💸 August 3, 2026: Expedia and Booking.com offer visibility tools that boost listing rankings through higher commissions. Expedia’s Accelerator and Booking’s Visibility Booster allow property owners to pay more to improve search results, with a pay-per-stay model on Expedia. Booking’s Preferred Partner requires a commission premium, a top 30% partner status, and a review score of 7+, offering up to 65% more page views. Italy's regulator scrutinized these practices in 2024 and launched another probe in 2026.

📅 MICE hotel marketing is crucial for targeting meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Key insights: 1.65 billion global participants with $785 average spending. U.S. group demand rose 2.7%, driven by secondary markets. Incentive travel spending increased 4% to $5,100 per person. Fast, specific RFP responses are critical, ideally within four business days. Independent hotels can shine with quick, tailored services and strategic local partnerships, capitalizing on small meetings and unique experiences to compete with larger brands.

🏨 U.S. travelers increased spending on experiences despite overall trip spend falling, according to Arival's 2026 outlook. Business travel spending in Europe is projected to reach 389.9 billion euros in 2026, an 8.2% increase from last year. OTA's share of tour bookings rose to 33% in 2024, up from 24% in 2019. Hotels should leverage local partnerships, targeting specific demand gaps using structured agreements with trackable codes to convert existing local demand into direct bookings.

📱 On September 3-4, 2026, the Hospitality Social Media Summit will take place at Chicago Booth School of Business in London, aiming to educate leaders on integrating social media with revenue, service, and loyalty. Former IHG Global Director Whitney Reynolds highlights social media's evolution into a business-wide layer. Delegates can join the two-day programme and six-month development. Kordie® offers training for new hospitality roles, leveraging AI and expert insights.

📹 TikTok just launched "Mini Dramas" in the US, allowing brands to create episodic content with revenue sharing. This burgeoning format, akin to China's microdramas, is projected to generate $1.3 billion by 2025. Currently, 2.2M to 5M viewers are expected this year. P&G's 55-episode series showcases the potential. Meanwhile, Kalshi leverages AI-generated anime to bypass costly stadium ads, collaborating with Jake Wang's popular sports videos. This creative marketing shift highlights digital platforms' dominance.