Miscellaneous

🍴 In a recent piece by Mike Hohnen, the "competency trap" is explored, where individuals excel at certain tasks and become relied upon for them, leading to stagnation. Herminia Ibarra's book "Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader" addresses this issue, suggesting action as a path to new roles. This dynamic often results in people remaining in their comfort zones and not exploring new opportunities for growth. Breaking away requires effort and stepping outside established expertise.

📅 Oct 16, 2026: Marriott introduces Corporate Qualified Rate Validation, requiring travelers to verify employment via a work email to access company rates online. Gmail or Yahoo emails aren't accepted. The initiative aims to prevent misuse of easy-to-guess corporate codes, previously checked only at hotel desks. Verified users access discounted rates without repeated checks, impacting assistant bookings. The phased rollout affects select large accounts. Marriott's goal is to align direct bookings with negotiated rates, enhancing negotiation leverage.

📈 Oct. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis, IDeaS, a SAS company, won two Silver Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards for leadership programs. The awards honor the Learn & Lead and Leadership Matters initiatives. Evaluations considered alignment, design, adoption, and impact, reflecting years of development. IDeaS, serving over 34,000 global installations, is committed to fostering growth and innovation within hospitality. President Ravi Mehrotra and HR Director Robin Bolton celebrate these achievements, highlighting industry leadership needs.

🗺 ETG and Agoda have formed a strategic partnership to expand accommodation options, connecting Agoda to millions of hotels via RateHawk API. This expands Agoda’s offerings across Europe, the US, Latin America, and the Middle East. ETG aims to strengthen its presence in Asia-Pacific, where bookings are projected to grow by 30% in 2026. ETG operates in over 190 markets, employs over 3,900 people, and manages 3.2 million hotels and 450 airlines globally.

💰 Six of the next seven nights in one client apartment were still available today. After applying Genius and Late Escape Deal promotions, guests pay 4–5% more than the RMS price and 10–31% more than the peer group rate for the same nights. In the last six bookings, guests paid between £61 and £123 per night. The system checks real-time pricing for the next 365 days and reads past bookings, rate plans, promotions, and final prices.

📈 AI is transforming search, impacting website visits and marketing attribution. Zero-click searches and AI answers are reducing online booking trails. Despite persistent room demand, tracking sources of bookings is challenging. Current systems are failing, necessitating a return to intuitive marketing strategies. Only 8% of marketers can track AI's full impact, despite 91% acknowledging its influence. Marriott's 9-year partnership with Alibaba exemplifies AI integration in hospitality, while Meta's AI agent faced rapid blocking, highlighting tensions in digital commerce.

🏨 IHG's Vignette Collection, a luxury brand, is expanding in Greater China with new hotels in Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Beidaihe, Qiandao Lake, and Sanya in 2023. The brand emphasizes unique stays, memorable rituals, and community support. The Hari Hong Kong fosters local art, while WM Hotel Hong Kong promotes marine conservation. Globally, IHG operates over 6,000 hotels across 100+ countries, with 1,800 more in development, employing around 350,000 people.

📰 Established in 1997, Mulberry Media is a B2B media and events company offering industry-leading digital news for professionals. They focus on fast, insightful journalism and analysis through data-driven platforms, tailored for specialist business audiences.

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