TOP NEWS

📍 Demand for hotels near Wembley spiked 1,874% following Harry Styles' tour announcement, highlighting the vital role of live music in boosting the hospitality sector. Fans are rushing to book, with some securing accommodation even before dates were released. Nicola Longfield from Access Hospitality advises early planning for fans and hotels, including booking directly and considering locations outside Wembley. The Access Group is a major business software provider, supporting over 100,000 organizations worldwide.

🏨 HOTCO 2026 Vienna showcased the future of hospitality. Martin Stolfa highlighted the Agentic Channel for improved product descriptions, while Jan Popovic discussed new revenue streams. Oliver Csendes presented a case study achieving 97% forecast accuracy in Hungarian tourism via real-time data. Shmulik Yehezkel addressed security solutions, and sports-hotel collaborations emerged as a trend. The event, organized by Horwath HTL and others, featured panels like ‘Meet the Next GEN’, inspiring young talent and promoting dynamic brand discussions.

🏨 Season 4 of Mike White's "The White Lotus" will commence filming in April 2026 and is expected to premiere in 2027. New cast members include AJ Michalka, Alexander Ludwig, Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Helena Bonham Carter, Chris Messina, and Marissa Long. Filming locations include the French Riviera's Château de La Messardière in Saint-Tropez and a Paris hotel. The season's storyline might incorporate the Cannes Film Festival, adding a cinematic focus.

📈 In 2026, the hospitality sector will transform through smarter technology, personalization, and wellness emphasis. 🌍 Asia Pacific's hotels are leveraging demand generation, integrating marketing, sales, and revenue strategies to boost visibility and revenue. 📈 Amadeus highlights a five-stage demand generation strategy, emphasizing market understanding and targeted media strategies. 📱 Mobile could account for 50% of booking engine sales soon. 🏨 A third of Chinese travelers are influenced by travel celebrities, according to Amadeus's Travel Dreams research.

💻 Hotel groups are losing thousands of hours due to manual processes, hindering scaling efforts. Automating tasks like rate code maintenance has saved one group 72 working days monthly, while individual hotels lose 467 hours yearly on manual financial reconciliation. Automation enhances data accuracy and compliance, saving over 200,000 labor hours annually for RobosizeME clients. Join a webinar on February 23, 2026, at 1:00 PM GMT to learn more about optimizing workflows.

🏨 Aven Hospitality, based in Southlake, Texas, rebranded from Hospitality Solutions to serve over 35,000 hotels globally. Led by CEO Teresa Mackintosh, the company, spun off from Sabre Corporation in 2025, enhances hotel operations via SynXis, its commerce platform with 600+ integrations. Aven emphasizes smarter retailing, automated workflows, and AI readiness to boost revenue and guest engagement, operating in 175 countries to streamline hotel management and technology-driven changes.

🏨 Josiah Mackenzie recaps ALIS 2026 insights on hotel industry trends. Despite plateauing top-line performance and costs rising faster than inflation, some hotels continue to grow. Key factors include operational discipline, service excellence, and clear differentiation plans. Mastery of basics aids in building pricing power.

📈 In 2026, hotel industry forecasts reveal a challenging outlook with minimal RevPAR growth at 0.6%, contrasted by inflation at 2.4%. The industry faces a "trifurcated" economy, with luxury growing at 3.2% while other segments shrink. Short-term rentals capture all net accommodation gains. AI revolutionizes operations, necessitating hotels to adapt for AI recommendations. Notably, 40% of U.S. travelers now plan trips using GenAI, emphasizing the shift in consumer behavior and loyalty. The FIFA World Cup significantly impacts industry performance.

🏠 Sunborn London, the UK's only luxury yacht hotel moored at Royal Victoria Dock, partnered with Shiji for a tech overhaul. Check-in time dropped by over 80%, taking just 1 minute. F&B service improved, boosting revenue by ~20%. Housekeeping efficiency increased by 80%, with room turnaround now 10 minutes. The integrated system enhanced staff productivity and guest experience, seamlessly connecting departments, and ensuring secure, efficient transactions. This modern upgrade fosters personalized service in a unique floating hotel setting.

📈 At the 2026 Americas Lodging Investment Summit, industry experts discussed utilizing technology like AI and structured data to combat challenges and drive growth. Pete Comeau highlighted a 6% growth in the travel industry despite geopolitical issues, and noted 39% of travelers use AI for trip research. Steven Moore emphasized operational efficiency using AI, with luxury hotels maintaining high cash flow, while upper-midscale and upscale outperform on margin percentage. Mike Stengel reported a 36% rise in events over $100,000 since 2022.