TOP NEWS

🏨 Accor, Hilton and IHG launched AI travel-discovery tools in 2026 to encourage direct bookings. Accor’s ALL Concierge handled over 1 million conversations since July 2025 and supports 11 website languages. Hilton introduced its planner in March; IHG followed in July. Online travel agencies generated about 63% of independent hotel reservations in 2025, with typical commissions of 15–30%. None of the three hotel groups has published data showing these tools reduce reliance on third-party bookings.

💻 Booking, Expedia, and Airbnb saw declines of 21%, 18%, and 18% respectively in a month due to Meta's Muse launch on September 8, 2025. Muse hit 2.5M US downloads in two weeks. Agents like Muse and Instinct threaten OTAs by simplifying price comparison and booking. Booking's 2025 GBV was $186B with $27B revenue. OTAs' friction costs face pressure: $54B shifted from aggregators, $321B to Meta. Expedia and Booking's marketing spend was 4-6% GBV, with Booking spending $8B. AI-assisted bookings still under 1% of OTA traffic.

🛀 By 2024, the global spa industry grew to 201,861 spas generating $157 billion with a 7.4% annual growth rate. The medical spa segment was valued at $24.2 billion in 2025 and is forecasted to reach $78.2 billion by 2033. Medical spas are growing nearly 16% annually. In 2024, US patients spent $1.30 billion on GLP-1 medications. The wellness economy is valued at $6.8 trillion in 2024, predicted to grow to $9.8 trillion by 2029.

📈 Shares of Booking Holdings fell 3.9% on September 22 and about 5% more the next day, due to Meta's Muse AI agent, launched September 8, which compares prices and books travel. Booking.com relies on independent hotels and small rentals for 90% of revenue. Analysts argue AI will challenge OTAs by accessing member-only discounts, while Wall Street counters that signing these properties manually is difficult for AI. Booking Holdings was trading 29% below its August high by late September.

🏨 In 2026, Airbnb's nights grew 2.6 times faster than Booking in Q2, reversing a trend from the last two years. This shift is driven by Airbnb's strategic inclusion of hotels, a significant platform expansion. Although hotels currently represent a single-digit share of Airbnb's nights, they are growing more than three times faster than the homes business. Approximately 35% of first-time hotel guests return to Airbnb to book homes, strengthening the marketplace.

💻 Florencia Cueto Pedrotti, Director of Global Engagement & Sales Enablement at Shiji, and Javier Campo, SVP Europe at Amadeus, discussed hotel digital merchandising and attribute-based selling. Amadeus research highlights that 74% of travelers expect personalization. Currently, airlines earn 15-20% of revenue from ancillaries, while hotels earn 3-5%. Javier emphasizes the need for dynamic systems to deliver personalized offers, with a focus on strategy first. The transformation is expected within the next 24 months.

💻 Beaumier hotels in Europe improved guest experience using Canary Technologies. Guest interactions became seamless with mobile-first check-ins. Enhanced data collection boosted direct communication, and simplified deposit processes saved time. At Grand Hotel Belvedere, staff optimized logistics using guests' expected arrival times. Beaumier found a partner in Canary, supporting international growth and technology integration. Canary Technologies, serving over 20,000 hotels in 100+ countries, is renowned for its AI-powered Guest Management Platform, simplifying operations and enhancing guest experiences.