TOP NEWS

💻 Nov 24, 2025, in Singapore: At the HICAP conference, hotel leaders discussed the shift towards AI-driven discovery, emphasizing its role over traditional search methods. Hotels face a pivotal 12 months to adapt, focusing on data control, personalization, and operational efficiency. AI's influence will depend on customer data ownership, impacting hotel visibility. Aggregated loyalty platforms and AI-driven engagement are crucial for competitive positioning. Organizational commitment to data and AI integration is essential to stay relevant and reclaim discovery influence.

💻 Oracle Hospitality's OPERA Cloud aids hotels during peak events, enhancing revenue and service. Technology manages room inventory, cancellation policies, and staffing. Loyalty programs are boosted with the Opera Cloud Loyalty platform for personalized VIP experiences. AI automates tasks, delivering personalized offers and insights, easing staff workload. The platform’s real-time monitoring of occupancy, check-ins, and guest preferences ensures efficiency and personalization, crucial during events like the US Grand Prix and World Cup.

📅 Hosted by BHN editor Eloise Hanson, a free online webinar takes place from 14:00-15:00 GMT, offering insights into market pressures, growth strategies, and evolving guest behaviors. The event, aimed at hotel owners, investors, developers, executives, and service providers, promises an interactive experience with live Q&A sessions. Join over 7,000 professionals for advanced insights on technology, AI, and operations. Expert speakers are yet to be confirmed.

🛥 30 January 2025 marks the initial steel cutting for the Orient Express Olympian, a 220-meter vessel. Keel laying is scheduled for November 2025, with launch in April 2026 and delivery by April 2027. Its sister ship, Orient Express Corinthian, will begin sea trials in December 2025, launching Mediterranean and Caribbean itineraries in May 2026. This expansion aligns with Accor’s ultra-luxury strategy, including new hotels in Venice (April 2026) and Rome (2025).

🏨 In 2024, hospitality assets accounted for 18% of real estate investments, with over 100 transactions, primarily single-asset deals. Paris and Île-de-France led the activity, comprising two-thirds of the volume. France ranked among Europe's top three hotel investment markets, following the UK and Spain, with €17 billion in transactions across Europe, up 62% year-on-year. The average price per key increased by 9% to €215,300. Portfolio transactions grew by 40%, driven by private equity funds.

🏨 Hotels are redefining profitability strategies post-pandemic, with a shift from occupancy-focused pricing to maximizing total guest value. This involves tracking various metrics, from airline bookings to pickleball court reservations. Revenue managers are transforming from data crunchers to leaders of commercial strategy and cross-team collaboration. Despite weakened pricing power since pre-pandemic times, luxury hotels remain an exception. This new approach is crucial as the industry adapts to current economic realities.

📑 2026 travel trend reports are pouring in. Eight key reports include Expedia's "Unpack ’26," Priceline's "Where to Next in 2026?," Omio's "NowNext 2025–2026," Amadeus's "How Will Technology Transform Travel?," SITA's "Traveler Voice Report," Skyscanner's "2026 Travel Trends," Lemongrass's "Travel Trend Report 2026," and Hilton's "2026 Trends Report." Insight leadership remains unclaimed, but potential contenders like Skift and McKinsey may deliver data-driven insights. Will 2026 finally see groundbreaking travel analysis? Stay tuned.

🌎 In 2026, 26% of global travelers start hotel searches on OTAs, up from 18% in 2025, surpassing search engines which fell to 21% from 36%. In the UK, 26% use OTAs, rising from 16% in 2024, while 24% use search engines, down from 40%. AI use for travel planning rose to 4%, with 80% of travelers seeking AI features like price alerts. Dynamic pricing is supported by 65% globally and 55% in the UK.

📰 Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor at Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999, reports on culinary trends. He hosts the podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn." Thorn studied at Tufts University, Le Cordon Bleu, and in China. He was a columnist for The New York Sun (2005-2008) and won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award. Inducted into Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014, Thorn specializes in French and Asian cuisines. He resides in Brooklyn, NY.