TOP NEWS

📊 At the EHL HumanX Summit in Lausanne, Mirko Lalli highlighted that 60% of travelers rely on AI for trip planning, with 80% of suggestions stemming from online travel agencies, leaving many destinations invisible. Preparing for AI involves 30% technical work and 70% content, adapting to longer, vibe-focused searches. Lalli's data shows a drop in organic traffic, with some destinations losing over 60% and Wikipedia seeing a decrease of 1.6 billion monthly visits over two years.

💻 Agilysys will present at HITEC 2026 from June 15-18 in San Antonio, Texas. Three sessions will feature Agilysys' Senior VP Frank Pitsikalis and VP Thor Hansen discussing AI in hospitality. Session highlights: June 15, 2:45 p.m. on AI use in hospitality; June 16, 2:30 p.m. on resort revenue strategies; June 17, 1:30 p.m. on AI-driven hospitality outcomes. Explore connected data, guest experience personalization, and revenue growth. Agilysys will be at Booth #1438.

🛑 By 2026, hotel revenue managers face challenges in maximizing direct bookings and managing distribution costs. Metasearch engines are pivotal, offering enhanced online visibility and booking opportunities. These tools aggregate data from multiple sources, revolutionizing hotel marketing strategies and driving success.

🌎 Hotels.com released its 2026 Hotel Price Index revealing booking 8-14 days before travel and staying Sunday nights offer savings. Use of “Budget” filter rose by 1800%, “Rewards” by 820%. Last-minute bookers saved 23%. January is cheapest for hotel stays, October second week priciest. International 5-star hotels are 23% cheaper than U.S. hotels. Savings found in Porto Alegre, Nha Trang, and Phuket. Hotel rates dropped in Alassio (-31%), Leipzig (-25%), Lahaina (-27%), and more.

🗺 Summer 2026 sees a surge in domestic U.S. travel, with a 21% rise in accommodation searches and a 29% increase in flight searches compared to last year. Shorter, city-focused trips are preferred, with Austin leading a 423% increase in searches. San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago see substantial flight search growth, while Miami and Orlando maintain popularity with a 43% rise in accommodation searches. Flexibility and experience-driven travel trends shape these choices.

📈 Holiday Inn Portland – Columbia Riverfront's sales team, led by Tammy Oxentenko, leverages Knowland's data for identifying opportunities, monitoring competitors, and supporting prospecting. This strategy improves group business growth by integrating market intelligence with research, relationship building, and consistent prospecting. Successful sales teams don’t stop at data; they build a comprehensive understanding of potential clients, considering meeting history, growth indicators, and competitor activity, transforming information into meaningful conversations and future bookings.

🍲 Zurich, 10 June 2026 – Demand for KITRO's AI-powered waste reduction technology is surging as new EU regulations mandate a 30% reduction in per-capita food waste by 2030. Founded by Anastasia Hofmann and Naomi MacKenzie, KITRO has worked with 500+ kitchens in 40+ countries, helping save EUR 13M, 4.1M meals, and preventing 1,860 tonnes of edible food waste. Spain’s Ley 01/25 enforces stricter measures by 2026, bolstering KITRO's growth with partners like Hyatt.

🏨 In 2026, hotel marketing focuses on targeting travelers seamlessly across search engines, OTAs, social media, metasearch platforms, and AI assistants. The complexity of reaching the right guest at the right time has increased.