TOP NEWS

🍽 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News, based in Brooklyn, NY, has been influential in the industry since 1999. He won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award and served as IFEC president in 2005. Thorn is a Tufts University alumnus and a Le Cordon Bleu graduate. His extensive background includes work at The New York Sun, Asia Times, and contributions to notable publications like the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America.

Annual eBook Shares Data-Driven Insights from Hoteliers and Tech Leaders, Empowering the Industry to Simplify Systems, Accelerate AI, and Build Future-Ready Organizations MINNEAPOLIS — Oct. 7, 2025 — IDeaS, a SAS company…

🍷 Premium alcohol-free distillery NietsCo. launched in the UK, debuting at Fortnum & Mason. Founded by Alexandre Hauben in Belgium, NietsCo. offers four flagship products. Havaniets №1 0.0% (£36) and Botaniets Original 0.0% (£29.95) have won multiple international awards. Aperiniets (£23.00) crafted in Italy, shines in spritz variations. These spirits range from 5 to 6 kcal per serving, emphasizing flavor and craftsmanship. NietsCo. aims to offer exciting alcohol-free options with quality and innovation.

💻 Actabl partners with 90% of the top 50 US hotel management companies, engaging 150,000 hoteliers daily. The focus is on customer success, with a team of CSMs who are experienced in hotel operations. This team helps clients like ProfitSword and Alice achieve goals such as improving forecast accuracy and enhancing guest satisfaction scores. Actabl's strategy includes investing in customer success and technical expertise, ensuring their technology effectively enhances hotel operations and ultimately boosts performance.

💸 Hotels are shifting from revenue to profit management for better financial resilience amid rising costs and owner demands. Traditional revenue methods miss true guest value, like additional spending. Profit management aligns data across departments, moving from RevPAR to metrics like Net RevPAR and TRevPAR. Integrating data, aligning teams, and using predictive strategies lead to informed decisions and sustainable profits. This cultural shift enhances competitive advantage by focusing on total profit, not just room revenue.

📈 Leaders from the travel and hospitality industry convened in New York, including representatives from Booking, Expedia, Airbnb, and others. North American search volumes dropped 15%, while OTA and TMC bookings remained flat, impacting margins. Luxury travel holds steady despite economic headwinds. Technology, particularly AI, plays a crucial role in personalizing offers and improving efficiency. Companies must focus on AI talent acquisition and employee well-being. The takeaway: adaptability is essential amid challenging environments and shifting technological landscapes.

💸 Hotels that launched Black Friday campaigns from November 3 to December 2, 2024, saw a 63.8% increase in direct bookings and a 97.5% rise in direct revenue, compared to the previous month. THN analyzed data from over 4,300 hotels and created a guide for maximizing Black Friday opportunities. Effective strategies include email capture, exclusive perks, and connectivity offers like free eSIM data. Extending promotions to days like Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday can further boost direct bookings.

💻 In 2026, hotel technology reshapes hospitality with key trends: modern revenue managers focus on strategies across multiple streams, branded residences become mainstream, AI redefines roles by automating admin tasks, and predictive hospitality anticipates guest needs. Savills predicts the branded residence sector will double over seven years. AI-driven tools free staff to engage guests and optimize RevPAG. Hotels leverage PMS to personalize experiences and boost revenue, positioning themselves for long-term growth.

📶 According to the 2025 State of Distribution report, seamless connectivity is now a priority for hotels, crucial to avoid costly errors and missed opportunities. Internal connectivity aligns systems like PMS and CRM to enhance efficiency, while external connectivity ensures accurate rates and availability across platforms. Dynamic pricing and integrated payment solutions boost profitability. Intelligent connectivity, powered by AI, anticipates demand, optimizes distribution, and automates operations, giving hotels a competitive advantage.

🛩 AirMall by InterLnkd transforms inflight Wi-Fi into a digital shopping hub, connecting travelers to 20,000+ brands without onboard stock. Airlines can offset connectivity costs and offer passengers a personalized shopping experience via their devices, with home or travel destination delivery. Robert Goldsmith, COO of InterLnkd, highlights this as a new revenue stream for airlines. The platform supports payments, integrates with loyalty programs, and uses a matching engine for personalized product curation.