Our Selection: The most important news in hospitality

🌊 The project revamps a ship's Pool Deck and Observation Terrace with custom prints inspired by tropical landscapes.

🌎 HEDONIST's global expansion of its scenario-based travel model reflects a shift in luxury travel. Instead of itineraries, trips revolve around narratives like historical moments or scientific expeditions, engaging travelers as participants. This model appeals to ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNW), prioritizing meaning, context, and memory over traditional luxury elements. As affluent travelers seek unique experiences, the luxury industry may increasingly adopt this approach, emphasizing depth and involvement in travel experiences.

☕ Lacoste launched its first permanent Café Lacoste in Paris, near its flagship store, following a successful Monaco pop-up. This 100-square-meter space, in partnership with Giraudi Group, features a menu by chef Thierry Paludetto, including club sandwiches and “L’Eau de Croco.” Experiential luxury, comprising 60% of global luxury spending, fuels this trend. Brand-led cafes serve as entry points and engagement hubs, mirroring similar moves by Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Dior, and others in retail-hospitality fusion.

💸 Feb 17, 2026, financial caution affects affluent travelers' hotel choices, as per Deloitte’s 2026 Travel Industry Outlook. Upscale hotels face reduced demand, particularly in upper-upscale and premium segments, while ultra-luxury remains stable. Gen Z and Millennials prioritize experiences and sustainability, influencing hotel demand. AI-driven booking shifts reduce traditional brand interactions. Regulatory pressure emphasizes transparent pricing. Hoteliers must adapt with clear value propositions to attract price-sensitive travelers.

🗺 Feb 17, 2026, affluent travelers favor authenticity, discretion, and local immersion over opulence in luxury hospitality. Research shows a shift toward "quiet luxury" with seamless service, local culture integration, and experiential offerings. Preferences include secluded locations, minimalist design, and invisible technology. Hotels focus on understated quality, personalized service, and authentic experiences. The trend signifies evolving guest expectations and a redefined luxury definition. Source: EHL.

🛁 Feb 16, 2026, India: The hospitality sector is booming due to AI events, trade, weddings, and spiritual tourism. Hotel demand surpasses supply, boosting room rates and expansion plans. Indian Hotels, Taj brand owner, anticipates this trend for 3-5 years, rapidly increasing capacity. Challenges include talent shortage and expansion in tier-two and tier-three cities. Growth focuses on mid-market and boutique segments to broaden market coverage. Demand drivers extend beyond business travel.

🚀 Booking.com's stock is experiencing a rapid decline, possibly due to the rise of AI in travel. The traditional OTA model (Guest → Google → OTA → Hotel) faces disruption as AI enables direct bookings and personalized, frictionless travel plans. Booking.com retains key advantages, including global inventory and payment systems, making it a potential infrastructure provider for AI agents. Operators should focus on direct bookings and data ownership to adapt. AI will reshape the travel industry, impacting margins and transparency.

🌐 Feb 13, 2026, Hyatt's AI investment shows measurable benefits in search, group sales, and efficiency. Conversational search redesign boosts conversion rates, while a branded ChatGPT app enhances discovery. AI tools review over 1.5 million RFPs, improving sales productivity by 20% and increasing revenue. Hyatt uses multi-model AI to maintain data control, focusing on quality. Competitors like Marriott and Hilton explore AI integration, assessing potential impacts on distribution and booking channels.

🏨 Mexico City, February 12, 2026: Shiji and ANCH, with partners like Amadeus and AWS, hosted the IT Assembly, gathering leaders from 32 hotel chains, covering 1,600+ properties and 250,000 rooms. The event emphasized digital transformation, highlighting AI, cybersecurity, and cloud systems. Investments yield returns in 14 months, boosting efficiency by 15%. Cybersecurity and digital payments were key themes, supporting Mexico's 300,000 hospitality jobs and aligning with ESG goals.

🎶 Smiling House Luxury Group integrates live music in chalets to enhance guest experiences, featuring local artists like singers, pianists, and DJs. The aim is to support local talent and offer authentic cultural connections. Future plans include curated access to local music events and personalized playlists. This strategy promotes creativity and unforgettable moments, using visual storytelling and artist collaborations to strengthen the brand's narrative and impact the travel community.

🏖️ In 2026, the hotel industry is embracing outdoor hospitality as a core growth platform. The global glamping market saw a 12.5% CAGR from 2020-2025. In fall 2025, Marriott Bonvoy launched its Outdoor Collection, and Google partnered with Ford to map the TransAmerica Trail. The U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary with outdoor-focused travel in demand. Hoteliers are urged to enhance outdoor experiences, offering flexible accommodations and integrating local partnerships. Challenges include seasonality and staffing, demanding strategic planning.

📡 As of 2026, the hospitality sector faces a $1.3 trillion threat from travel fraud. Sophisticated scams, like AI-generated fake hotel sites, and tactics like “ClickFix” compromise hotel extranet credentials. New FTC rules penalize AI-generated reviews with fines up to $51,744. PCI DSS 4.0 mandates Multi-Factor Authentication for guest data access. Hotels combat fraud by using branded apps, active brand monitoring, and staff training to protect against these evolving digital threats.

📈 Indian accommodation sector thrived in 2025, with 75% of hoteliers optimistic about growth. 70% reported higher occupancy rates, while AI adoption and upskilling are priorities. Hoteliers plan to hire 9.9 employees on average, focusing on housekeeping and food roles. Investment intentions dipped slightly, with 14% scaling back. Digital platforms are vital in mitigating seasonality, with 79% finding them effective. The survey by Statista and Booking.com involved 250 executives, conducted between July 7 and September 1, 2025.

📰 In the hospitality industry, distribution is key. Despite its complexities, the process is straightforward: rooms, rates, and availability reach customers effectively. As of 2026, technology advancements have led to a fragmented ecosystem, emphasizing the need for a foundational understanding of distribution systems like PMS, RMS, and CRS. Knowledge retention is crucial, especially as experienced professionals exit the workforce. To demystify distribution, understanding what is sold, where, and how it’s represented is essential.

🏨 The hotel industry houses over 450 brands with 17.5 million rooms under major groups and 14.3 million independent rooms globally. Marriott's 2016 acquisition of Starwood created the largest hotel group with 30 brands. Global and regional groups account for 55% of accommodation capacity. Franchises focus on owner economics rather than guest preferences. The "big five" hotel groups dominate through scale and loyalty ecosystems. Sustainability and personalized loyalty programs drive modern consumer decisions.

🏨 U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best Hotels rankings on July 2023, featuring over 31,000 hotels across 400+ destinations. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii, retained the top U.S. spot, while Adare Manor led in Europe. Jade Mountain, St. Lucia, topped the Caribbean, and Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas was best in Mexico. The rankings evaluate hotels using star ratings, expert opinions, and online reviews.

🏨 Benjamin Rafter, CEO of Hotel Equities and Springboard Hospitality, discusses a "reset" in the U.S. lodging market due to debt maturities and deferred capex, creating growth opportunities for operators with strong commercial engines. He notes a shift from brand loyalty to experience loyalty, boosting soft brands and independents. AI's role is highlighted in enhancing backend efficiency and gradually transforming distribution and guest interaction, potentially leveling the playing field for independent hotels.

📊 In 2026, FITUR in Madrid hosted 255,000 visitors, marking a shift toward technological integration in hospitality. The "Hall of Knowledge" debuted, focusing on tech collaboration. Discussions emphasized AI for personalization, guest feedback in revenue models, and experience-led growth. Spain's hotel investments rose 30% in 2025, reaching €4.2 billion, with expectations to surpass €4.5 billion in 2026. Catalonia aims for quality over quantity, enhancing its tourism brand by integrating sports and innovation.

📖 Influence Society launched "SOCIETIES 2025," a 60-page strategic guide for luxury hospitality brands. This edition emphasizes AI's role, the resurgence of long-form storytelling, and the shift towards experiential engagement over possession. Sébastien Felix, CEO, highlights emotional connection and creative identity as key differentiators. The magazine also explores decentralized hospitality and design rooted in place, forecasting a move from monolithic luxury to meaningful experiences. Available at Influence Society's website.

💻 AI is reshaping the hospitality industry, as discussed in a CoStar News podcast by Natalie Harms. In hotels, AI enhances productivity by automating tasks traditionally done by humans, impacting roles like revenue analysis and reservations. Labor costs, often 30-40% of hotel expenses, are reduced. The shift also affects guest interactions, changing travel and booking processes. AI-driven efficiencies lead to a leaner organizational structure, emphasizing leadership and strategic roles while redefining task-based positions.

🏨 Digital nomads, in 2024, earn over $120,000 annually, with many earning $100,000-$250,000. Millennials and Gen Z made up 60% of hotel bookings. The hospitality industry adapts by offering flexible stays and tech-integrated amenities. Notable brands: Zoku and Outsite launched 500 Lofts across Europe, while The Social Hub expanded to 15 cities. Marriott introduced work-from-hotel packages in 2020. This lifestyle shift requires personalized, flexible, tech-driven experiences, transforming hotels into creative, community-focused hubs.

📈 In 2026, Josiah Mackenzie, Sarah McCay Tams, Shozib Khan, David Lund, and Chris Green discuss hotel management strategies. The focus is on aligning revenue, labor, CapEx, and culture through shared data and forecast accuracy. This approach democratizes financial insights and emphasizes daily execution, aiming for improved reporting, sharper decisions, and sustainable profit without neglecting people. The conversation highlights the importance of data beyond numbers alone to drive real portfolio performance.

💻 In 2026, AI is reshaping hospitality by creating integrated guest experiences. The 2026 Hospitality Industry Outlook, with insights from 18 experts, highlights five AI shifts: seamless booking conversations, data precision as a competitive edge, agentic AI for operational efficiency, enhanced human interactions due to automation, and future-proofing through early system integration. Connected platforms like Mews Hospitality Operating System will lead, as hotels that prioritize integration and data accuracy gain long-term competitive advantages.

🏨 Hosts and hoteliers face challenges aligning growth with community values, causing hesitations. Mismatched information, like Google stating 8 AM and a website stating 9 AM, creates confusion. Kay Walten, with 35 years in hospitality, suggests practical solutions to improve trust, direct bookings, and guest experiences. Emphasis on consistency and early corrections can enhance confidence and community integration, ensuring tourism that lasts while managing limited staff effectively.

🏨 By 2025, U.S. hotels transitioned from recovery to margin defense, facing cost growth in labor, insurance, and operations. Margin compression affected full-service and extended stay hotels most. Into 2026, owners emphasize cost control and strategic investment in labor, procurement, and technology. HVS data showed GOP margins fell, especially in unionized hotels. Key strategies are labor efficiency, energy optimization, and tech consolidation. Short-term cost control aligns with long-term competitiveness, preserving guest experience and brand value.

🏈 Global hospitality company, October 2023: Launches new program after research reveals 88% of sports fans turn short event trips into weekend getaways. The initiative aims to cater to this trend, enhancing guest experiences and boosting weekend stays. The move aligns with travelers' preferences, potentially increasing hotel occupancies around major sports events, benefiting both fans and the hospitality industry.

💰 Patrick Landman discusses the hotel industry's over-reliance on OTAs like Expedia and Booking, where 80% of bookings may come from just a few channels. Dependency risks include policy changes and commission hikes that could impact GOPPAR. To combat this, Landman suggests diversification to lower acquisition costs (saving 15-25% commission), improve data ownership, and enhance market resilience. His new FINTECH platform, WIWT.travel, aims to help hotels access new sales channels and reduce dependency. #HotelManagement #RevenueManagement

💰 In today's hotel revenue management, AI excels at maximizing revenue but often overlooks Customer Acquisition Costs. Hotels lack the data, making AI blind to commissions like an 18% OTA fee on a $200 booking. Transparency tools like Demand Calendar give owners access to data, shifting managers' roles to action-oriented tasks. AI handles basic tasks, but managers creatively enhance guest experiences, focus on total revenue, and engineer demand. It's about moving from being a "Human Calculator" to a "Commercial Architect.

🏨 Emotional luxury reshapes hospitality by valuing small gestures, culture, and community over amenities and perfection. At The Connaught and Mandarin Oriental, attentive details left lasting impressions on Jesús Terrés. Travelers seek calm and perspective in an accelerated world. Terrés emphasizes emotional connections and guest autonomy, highlighting the coexistence of imperfection with classic luxury. Future hospitality demands honesty in sustainability and purpose-driven experiences, focusing on creating environments for natural emotion rather than prescriptive experiences.

💸 President Trump and Prime Minister Modi announced a U.S.-India trade agreement in Atlanta, GA, reducing tariffs and enhancing economic ties. AAHOA, representing over 20,000 hotel owners who own 60% of U.S. hotels, commends the deal for boosting global commerce. The U.S. and India generate nearly $30 trillion in economic output. AAHOA member hotels contribute 1.7% to the U.S. GDP, support 4.2 million jobs, and employees earn $51.3 billion annually.

🏨 In 2025, U.S. hotel investments surged 17.5% to $24 billion, with New York leading at $3.7 billion. Debt costs fell by 300 basis points since September 2024. In 2026, storytelling can counter a 40-60% web traffic drop due to AI, with 65% of users preferring AI personalization by late 2025. From April 20-22, 2026, Future Hospitality Summit Saudi Arabia will be at Mandarin Oriental, Riyadh, featuring over 1,100 leaders.

🎪 Universal Studios’ first European theme park will open in Bedfordshire in 2031, attracting 8.5 million visitors annually and creating 28,000 jobs. Local investment could reach £1 billion, but 19 hotels and 93 restaurants are needed to meet demand. Currently, there are only 4 restaurants and no adequate hotels. Construction costs may range from £240 million to £1.1 billion. Opportunities in hospitality, construction, and retail could transform Bedfordshire's economy.

📰 Amadeus forecasts travel trends for 2026, emphasizing AI-mediated discovery, attribute-level choices, and configurable stays. Many hotels lag with generic room types and non-machine-readable content. The focus should be on structured, trusted data over brand strength. By 2026, success will hinge on data organization rather than brand noise. Embrace AI-first strategies to stay relevant in the evolving travel landscape. #TravelTrends #AIinTravel

🏨 Hospitality industry faced challenges in 2025. Sage, with 65 hotels, 50 restaurants, and entertainment venues, experienced mixed results and flat RevPAR. Costs increased amid geopolitical uncertainty, impacting urban and resort markets. Despite GDP growth, RevPAR declined, an unusual trend. Optimism surrounds 2026 with strong group bookings and the corporate transient market's return. AI is expected to transform suburban select hotels, while experienced hospitality focuses on authentic, curated spaces like Denver's Dairy Block, emphasizing the importance of retaining quality staff.

📈 Who? Boutique hotels and their guests. When? Current trends in hospitality. Where? Hotel industry, unspecified location. What? Emphasizes seeing guests as relationships rather than transactions. How? By fostering genuine connections to increase return intent. A hypothetical scenario: 40-room hotel, £200 ADR, 65% occupancy, and 2-night stays yield 4,745 annual stays. Improving return intent from 8% lifts value quickly, affecting revenue and guest engagement without additional costs.

💼 PMS transitions in hotels are challenging due to poor change management, not software issues. Ryan King, SVP Americas at Shiji, emphasizes that clarity and communication can ease transitions, not speed. A hotel group successfully implemented PMS across 74 hotels in a year by focusing on leadership alignment and preparation. Effective transitions require defining the purpose, assigning decision ownership, standardizing early, and clear communication to minimize guest impact and staff resistance.

📈 Dallas, Texas—In 2026, 95% of investors plan to maintain or increase their commercial real estate investments, with 55% boosting capital allocations, up from 48% in 2025. Key markets include Dallas, Atlanta, and San Francisco, with new entries like Charlotte and Nashville. Multifamily remains top property choice at 74% interest. Value-add and core-plus strategies are favored by two-thirds of investors. Over 70% will maintain current debt-to-equity ratios, despite interest rate uncertainties.

🏨 Auberge de Cassagne & Spa partnered with D-EDGE’s Premium Website, SEO, and SEA services to boost its online presence. The solutions include a high-end, customized website reflecting the hotel's five-star Provençal elegance, continuous SEO optimization with monthly articles, and targeted SEA campaigns to attract premium guests. This approach simplifies digital management for the hotel’s small team, ensuring consistent performance and reduced operational workload.

💻 McKinsey reports the hospitality industry's shift towards agentic AI by 2026, emphasizing organizational and operational change over tool utility. In 6-12 months, AI will separate industry leaders from laggards by enhancing productivity instead of reducing labor. Frontline roles remain vital while middle management changes rapidly. AI governance becomes crucial in boardrooms. Hotels must own the AI concierge layer to avoid platform dominance. Pertlink Limited, established in 2000, aids hospitality in navigating tech advancements from Hong Kong.

🤖 Prague, 2 February 2026: RobosizeME announces a no-sales-pitch webinar for hotel executives on 23 February 2026 at 1:00 PM GMT. The session targets operational inefficiencies in multi-property hotel groups, which can lead to up to 576 working hours lost monthly. RobosizeME's automation has saved over 200,000 hours annually for 5,000 clients. The webinar will offer practical solutions, expert insights, and a live Q&A to improve workflow consistency and efficiency.

📍 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.