Hotel CRM and guest data, all in one feed. This hub brings together the latest news and technology around customer relationship management for hotels, curated by 10 Minutes News. Follow how hotels turn guest data into loyalty.
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Rosewood Hotel Group Appoints Kenny Toy as SVP, Commercial, to Lead Global Commercial Strategy from Hong Kong Office
27 August 2026📆 Rosewood Hotel Group appointed Kenny Toy as SVP, commercial, global. Reporting to COO Anthony Ingham, Toy is based in Hong Kong and will manage global commercial strategy. With over 20 years in commercial, marketing, and digital transformation, Toy aims to enhance sales, marketing, and revenue management. Previously managing director of Accenture Song in Hong Kong SAR, Toy’s expertise in digital transformation and customer experience will drive growth and long-term value for Rosewood’s portfolio.
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Are AI-powered RFP Responses Really Good For Hotel Group Sales?
26 August 2026Like all hospitality conferences, most of the breakout sessions at the recent HITEC and HSMAI Commercial Strategy events focused on the use of AI for various applications. Although I already considered myself to be a pretty well-schooled, early adopter of integrating AI into sales, I definitely walked away with some great new ideas. Yet while sitting in one particular session, which was about using AI to instantly respond to RFP inquiries with proposals, I started thinking about where the tech…
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Hotels Shift Technology Strategy to Prioritize Connectivity and Adaptability Over Adding New Software Systems
26 August 2026💻 Hotel technology strategy is evolving to prioritize connectivity, adaptability, and evolution over simply adding new software. Integrating systems like PMS, CRM, and POS is crucial, but seamless data exchange and open architecture are essential to avoid fragmentation. Hotels must focus on API quality, data ownership, and integration management. The future relies on building flexible technology stacks that can easily accommodate changes without incurring hidden costs from dependencies and manual workflows.
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IHCL Merges with Oriental Hotels in All-Stock Deal, Adding Seven Hotels and 825 Rooms by FY2028
25 August 2026📅 Booking.com allows messaging with guests up to seven days post-checkout; Expedia provides a 45-day data visibility window. Luxury hotels increased ADR by 10.1% and RevPAR by 15.9% in H1, while economy hotels saw a 9.3% ADR decrease. IHCL’s merger with Oriental Hotels offers 25 IHCL shares for every 117 OHL shares. Domestic airfares for Labor Day are up 20%, while international fares dropped 4%. ITC Hotels and Hyatt are expanding in India and Portugal, respectively.
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AI and Big Data Enhance Hotel Management by Transforming Guest Interactions into Actionable Insights for Personalized Services
25 August 2026📈 In 2025, technology advancements enable hotels to leverage big data and AI effectively. Data from sources like PMS, social media, and reviews, when combined with AI, enhances guest experiences. Research shows 89% of Gen Z and 87% of millennials share data for tailored offers. However, cybersecurity is crucial, with 71% of businesses concerned about malware. A case against The Langham Hotel highlighted risks of unsupervised AI, resulting in a costly lawsuit after overcharging wildfire victims.
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Hotel Tech Companies Need to Spend More Time at Investment Conferences
25 August 2026This post was originally published on this site.There’s a famous quote often attributed to Henry Ford: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Whether he actually said it is almost beside the point. Customers are remarkably good at identifying today’s pain points and wanting tweaked upgrades, but far less adept at imagining tomorrow’s 10x opportunities. Hotel technology vendors and IT directors can easily get caught in this type of feedback loop. We couldn’t…
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Brøchner Hotels Opens Hotel Hans in Copenhagen, Featuring Design by Norrøn Architects and Nordic Sensibility
24 August 2026🏨 Hotel Hans, located at Åboulevard 29, 1960, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, is a recent addition to the family-run Brøchner Hotels group, blending historic architecture by Emil Blichfeldt with modern Nordic design. The hotel features 91 rooms and suites, some with balconies and private terraces. It offers a complimentary glass of wine from 5-6 pm and cocktails from 9-10 pm. Designed by Norrønn Architects, it embraces urban life with a focus on comfort and local exploration.
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Hotels Can Leverage Their Unique Histories to Enhance Guest Experience and Build Long-Term Brand Loyalty
21 August 2026📚 Hilton’s 2025 Trends Report reveals that 70% of global travelers with children choose destinations based on their kids’ interests. About 56% prioritize kids’ clubs, and 63% let children choose restaurants. Additionally, 58% revisit childhood destinations, driven by nostalgia. This highlights a shift in family travel dynamics, with children playing a more active role in decision-making. The hospitality industry can leverage historical storytelling to create emotional connections, enhancing experiences and brand attachment across generations.
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Emerging Markets Develop Superior Hotel Sales Leaders by Fostering Agility, Relationship Building, and Demand Creation Skills
21 August 2026Hotel Sales Insights 💰 In emerging markets, hotel sales success hinges on adaptability and relationship-building, not luxury brand power. Demand must be created rather than captured, with agility outweighing perfection. Key lessons include the importance of relationships over systems, demand generation, and rapid adaptability. In challenging markets, focusing on strategic account penetration and stability over aggressive discounting preserves long-term positioning. Emerging markets foster commercial instincts crucial for thriving in dynamic hospitality landscapes.
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Call for Versatile Project Managers in Hotel Marketing to Bridge Department Silos and Enhance Operational Coordination
21 August 2026📚 Currently working on two projects: launching a hotel website and transitioning a digital agency. Both involve managing 12 stakeholders and numerous technical aspects like design, analytics, and API integrations. Challenges arise due to #PeopleSilos, where departments don’t communicate effectively. Project managers must act as “department-translators,” bridging gaps across technical and functional areas. Contrary to popular belief, the future may favor generalists over specialists due to AI’s impact on specialized knowledge.
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H1 2026 Hospitality Report: Global RevPAR Up 3-4%, Middle East Occupancy Down 43% Due to Geopolitical Disruption
20 August 2026Blog Post Excerpt 🌍📈 RevPAR grew 3-4% globally, but occupancy is stable, with the Middle East dropping 43% due to geopolitical issues. U.S. hotel profitability rose 3.6 percentage points to 44.9%, but only luxury segments grew. Europe saw EUR 9.4 billion in hotel transactions, down 10% but 11% above the ten-year average. The global hotel pipeline reached 15,976 projects and 2.4 million rooms in Q2 2026. The Park Hyatt signed its first all-inclusive in Riviera Maya.
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AI-Enabled Actionable Intelligence Offers Hotels Competitive Edge by Improving Decision-Making and Prioritization
19 August 2026📈 Commercial teams in the hospitality industry face complex challenges daily, despite abundant data from technologies like CRM and AI. AI offers a leapfrog opportunity, enabling hotels to prioritize actions and enhance commercial impact. This is vital as AI accelerates industry change, helping hotels transition from data collection to decision support. Companies like Cendyn are integrating actionable intelligence into their offerings, improving decision-making and leveling the playing field for smaller hotels with limited resources.
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The Malcolm Hotel Invests in 154 Staff Housing Units to Address Labor Shortages and Enhance Guest Experience
19 August 2026🏨 In Canmore, Alberta, Andrew Shepherd, GM of The Malcolm Hotel, highlights the importance of quickly assessing guest needs within 10 seconds to create memorable experiences. The hotel invested in 154 staff housing units to address labor shortages and stabilize their workforce. Emphasizing personalized guest interactions, Shepherd mentions using guest preferences and empowering staff to resolve issues independently. The Malcolm Hotel’s unique Scottish-themed setting, proximity to Banff, and luxurious amenities add to its appeal.
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Hotel Industry Urged to Prioritize Simple AI Workflows Over Costly Agents and Focus on System Integration
19 August 2026💻 The hospitality industry faces a challenge with AI agents. Key modes include chat (basic Q&A), workflows (predefined steps), agents (dynamic decision-making), and orchestration (coordinated systems). Most hotel tasks are workflows misclassified as agent problems, leading to unnecessary expenses. Effective AI requires governance, integration, and accountability. For decisions: if 50% or complex, require orchestration. Start simple, prove value, and add complexity as needed.
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How Direct Bookings Help Hotels Cut OTA Commissions
19 August 2026This article was written by Revfine. Click here to read the original article Online travel agencies solved a real problem for hotels. They aggregated demand, simplified discovery, and gave properties of all sizes access to a global audience that would have been impossible to reach independently. For many hotels, that trade-off still makes sense for a portion of their business. But the terms of that trade-off have shifted. Commission rates that settled in the 15 to 25 percent range, and…
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AI Transforming Travel: 89% of Consumers Prefer AI for Planning; 84% Report Enhanced Travel Experience
13 August 2026💻 Booking.com reports that 89% of consumers plan to use AI for future travel. McKinsey found 84% of travelers who used generative AI saw improved experiences. In 2025, 40% of U.S. travelers used AI for trip research, an 11% increase from the previous year. Hilton introduced an AI Planner in March, and Expedia’s 2026 research shows 70% of travelers prefer booking with trusted brands over AI. AI aims to streamline travel, but trust and accuracy are crucial for its success.
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Independent Hotels Should Prioritize PMS, Channel Manager, Booking Engine, and Pricing Tech for Revenue Optimization
13 August 2026📈 For independent hotels, prioritizing a tech stack is crucial for efficiency. Essential tools include a Property Management System (PMS), channel manager, booking engine, and dynamic pricing technology. These systems streamline operations, enhance revenue, and reduce manual tasks. Core tools ensure accurate inventory and pricing, minimizing overbooking risks. Additional tools like payment processing and reservation management can be added once the foundational stack is solid. This approach enables smaller teams to compete effectively with larger operations.
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Most Hotels Lack Unified Commercial Strategy, Rely on Four Departments with Separate Goals and Tools
12 August 2026🛠 Unifying hotel revenue management entails integrating sales, marketing, and distribution under a single strategy. Most hotels operate in silos, resulting in inefficiencies. Key components include predicting demand, dynamic pricing, distribution management, data analysis, benchmarking, and driving direct bookings. Forward-looking data allows hotels to stay competitive, with indexes like MPI, ARI, and RGI indicating performance. Lighthouse’s AI tool Ernest centralizes data from multiple systems, providing insights to improve decision-making and efficiency.
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Anthropic Embeds Machine-Readable Watermark in AI-Generated Text Globally, Complying with EU AI Act Article 50.
12 August 2026📈 Anthropic’s Claude models from 2 August 2023 embed a watermark in AI-generated text, globally affecting locations like Miami, London, and Hong Kong. Penalties for non-compliance with the EU AI Act’s Article 50 include up to €15 million fines. A Klaviyo study found 31% of consumers distrust AI-generated brand content. In hospitality, AI-assisted writing affects guest interactions and trust. Key advice for hotels includes transparent AI use, protecting staff from AI misuse repercussions, and ensuring human oversight in guest communications.
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Mews Becomes First European Hospitality Unicorn, Valued at $2.5 Billion, After Dutch Banking Licence Approval
12 August 2026💸 Richard Valtr founded Mews in 2012 in Prague. By 2026, Mews became Europe’s first hospitality unicorn, valued at $2.5 billion, with over ten strategic acquisitions. In August 2026, Mews obtained an e-money institution licence from the Dutch Central Bank. The launch of Mews OS in 2026 featured partnerships with SiteMinder and Uber. Mews’ AI-driven platform aims to unify hotel operations by collapsing silos and enhancing the guest experience with real-time data integration.
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JLL Reports Luxury Hotels with High-End Restaurants Achieve 6.7% Higher Occupancy and 18.6% More RevPAR
10 August 2026📈 JLL data shows that luxury hotels with flagship dining see a 6.7% increase in occupancy and an 18.6% boost in RevPAR. Belmond’s Lawrence Edwards highlights that hotels prioritizing room revenue are outdated, focusing instead on guest experiences. 60% of luxury travelers now choose hotels based on dining options, up from 38% in 2022. Lighthouse advises independent hotels on AI booking strategies to counter OTAs’ dominance. A dual-brand Marriott opened in Portland, Maine, adding Residence Inn and Moxy.
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Hotel Budget Season Runs from Q3 to Early Q4; RevPAR Up 19% Since 2019 but Costs Outpace Revenue
10 August 2026Blog Post Excerpt 💸 Hotel budget season runs from Q3 to early Q4 (September-November), setting next year’s financial plans. Since 2019, RevPAR increased by 19% but booking costs rose 25%. Performance engineering is key to aligning investments with profit, not just revenue. Tools like Duetto’s RP-OS and GameChanger optimize revenue independently. Prioritize profit in budget cases for CFOs, CTOs, GMs, and owners. Attend the “Building a Business Case for Hotel Technology Investment” webinar on September 2.
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Independent Hotels Can Boost Direct AI Bookings by Addressing Visibility and Operational Gaps with Effective Channel Management
10 August 2026📈 Travelers increasingly use AI for trip planning, with 56% in the US doing so by March 2026. Despite this, independent hotels often lose bookings to OTAs due to a lack of direct AI presence. Effective channel management can bridge this gap by ensuring accurate rates and availability are presented to AI platforms. This can help hotels capture more direct bookings, reducing reliance on OTAs and preserving margins.
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UK Resorts Enhance Revenue and Efficiency Through Modern Development, Event Management, and AI-Driven Guest Engagement
10 August 2026🏠 Paul Wells discusses UK resort evolution focusing on space utilization and planning permissions. Geraldine Brennan from Oracle highlights managing weddings and conferences with tech to reduce errors. Prem Jethwa-Odedra of Biteluxe emphasizes AI messaging for VIP guest experience. Renato Machado from Upsell Guru advises on revenue streams and upsell management. Haynes MarComs supports tech growth in hospitality.
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Hotels Shift Focus from Room Sales to Delivering Comprehensive Guest Experiences with Connected Data and Technology Integration
10 August 2026🏨 Hotels are shifting focus from just selling rooms to offering complete guest experiences. Connected data enhances operations, profitability, and guest personalization without being intrusive. Successful transformations require strong processes and integrated systems. AI’s value depends on high-quality data. Hotels benefit from connected F&B systems that improve context and decision-making. Payments should be seamless for guests, impacting experience. Future priorities include better data quality, integration, digital identity, and skills to maximize AI and automation benefits.
