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Leadership Under Pressure: How The David Kempinski Tel Aviv Turned Crisis Into an Operating Philosophy
GM Guy Klaiman shares how David Kempinski Tel Aviv stayed operational and broke performance records by prioritizing staff welfare, cultural investment, and adaptive leadership through COVID and the post-October 7 crisis.
The EU fined Google for burying its rivals in hotel search. The hotel was never one of them
The EU's €460M fine against Google for favoring its own hotel search results will reshape the results page toward comparison sites, leaving hotel direct links increasingly sidelined or monetized.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
Latest
EU Fined Google €460M for Burying Hotel Search Rivals and Hotels Weren't One of Them, Accor Sells Essendi Stake for €975M, Kempinski Tel Aviv Turned Crisis Into Operating Philosophy
Friday closed the week with hospitality.today's analysis of the EU's €460M Google fine, arguing the ruling will reshape hotel search toward comparison sites and further sideline direct hotel links, Accor's sale of its ~30.7% Essendi stake to a Blackstone and Colony IM consortium for up to €975M, and The David Kempinski Tel Aviv GM on embedding resilience into hotel operations through COVID and post-October 7 conflict. Google's AI Max warning for hotels, the guest journey starting on TikTok, and renovations from Maui to the Maldives rounded out the session.
What I Learned Judging a Global Commercial Awards Program Most Sales Leaders Never Get Near
A judge for HSMAI Commercial Awards Asia Pacific 2026 shares what separates winning submissions: evidence of durable systems over individual heroics, honest friction, and outcome-linked metrics.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author - The Sales Leadership Brief (Linkedin Newsletter), The Sales Leadership Brief
The Hotel Guest Journey No Longer Starts with Google
Travelers now discover hotels via TikTok, Instagram, and AI tools like ChatGPT before ever reaching a hotel website, forcing marketers to build presence across multiple platforms.
By Debbie Miller, Digital Marketing and Communications Professional and member of Cayuga Hospitality Consultants, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants
Recent Appointments
View AllGeneral Management
Marc LeBlanc has been appointed as General Manager at Nay Palad Hideaway
Operations & Strategy
Derek Lin has been appointed as Director of Rooms at Denū Hotel & Spa
Google, Take the Wheel (And the Budget): Navigating Ads’ Hands-Off Future for Hotels
The article warns individually branded hotels against adopting Google's AI Max, citing risks of irrelevant keyword matching and misdirected traffic to competitor properties under shared brand URL structures.
By Kylie Chen, Director of Paid Strategy, Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Introduces Kai Holo Spa, A Wellness Sanctuary Inspired by the Flow of the Island
Hawaii's five-star, five-diamond Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea unveils Kai Holo Spa, a wellness destination where island-inspired experiences meet modern innovation. Translating to "flowing tide" in Hawaiian, Kai Holo Spa invites guests into a personal flow state, where they move seamlessly through an immersive aquathermal experience, island-inspired Pacific Journeys, and cutting-edge offerings. Every aspect has been designed to restore and transform.
Rimrock Banff Unveils Expeditions Center and Pathfinder-Led Experiences as Part of Summer 2026 Opening
Rimrock Banff has been reimagined following a $115M CAD property-wide transformation, unveiling an all-new Expeditions Center and dedicated team of Pathfinders designed to connect guests more deeply with the soul of Banff National Park. Grounded in the destination's enduring spirit of exploration, the program will offer ultra-personalized experiences shaped by bespoke itineraries and expert local guidance.
Dublin at Your Doorstep: a New Era of the Fitzwilliam, Dublin is Unveiled
The Fitzwilliam, Dublin, a cornerstone of premium Irish hospitality for nearly three decades, has entered a sophisticated new era with the completion of a sweeping, top-to-bottom renovation. The independent five-star property is welcoming discerning global guests with completely transformed interiors and highly tailored programming designed to anchor visitors in the local culture while serving as a gateway to the broader Irish landscape
Better Decisions, Better Developments: How Feasibility and Design Protect Capital and Improve Project Outcomes
A strategic case for integrating feasibility analysis and design early in hospitality development, showing how aligned decisions reduce execution risk, improve returns, and prevent costly post-opening repositioning.
By Adam Zarczynski and Jason Sorci
Supplier News
View allMews appoints Kirupa Pushparaj as Chief Legal Officer to lead legal and compliance strategy at global scale
Mews hires Kirupa Pushparaj as CLO, bringing 20+ years of legal and engineering experience from Square, Amazon, and fintech unicorn Step to oversee compliance across 85+ countries.
How Hotels Are Responding to the Glowmad Trend: Three Approaches to Local Beauty Experiences
Hotels are adopting three strategies to meet the "Glowmad" travel trend: local skincare brand partnerships, trusted beauty specialist referrals, and destination-inspired wellness treatments.
Cloudbeds launches Insights, setting a new standard for real-time hotel reporting and enterprise data access
Cloudbeds Insights offers multi-property operators real-time reporting built natively into the Cloudbeds platform, plus a Data API for syncing operational data with external warehouses and analytics systems.
Hoteza and Shiji Daylight PMS Eliminate Manual Front-Desk Work Through New Two-Way Integration
Hoteza's two-way integration with Shiji Daylight PMS automates data exchange for online check-in, room changes, folios, and guest profiles, cutting manual front-desk work across 1,000+ hotels.
Beauty, Wellness, and Travel: Meet the Glowmads
Skyscanner's Travel Trends 2026 report coins "Glowmads" for travelers building beauty and wellness experiences into trips, with 37% already treating it as part of their self-care routine.
Webinar on July 29: The AI Visibility Flywheel - How Brands Get Featured in AI Search
Milestone's July 29 webinar covers how brands can improve discovery in AI-powered search engines, including entity building, content authority, and a practical visibility roadmap.
Winnow Appoints Two Hospitality Industry Veterans to New Advisory Board
Winnow adds two hotel group CEOs to a new Advisory Board to guide global scaling of its AI food waste platform, targeting over $1 billion in prevented food waste across hotel and resort portfolios.
Mews powers Alexa MGMT's mission to put people back at the heart of Texas hospitality
Alexa MGMT adopts Mews PMS across six Texas boutique hotels to centralize operations, automate payments, and build a scalable tech foundation for portfolio growth.
Increase Hotel Revenue, without the Operational Stress
GuestCentric argues that AI tools, smarter booking journeys, and greater team autonomy over digital commerce can lift direct bookings and cut operational friction for independent hotels.
By Melissa Rodrigues, Lead Content Manager, GuestCentric Systems
GOCO Hospitality Enters Ambitious New Chapter with Indigo8 Appointment and Fivelements Launch
GOCO Hospitality appoints Indigo8 for UK PR and launches Fivelements as a global consumer wellness brand, with new destinations in Koh Samui and Montenegro planned.
Unveiling Niyama’s Reimagined Pavilions Luxury Transcendent
Niyama Private Islands is proud to announce the highly anticipated reveal of it’s final chapter in its year-long evolution, its reimagined beach and overwater pavilions – playgrounds beyond compare for multigenerational getaways and celebrations of the surreal.
Accor signs a definitive binding agreement on the sale of its stake in Essendi
Accor sells its ~30.7% stake in Essendi to a Blackstone and Colony IM consortium for up to €975M, with hotels converting to 20-year franchise contracts and €500M returned to shareholders via buyback.
Celtic Collection invests in digital transformation
Recorded at the Hoteliers' Voice Stratford-Upon-Avon roundtable, the episode features Celtic Collection, Kings Court Hotel, Oracle, and HOSPA on cloud migration, tech investment priorities, and future-ready hotel operations.
Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
IHG Hotels & Resorts to open first Kimpton in Indonesia
IHG Hotels & Resorts has unveiled a first look at Kimpton Suntaya Bali Ubud, set to debut later this year as the luxury lifestyle brand’s highly anticipated arrival in Indonesia. Designed as an extension of Bali’s creative energy, the hotel will embody Kimpton’s signature approach to human hospitality, intuitive service, and design-forward spaces that invite curiosity and connection.
Role Asymmetry: The Weight of Guest-Facing Roles
The article introduces "role asymmetry" as a framework explaining the unequal psychological burden placed on guest-facing hospitality staff, and outlines four pillars to help leaders build supportive cultures: perspective, authority, psychological safety, and psychological skills.
By Miranda Allison, Experience Designer & Founder, Pretty Darn Delightful
Who Controls the Controls?
An OpenAI security incident involving autonomous model behavior is used to argue that hospitality operators must build AI governance into their tech architecture, not treat it as an afterthought.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
Cultural Food Deserts: An Overlooked Revenue Opportunity in The Hotel Industry
A former Texas hotel GM argues that serving kosher and halal dietary needs gave his property a 500%+ RevPAR advantage over competitors on low-demand weekends, and outlines how other hotels can replicate this strategy.
By Justin Taillon, Professor & Department Head, Highline College
Marriott International Signs Dual Agreement with Catalonia Hotels & Resorts to Bring All-Inclusive Properties to Jamaica and Tanzania
Marriott signed deals with Catalonia Hotels & Resorts for a 522-room property in Montego Bay opening 2028 and a 271-room Autograph Collection resort in Zanzibar opening 2027.