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Sloan Dean of AI Hospitality Group on Rebuilding Hotel Management From First Principles
Sloan Dean, former Remington Hospitality CEO, explains how AI Hospitality Group is rebuilding hotel management using an AI-native stack, outcomes-based profit-share fees, and a roadmap to 75+ AI agents targeting 500bps GOP margin improvement.
8 Ways Hotel and Travel Tech Providers Lose Deals Even Before the First Sales Call
Hotel and travel tech vendors lose deals before sales is ever involved because buyers now research, compare, and shortlist through AI, podcasts, trade media, and peer networks long before requesting a demo.
By Ivana Johnston, Co-Founder and CEO, Puzzle Partner
Latest
In an Age of Sameness, BHOC 2026 Bets on Wonder
BLLA announced the full program for BHOC 2026, a small-format owner conference on October 19-20 in Westlake Village, CA, focused on differentiation, guest experience, and revenue strategy for independent hotels.
Hyatt’s Luxury Portfolio Builds Momentum Across the Americas
Hyatt is expanding its luxury Americas portfolio with three Park Hyatt openings in Mexico, new Unbound Collection additions, Alila Mayakoba, and three Grand Hyatt resorts debuting in Q4 2026.
Sloan Dean on Rebuilding Hotel Management from First Principles, Hotel AI Is Only as Good as Its Data, Hilton's 2027 Traveler Has Stopped Chasing Perfection
Tuesday brought the Boardroom Reboot with Sloan Dean on rebuilding hotel management using an AI-native stack, a World Panel viewpoint on AI quality being determined by data quality, and Hilton's 2027 Trends Report on travelers embracing relaxed perfectionism. August U.S. RevPAR at 2.0% and a record 15-property day rounded out the session.
Recent Appointments
View AllWellness & Wellbeing
Hubert Bazan has been appointed as Spa Director at Albert Hotel
General Management
Dany Lützel has been appointed as General Manager at East Beijing Hotel
Operations & Strategy
Fadeel Wehbe has been appointed as Managing Director at Accor
General Management
Mike Bean has been appointed as Property President at Hard Rock Casino Tejon
Radisson Hotel Group strengthens Middle East and Northeast Africa growth with landmark signings, openings, and branded residences
Radisson Hotel Group reports 12 months of regional growth including 1,500+ new keys signed in Saudi Arabia, UAE resort and branded residence projects, and Egypt pipeline targeting 30 hotels by 2030.
IHG Hotels & Resorts Signs Garner Hotel Dubai Al Jaddaf, Marking Brand's Middle East Debut
IHG Hotels & Resorts is bringing its conversion brand, Garner Hotels, to the Middle East through the signing of Garner Hotel Dubai Al Jaddaf with Nooa Holdings, expected to open in 2026. The signing marks the regional debut of IHG's fastest-scaling global brand and supports IHG's continued growth in the UAE.
GCC set to deliver nearly 126,000 new hotel rooms by 2030, taking total supply to 616,000 keys
Cavendish Maxwell reports GCC hotel supply will grow 25% to 616,000 rooms by 2030, while 2026 occupancy has fallen across all six markets due to regional tensions disrupting international travel.
Fall Group Business: Relationships Are What Fill Rooms Long After Summer Ends
Meyer Jabara Hotels shares a fall group sales strategy built on deep university relationships, layered demand segments, and year-ahead prospecting to drive recurring business beyond peak weekends.
By Alan Swerdloff, Area Director of Sales, Meyer Jabara
From Peak Season to Predictable Revenue: Turning Group Business into a Year-Round Growth Engine
Maestro PMS argues that integrating sales, catering, and PMS data lets hotels assess total group value beyond room blocks and convert peak-season data into year-round revenue forecasting.
By Lisa Jane Wheaton, Senior Project Strategist, Maestro
Supplier News
View allUrVenue Takes Top GGB Gaming & Technology Award for ‘Best Consumer Service Technology’
UrVenue won the GGB Gaming Technology Award for Best Consumer Service Technology, with Golden Nugget Lake Charles highlighted as a key deployment enabling sportsbook seat reservations and premium inventory management.
Cloudbeds Announces New Alliance Partnership With Preferred Hotels & Resorts, The World’s Largest Independent Hotel Brand
Cloudbeds joins Preferred Hotels & Resorts' Alliance Partner Program, making its unified hospitality platform the recommended hotel management solution for 625+ luxury member properties across 80+ countries.
7 Cedars Resort Properties Expand Use of Agilysys Ecosystem to Streamline Gaming Operations, Reduce Manual Processes and Improve Staff Efficiency
7 Cedars Resort in Washington deployed Agilysys PMS, POS, booking, and marketing tools across hotel, casino, golf, and F&B, cutting manual processes and boosting reservations across all channels.
Winnow Announces Winnow Foresight, a Mobile-First, AI-Powered Forecasting Tool Designed to Predict Kitchen Demand and Prevent Food Waste, Developed with Hilton Chefs
Winnow Foresight, built with Hilton chefs, uses AI to predict item-level kitchen demand before service; pilots across 13 EMEA hotels show overproduction cuts of up to 69%.
Hotels Don't Have an AI Problem. They Have an Adoption Problem.
HiJiffy's 2025 white paper, based on client data, argues AI adoption failure in hotels stems from ownership gaps, training deficits, and unredefined workflows, not technology limitations.
Ladera Announces Stayntouch Integration to Bring AI-Powered Commercial Intelligence to Hotel Management Companies
Ladera's AI platform integrates with Stayntouch's cloud PMS to give hotel management companies real-time, portfolio-wide commercial intelligence without system migration or added IT overhead.
ladera.ai and Stayntouch
New hotel reservation analysis raise questions about guest experience and lost revenue opportunities
Lobby's analysis of hotel reservation workflows finds only 44% of multi-question guest enquiries are fully answered, and 42% of refused requests end without an alternative booking proposal.
The Wooden Key Card: A Key to Wabi-Sabi
A reflective piece exploring how wooden key cards embody Japanese wabi-sabi principles, turning a functional hotel touchpoint into a tactile expression of simplicity and naturalness.
The Westin Kierland serves up smarter F&B operations as 60% of room service orders go digital with IRIS Mobile Dining
The Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale achieved 60%+ digital order adoption using IRIS Mobile Dining, eliminating phone orders, manual POS entry, and paper breakfast door hangers across 735 guestrooms.
Accor and CITYVIEW Developments expand their partnership with Pullman Residences & Offices Dubai Meydan
Accor, a world-leading hospitality group, and CITYVIEW Developments, a Dubai-based developer specialising in premium and luxury residential projects, today announced the signing of Pullman Residences & Offices Dubai Meydan at the Future Hospitality Summit – FHS World 2026, further expanding their partnership in Dubai.
Accor and KRD Holding Sign Mövenpick Erbil Gomaspan Resort, a Landmark Lakefront Destination in Iraq
Accor, a world-leading hospitality group, and KRD Holding, a premier regional investment and development conglomerate, have announced the signing of Mövenpick Erbil Gomaspan Resort, a new-build resort scheduled to open in 2030. Set on the banks of Gomaspan Lake in the Erbil Governorate, the 150-key development will mark Mövenpick's first property in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and its second in the country.
FHS World 2026 Officially Opens in Dubai
FHS World 2026 opened in Dubai with 1,000 delegates from 50 countries, 200+ investors managing over $6 trillion in assets, and 170+ speakers covering investment, sustainability, and technology through October 1.
Business Travel Powers Economic Impact and Growth Across the World’s Leading Business Cities, According to New GBTA Study
GBTA's 2024 study of 25 global cities finds $178B in business traveler spending supported 1.4M jobs, $93B in GDP, and $55B in tax revenue, with New York and Tokyo leading all destinations.
Metamorphosis at the foot of Mont-Blanc: Hôtel Le Morgane reveals its new look
Some hotels reenact the mountain as we imagine it. Others prefer to look at it differently. It is this second approach that Le Morgane has chosen for its rebirth. Transformed into a 5-star property with 54 rooms and suites, the hotel will reopen its doors in December 2026, offering a destination deeply rooted in its local environment. Chamonix, its terrain, its textures, and its rhythm are celebrated, while leaving behind the overly expected clichés of the chalet. Here, wood alone is not enough to tell the story of the Alps. Stone, wool, leather, subtle tones, and lighting create a contemporary and sensitive atmosphere designed by the Barcelona-based studio Astet Studio—all while leaving the stage to what matters most: the panorama.
IHG Hotels & Resorts Signs Garner Hotel Ras Al Khaimah Downtown, Bringing Brand to the Northern Emirates
IHG Hotels & Resorts is bringing its conversion brand, Garner Hotels, to the Middle East through the signing of Garner Hotel Ras Al Khaimah Downtown with Nooa Holdings, expected to open in 2026. The signing marks the regional debut of IHG's fastest-scaling global brand and supports IHG's continued growth in the UAE.
Lodging Dynamics Expands Southern California Portfolio With Four Points by Sheraton Anaheim
Lodging Dynamics adds the 246-room Four Points by Sheraton Anaheim to its managed portfolio, converting a consulting engagement that delivered 60%+ guest satisfaction gains into a full management contract.
Proudly Committed: RIU Hotels & Resorts joins The Code UK to combat child sexual exploitation
RIU Hotels & Resorts has joined The Code UK, extending its child protection framework to a fifth country after 13+ years of global membership and Top Member status in Spain and Mexico.
Ginger Achieves a Milestone of 100 Operating Hotels
IHCL's Ginger brand hits 100 operating hotels in India, with a total portfolio of 250 including 95 under development and upcoming openings at major airports in Bengaluru, Goa, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
Monitor your blind spots: Is AI getting your hotel right?
As AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini shape hotel recommendations before guests reach booking sites, hotels must ensure their data is specific, consistent, and up to date across all platforms to avoid losing bookings to better-optimized competitors.
By Rick Posey, Vice President, AI and Product, Cendyn™