Google Wires Agentic Booking to the GDS, IHG Converts 14 Kyoto Hotels in One Deal, European Booking Windows Compress
Monday brought confirmation that Google's agentic hotel booking test now reaches the GDS, with Amadeus named as the first infrastructure partner and Sabre offering the same capability, which gives independent hotels a second route into the agent that skips the OTA. IHG signed 14 Kyoto hotels with GCP Hospitality in one of Japan's largest conversion deals, and Expedia Group's quarterly data showed European booking windows compressing sharply while Asia Pacific led global search growth at 20%. Canadian RevPAR rose 9.0% in July, two longevity property projects landed on the same day, and Marriott signed the first urban Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Shanghai.
Google just put agentic hotel booking into testing
Google's live agentic hotel booking test includes Booking, Expedia, Marriott, Wyndham, and IHG, with Amadeus confirmed as the first GDS infrastructure partner, leaving independents reliant on OTA or GDS pipes.
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The Bench Rebrands ‘Branded Residences Forum’ as ‘FHS Living’
The Bench rebrands its Branded Residences Forum as FHS Living, expanding scope to cover student, senior, co-living and mixed-use assets across Dubai, Cairo, Paris, and Riyadh editions.
IHG Hotels & Resorts to bring voco to Karjat, strengthening its premium portfolio in Maharashtra
The hotel will bring IHG’s fastest-growing premium brand to an emerging leisure and MICE destination.
Hyatt Expands Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts Brand with the Debut of Hyatt Vivid Cancun
Last week, Hyatt announced the debut of Hyatt Vivid Cancun, marking the transformation of the former Dreams Vista Cancun Golf & Spa Resort into the newest adults-only, all-inclusive resort to join the Hyatt Vivid portfolio. Located within the exclusive Puerta del Mar community overlooking the Caribbean Sea and Puerto Cancun marina, the 416-room oceanfront resort introduces a fresh take on the all-inclusive experience, one designed for today’s experience-driven travelers seeking flexibility, meaningful connection and effortless moments of discovery.
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View AllMövenpick Resort & Spa Bintan Lagoon Is Now Open
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has opened Mövenpick Resort & Spa Bintan Lagoon, a new beachfront resort on the Indonesian island of Bintan. Located on Bintan’s northern coast and easily accessible by ferry from Singapore, the resort brings Mövenpick’s generous hospitality and convivial culinary spirit to a relaxed island setting designed for time well spent together. Welcoming families, couples, friends, teams and business travellers, the resort combines accommodation, dining, recreation, wellness, golf and extensive meetings and events facilities.
New Hotel Maastricht-Maas welcomes first guests in mid-October
Van der Valk Exclusief Hotel Maastricht-Maas will begin trial operations on 15 October. Part of the hotel rooms will be bookable from mid-October, and the team will welcome a small number of restaurant guests by reservation. The official opening is planned for November.
Q3 Traveler Insights: Demand returns as summer peaks
Expedia Group's Q2 data shows global travel search rebounding after a soft start, with APAC leading at 20% YoY growth, EMEA shifting to last-minute bookings, and U.S. fall travel demand building fast.
Four Seasons Yachts introduces The Lanserhof Reset, a transformative longevity experience, during its inaugural transatlantic crossing
Four Seasons Yachts and Lanserhof launch an eight-day longevity residency aboard Four Seasons I during its November 2026 transatlantic crossing, offering diagnostics, expert consultations, and personalized wellness programming at sea.
Andaz brand to make Australian debut on the gold coast in late 2026
Reservations are now open for the first Andaz hotel in Australia and the Pacific, bringing the global lifestyle brand to the heart of Broadbeach.
Supplier News
View allFCS Solutions Launches FCS1 IRGS to Connect Guest Requests Directly with Hotel Operations
FCS1 IRGS is a browser-based, no-app solution letting hotel guests request services via QR code, routing each request directly to operational teams to reduce missed requests amid staffing pressures.
If Guests Pay for Access, Shouldn't the Access Credential Show It?
The article argues that premium-tier hotel access credentials like key cards should reflect the value hierarchy guests pay for, using materials and design to reinforce exclusivity at every touchpoint.
BirchStreet Unveils AI-Powered Smart AP Solution to Optimize P2P and Accounting Efficiencies for Hospitality
BirchStreet Smart AP automates the full accounts payable cycle with AI-driven 3-way matching and touchless invoicing, claiming up to 95% reduction in manual invoice processing tasks for hospitality operators.
Inn-Flow Appoints Jon Coley as Senior Vice President and Head of Sales to Spearhead Hospitality Market Expansion Opportunities
Inn-Flow names Jon Coley, a 20-year SaaS sales veteran, as SVP and Head of Sales to drive growth of its AI-enabled accounting, labor management, and procurement platform for hotels.
HotelIQ expands Decision Cloud connectivity with direct Shiji Daylight PMS integration
HotelIQ connects Decision Cloud directly to Shiji's Daylight PMS, enabling shared customers to centralize reservation data and eliminate manual exports for commercial planning and performance reporting.
Wyndham Garden Phuket Kamala Deploys Shiji’s Infrasys POS Across 3 Outlets in Resort Dining Operations
Wyndham Garden Phuket Kamala has deployed Shiji's Infrasys cloud POS across 3 F&B outlets, centralizing menu management and transaction processing at the Kamala Beach resort.
When the Forest Follows You Back to Your Room
The article argues that forest-bathing wellness programs should extend into the guestroom through tactile design details like wooden key cards and coasters, bridging outdoor experiences with indoor environments.
Forest Bathing, Curated: Three Levels of Hospitality Engagement
Three engagement models for forest bathing in luxury hotels range from unguided nature access to fully integrated wellness journeys, with examples from Aman, Four Seasons, and Ritz-Carlton.
The Concierge Who Read Everything
A hotel finance coach explains how consistent, public content creation over a decade led an AI to recommend him to a stranger, and what hospitality professionals can learn from that to build their own specialist reputation.
The Sign on the Door Was Not the Point
A guest's extended stay exposes a pattern where housekeeping routines, booking system rigidity, and broken DND protocols silently undermine the experience ownership paid to configure.
HomeToGo Releases 2026 Labor Day Report, Revealing Top Trending and Most Popular Locations for the Holiday Weekend
HomeToGo's 2026 Labor Day report finds U.S. searches up 23% year over year, with rural destinations capturing 90% of searches and domestic trips rising 13.5% vs. 2025.
Meet The Lobby Boys
Terence Ronson recounts the early careers of three hotel lobby managers in Hong Kong, none of whom had traditional front office backgrounds when they started.
Operational Budgeting for Hotel Openings: Getting Stabilization Right
A detailed framework for managing hotel opening budgets, covering stabilization timelines of 36-48 months, comp set forecasting, pricing tactics, KPI tracking, and common financial mistakes to avoid.
Creating the Caribbean’s First Longevity Village with TheLifeCo Saint Lucia
TheLifeCo Saint Lucia anchors A'ila Developments, a $1B+ master-planned longevity village in Rodney Bay with three resorts, 500 residences, a medical district, and a 523-acre organic farm.
IHG Hotels & Resorts signs landmark 14-hotel portfolio deal in Japan
IHG and GCP Hospitality have signed a 14-hotel, 1,063-room conversion deal in Kyoto, one of Japan's largest such portfolio agreements, anchored by 12 Garner hotels converting over the next 12 months.
Marriott International Signs Agreement to Introduce Ritz-Carlton Reserve to Shanghai, Marking the Brand’s First Urban Concept
Marriott International, Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement with Shanghai SIIC North Bund New Landmark Construction and Development Co., Ltd. to introduce the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve to Shanghai, marking the debut of the urban Reserve concept, a highly selective extension of the brand created for the world’s leading global gateway cities. Scheduled to open in 2030, the property will bring the rarity, personalization, and sense of wellbeing that define the Reserve experience to one of the world’s most dynamic urban destinations.
Mix of events boosted Canada hotel performance in July
Canada's hotels posted strong July 2026 gains, with Montreal leading major markets at +23.7% RevPAR, driven by festivals including Jazz Fest and Osheaga.
AI Can Score Every Visitor on Your Hotel Website in Real Time, Shanghai Built the Terminal Before the Interface, Emerging Markets Build Sales Instincts Luxury Markets Never Could
Friday brought Lighthouse Direct's five-algorithm AI visitor scoring system that targets offers to website visitors by intent and spend before they bounce to an OTA, Pertlink on Shanghai's 100 AI tourist terminals built on 84,000 content entries as a destination data-layer model, and The Sales Leadership Brief on what emerging market hotel sales teaches that luxury markets don't. U.S. RevPAR posted its 18th consecutive positive week at 6.2%, the ITB Americas Conference opened, and Marriott Isla Verde completed a $38M transformation in Puerto Rico.