By Max Starkov
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AI Moves from Chat to Workflow with Digital Employees, Hilton Adds 400+ Americas Hotels in 2025, Atzaró Debuts as Conscious-Luxury Collection
Two pieces frame the next stage of agentic AI in hospitality: digital employees that integrate into hotel systems to execute full workflows end to end, and a TravelOS MCP and ChatGPT app that books directly into the PMS without intermediaries. Hilton announced its 2025 Americas Development Award winners after adding more than 400 hotels across the region last year. The Atzaró Collection unified its international properties from Ibiza to Botswana under a single brand, with new developments planned in Miami, Mexico, and Bali.
Your Hotel Is Empty for Six Hours a Day. Here's What That's Costing You.
Hotels lose revenue during 4-6 daily hours when rooms sit empty but operational costs continue, with daytime bookings offering 30-40% higher ancillary spend.
By Barbara Steinert, Chief Revenue Officier, Dayuse.com
Latest
Fairmont Waterfront Announces Multi-Year Renovation Plan
Fairmont Waterfront is pleased to announce the completion of the first phase of its comprehensive, multi-year renovation. This initial phase marks the transformation of 96 guest rooms across the hotel's top four floors, introducing a refined design that reimagines the property's signature Pure Coastal Luxury identity.
1 Hotel Austin Now Accepting Reservations
1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle brand founded by Barry Sternlicht, is now accepting reservations for 1 Hotel Austin, an urban sanctuary in the creative heartbeat of Texas. With an anticipated opening in August 2026, 1 Hotel Austin is set at the meeting point of Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake and anchors the 74-story Waterline, the tallest tower in the state.
IHG Hotels & Resorts and OzHarvest surpass one million meals milestone
The hotel group has partnered with the food rescue organization since 2018, combining food rescue with hospitality training programs.
Recent Appointments
View AllOperations & Strategy
Noah Brodsky has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Under Canvas
The Westin Nashville Completes $13.5M Renovation, Elevating Guestrooms, Suites, and Rooftop Meeting Experience
Castlerock today announces the completion of a comprehensive $13.5 million renovation of The Westin Nashville, enhancing guestrooms, suites, and key public spaces across the 456-room hotel. Located adjacent to Music City Center, the property plays a central role in Nashville's convention and group market, and the renovation positions the hotel to better serve evolving business and leisure demand.
Design for Presence: Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness in Guest Experience
Research reveals that guests' mental presence during their stay significantly impacts satisfaction and loyalty, suggesting hotels should design experiences that encourage mindful engagement.
By Valentina Clergue and Yasemin Oruc
What Travel Dreams 2026 tells us about the future of hospitality
Study of 6,000 travelers reveals shifting priorities toward ease over amenities, with AI investment averaging $320,000 per property in 2026.
By Francisco Pérez-Lozao Rüter, President, Hospitality, Amadeus Hospitality
Unlocking the Style Secrets of Luxury Hospitality: How Fashion Designer Mia Liu Helps Teams Dress for Success
Fashion designer Mia Liu's Drape Stitch creates custom uniforms for luxury hotels, arguing that staff appearance directly impacts guest perception and service quality.
By Ivana Johnston, Co-Founder and CEO, Puzzle Partner
More Hotels, More Problems? Scaling Smarter in Hospitality
The report examines how hotel operators are balancing centralization with property autonomy to scale efficiently amid rising labor costs and staffing challenges.
By Jason Q. Freed, Hospitality Data Evangelist, Otelier
Supplier News
View allCore Principles Behind Scalable Hotel Digital Transformation
The article outlines how hotel groups should prioritize operational alignment, cloud infrastructure, and API connectivity over isolated technology investments for scalable growth.
Designing for Peak Flow: How Event-Themed Wooden Key Cards Support Ski Resort Operations
Ski resorts use custom wooden key cards with event branding to streamline front desk operations during high-volume periods while creating consistent guest touchpoints.
Cloudbeds Partners with Dingus to Unify Hotel Distribution and Drive Revenue Growth
The partnership combines Cloudbeds' PMS with Dingus' distribution expertise, particularly strong in Spain and Latin America markets.
HBX Group reveals how the travel industry is adapting to volatility at MarketHub Europe
Survey of travel professionals reveals technology fragmentation and cost pressures as top barriers, with 40% citing volatility as their biggest challenge.
Commemorating Anniversaries: The Strategic Utility of Wooden Key Cards
Wooden key cards with custom anniversary engravings provide hotels a professional tool to enhance guest recognition while supporting brand positioning and sustainability goals.
Laundris Partners with Lure Agency to Expand Adoption of AI Linen Management Platform
Laundris uses RFID technology to track linen usage and reduce loss, helping hotels optimize inventory and cut costs.
Tambourine & Hyatt Launch Hyatt Wedding Guide to Revolutionize Digital Wedding Planning
Tambourine and Hyatt partner to create an AI-enabled digital wedding guide that centralizes planning resources and replaces static PDFs for hotel wedding specialists.
Tambourine and Hyatt
Agentic Hospitality’s TravelOS MCP + ChatGPT App is Putting Brands, Not Intermediaries, at the Center of AI Bookings
The company's ChatGPT app connects directly to hotel PMS systems, eliminating intermediaries and enabling hotels to own AI booking conversations from start to finish.
Seven Friction Points Every Business Must Eliminate
Author identifies seven common service barriers that frustrate customers and provides actionable strategies to streamline operations.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
It was never just about responding faster: it’s about using AI to create better guest experiences
Survey shows 86% of hospitality professionals report AI automation saves time, allowing staff to focus on high-touch guest interactions requiring empathy.
By Tiago Araújo, Co-founder and CEO, HiJiffy
Sarah-Anne Tissot and Natalie Kimball Explore Connectivity in Hospitality Distribution
The article explains how hotel connectivity evolved from pull to push to hybrid models, addressing scalability challenges from look-to-book behavior while maintaining rate accuracy.
Natalie Kimball in conversation with Sarah-Anne Tissot
In Focus: Singapore
Singapore's tourism sector grew 2.3% in 2025 with hotel investment exceeding SGD1.2 billion despite RevPAR declining 0.7%.
By Hok Yean Chee, Regional President of HVS Asia Pacific, HVS
Kempinski Residences at Masar, Makkah to Provide Unmatched Hospitality in one of the World’s Most Prestigious Destinations
Kempinski Group, Europe’s oldest luxury hospitality company, today announced Kempinski Residences at Masar, Makkah, its first branded residences project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Developed by Umm Al Qura for Development & Construction Company, the owner, developer, and operator of the Masar destination in the Holy City of Makkah, the project brings Kempinski’s 150-year legacy of luxury hospitality to the prestigious Masar development, in the heart of Makkah, within the vicinity of the Grand Mosque.
GBTA Welcomes New EU Measurement Framework for Transport Emissions
The regulation creates a standardized methodology for calculating transport emissions, addressing the current fragmentation where 70% of companies track travel emissions using inconsistent methods.
Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston Unveils Reimagined Presidential Suite, A Bespoke Luxury Retreat Designed for Refined Escape
Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston, the city’s only Forbes Ten Star-recognized property, unveils its newly reimagined Presidential Suite, a thoughtfully redesigned residential-style retreat that redefines the pinnacle of luxury hospitality in the city. With sweeping skyline views, bespoke design details, and more than 2,000 square feet (185 square metres) of flexible living space, the transformation elevates the hotel’s most prestigious accommodation into a destination-worthy experience.
Hilton’s 2025 Americas Development Award Winners Announced
Hilton added more than 400 hotels across the Americas in 2025, with 59 winners selected from these openings based on development excellence and innovation.
IHG accelerates growth in Egypt with dual Holiday Inn signing and marks entry into the city of Aswan
Two 200-key Holiday Inn properties will open in 2029 and 2030, adding to IHG's 10 existing Egypt hotels and 23-property pipeline.
The Shilla Hotels & Resorts Opens Shilla Stay Yancheng, First Overseas Expansion of the Shilla Stay Brand in a Key Korea–China Industrial Hub
The Shilla Hotels & Resorts, Korea’s leading luxury hospitality brand and the hospitality arm of Hotel Shilla, a Samsung Group affiliate, has opened Shilla Stay Yancheng in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China. Shilla Stay Yancheng is the first Shilla Stay property to open in China and marks the brand’s first overseas expansion. The Shilla Hotels & Resorts has been building its international presence with Shilla Monogram Danang in Vietnam and Shilla Monogram Xi’an in China, and this opening marks its third overseas footprint. The addition of Shilla Stay further diversifies its brand portfolio while accelerating the expansion of its global presence. Shilla Stay is a business hotel brand built on its core value of “Smarter Stay,” combining understated aesthetics with practical comfort, and operates 16 properties across key cities and travel destinations in Korea, including Seoul, Busan, and Jeju. By eliminating unnecessary elements and focusing on essential services, the brand offers The Shilla’s signature service quality at a reasonable price point, earning strong trust from business travelers who value efficiency and quality. Shilla Stay Yancheng spans approximately 27,000 square meters and features 223 guest rooms, along with restaurants, a banquet hall, and meeting facilities. Guest rooms are available in a range of configurations, including Deluxe Double, Deluxe Twin, Premier Deluxe, Grand Room, and the Yancheng Suite. All rooms are equipped with premium bedding and carefully selected amenities, while certain room types offer separate living and dining areas to better serve long-stay guests and business travelers. The overall layout is designed with efficient spatial flow to support both work and relaxation, accommodating a wide range of guest needs. For dining, the hotel operates a Korean restaurant, Taoyuan (桃源), and an all-day dining restaurant. In particular, Taoyuan is led by an experienced Korean head chef and presents traditional Korean flavors through a modern culinary approach, offering guests in China an authentic Korean dining experience. The restaurant specializes in Korean-style grilled menus, prepared with professional craftsmanship and high standards to deliver an authentic and refined Korean dining experience. The hotel features a 430-square-meter banquet hall that can accommodate up to 240 guests and is equipped with a high-definition LED screen. The space can be flexibly divided into two separate spaces, making it suitable for a wide range of business meetings, banquets, and social events. In addition, four meeting rooms, each accommodating 20 to 24 guests, are equipped with 98-inch displays, supporting a range of meeting formats, from small meetings to mid-sized conferences. Jiangsu Province, where Yancheng is located, is one of China’s leading economic centers. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China(国家统计局), the province recorded a GDP of RMB 14.2 trillion in 2025, ranking second nationwide with year-on-year growth of 5.3%. Yancheng, in particular, is rapidly emerging as a hub for renewable energy and next-generation mobility, and is home to a Korea–China Industrial Cooperation Complex, making it a strategic base for Korean companies. Tourism in Yancheng is also on the rise. According to the Yancheng Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism Bureau (盐城市文化广电和旅游局), the city recorded 65.18 million visitors between January and November 2025, representing an 8.29% increase year-on-year. As the inflow of global talent and capital accelerates, demand for upscale business hotels offering refined design and standardized services is also growing. Shilla Stay Yancheng is well positioned to meet this evolving demand. “Located at the forefront of Korea–China industrial cooperation, Shilla Stay Yancheng will offer business travelers the opportunity to experience The Shilla’s signature service standards at a reasonable price,” said a representative from Shilla Stay. “We aim to respond to the growing demand for corporate travel and MICE driven by the expansion of renewable energy and next-generation mobility industries, and to set a new benchmark for Korean hotel brands in Yancheng.” Meanwhile, The Shilla Hotels & Resorts made its debut in the Chinese market with the opening of Shilla Monogram Xi’an in February 2026. Positioned as a lifestyle hotel that combines the cultural characteristics of the region with The Shilla’s service expertise, Shilla Monogram Xi’an serves as the company’s first foothold in China, located in the Xi’an High-tech Zone and targeting a diverse mix of global business, cultural, and leisure demand. The opening of Shilla Stay Yancheng marks the company’s second expansion in China, following Shilla Monogram Xi’an, broadening its portfolio beyond lifestyle hotels to include a business hotel brand and further strengthening its operational presence in the market. Building on this momentum, The Shilla Hotels & Resorts plans to continue expanding its global brand network, with an additional Shilla Monogram property scheduled to open in Hanoi, Vietnam. Through continued expansion across key Asian markets, the company aims to further strengthen its position as a leading Korean luxury hotel brand and a global hospitality operator.