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You Set the Rate. Booking Sets the Price. Royal Caribbean Acquires Sandals for $3B. 109 Hotel AI Use Cases Now Catalogued.
Monday opened with hospitality.today identifying how Booking.com's merchant model lets it set guest-facing prices below what hotels load, effectively removing hotel pricing control for an estimated one in five independent room nights, Royal Caribbean Group announcing a $3 billion acquisition of a 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts, and the AI Hospitality Alliance and HEDNA publishing a free crowdsourced catalogue of 109 AI use cases across 39 hotel systems. Rogue AI agents hitting government systems, Mews's EMI license, and five property openings from Nairobi to Central America rounded out the session.
Taking the first steps toward personalisation in your hotel
A practical guide covering how hotels can implement personalisation across the full guest journey, from anonymous website visits to post-stay follow-up, using data, AI, and staff-led touchpoints.
By Paula Carreirão, Content Marketing Lead, GuestRevu
Latest
The risks of impulse and flash sales sites
Revenue consultant Jon Siberry of Z Hotels and Sarova Hotels outlines when flash sales help fill distressed inventory versus when they cannibalize direct bookings and erode ADR.
Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
Winners of the Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism Awards 2026 revealed
ETC, ECTN, Europa Nostra and NECSTouR announced the 2026 winners across six categories, chosen from 72 entries, at a ceremony in Skiathos on 24 September 2026.
What are the six pillars of a modern hotel commercial strategy?
A practical guide to unifying hotel sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution under six pillars: predict, price, distribute, analyze, benchmark and drive direct.
By Jonathan Gough, Content Team Lead, Lighthouse
Recent Appointments
View AllOperations & Strategy
Jo Boundy has been appointed as Managing Director, Resorts & Lodges at Journey Beyond
Montara Hotel Opens as the First Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Central America
Today Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced the opening of Montara Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, marking the lifestyle brand’s debut in Costa Rica and Central America. The 97-room hotel reflects a broader evolution in the way people are choosing to travel: seeking meaningful connections with nature and local culture, prioritizing wellness and wellbeing, and choosing experiences that allow them to slow down, disconnect and return home feeling better. Set in the mountains of Heredia, Montara Hotel brings this new travel approach to life through its immersive setting, restorative amenities, locally rooted experiences and contemporary design.
Hyatt Regency Jiaxing Nanhu Opens in the Heart of Jiaxing’s South Lake District
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the opening of Hyatt Regency Jiaxing Nanhu, marking the debut of the Hyatt Regency brand in Jiaxing, located along the scenic shores of South Lake in the heart of the city’s historic water town district. The hotel’s opening follows the recent debut of Hyatt Place Jiaxing Nanhu. Together, the two hotels deliver a diverse range of stay experiences to meet the evolving needs of today’s travelers.
Hive House Celebrates Grand Opening, Marking Debut Of Cary’s First Hyatt-Branded Hotel
Hive House, the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Cary, North Carolina, is officially open. Joining the Unscripted by Hyatt brand portfolio, Hive House expands Hyatt’s brand footprint in a key market and reflects its commitment to offering streamlined, fuss-free stays in distinctive settings — all rooted in Hyatt’s legacy of quality and care.
IHG Hotels & Resorts and United Hospitality Management Signs Garner Hotel Jim Corbett, Strengthening IHG’s Growing Presence in India
IHG®Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has announced the signing of Garner Hotel Jim Corbett, in partnership with United Hospitality Management (UHM) India, continuing the rapid expansion of its newest midscale brand in India. The signing builds on Garner’s strong global trajectory as the fastest-scaling brand in IHG’s history, having reached 100 open hotels worldwide since its launch in 2023. Scheduled to open in Q2 2027, the 50-key hotel will be owned by Victorian Corporation and managed by United Hospitality Management (UHM) India.
Hotels losing pricing control: You set the rate. Booking.com sets the price.
Through its merchant payment model, Booking.com now sets the guest-facing price below what hotels load, effectively outsourcing pricing control for an estimated one in five independent room nights sold.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
Supplier News
View allEmerging Travel Group Partners with Rippla to Bring Influencer Marketing to Travel Brands
ETG integrates Rippla's network of 10,000+ influencers into its Marketing Hub, offering travel and hospitality brands barter-based collaborations with creators across Europe and the Middle East.
Demand for European travel increased this summer, despite pricing pressure and geopolitical disruption
RateGain and Sojern data shows European hotel and flight bookings rose in summer 2026, with ADR up 4-6%, Spain leading destinations, and Turkey absorbing Middle East travel diverted by ongoing conflict.
Safemark Unveils the CG15 and CG17: Glass-Front Luxury In-Room Safes Designed for Modern Hospitality
Safemark launches the CG15 and CG17 glass-front in-room safes, offering two laptop sizes, customizable branding, and a five-year warranty with a $10,000 forced-entry guarantee.
Reeco Appoints Lauren Lontine, VP of Sales
Reeco names Lauren Lontine as VP of Sales to lead sales and customer success as the AI-powered procure-to-pay platform enters a new phase of growth.
Gekko Group accelerates its direct hotel contracting expansion across Europe
Gekko Group appoints two Strategic Hotel Account Managers to drive direct hotel contracting across six European markets: UK, Benelux, DACH, Spain, Italy, and Portugal.
RG Venture Studio Launches Capstone, Bringing Revenue Optimization to Hotel Event Space
Capstone applies hotel-style demand forecasting and opportunity cost analysis to event space, helping commercial teams evaluate group business value and displacement effects in real time.
HBX Group and Virtuoso expand global partnership to enhance luxury travel offering
HBX Group expands its 25-year North America relationship with Virtuoso to a global scale, giving 20,000+ luxury travel advisors worldwide access to Bedsonline's full accommodation, mobility, and experiences portfolio.
Blastness partners with DirectBooker to bring hotels onto AI platforms and drive direct bookings
Blastness clients can now list hotel inventory on ChatGPT and Claude via DirectBooker, with commission below one-third of typical OTA rates and no setup or fixed fees.
voco hotels says “come on in” to East Africa with the opening of voco Nairobi Airport Suites
Come on in, Nairobi. voco hotels, IHG Hotels & Resorts’ fastest-growing premium brand, has arrived in East Africa with the opening of voco Nairobi Airport Suites, its first hotel in Kenya and the wider East African region.
Sloan Dean is Not Done with Hotel Management; How to get a job at an AI-native company
Sloan Dean, formerly of Remington, explains why he left to co-found AIHG, the self-described first AI-native hotel operating company, arguing AI must be built into operations, not added on top.
Sloan Dean, Founder & CEO, AIHG
Royal Caribbean Group and Sandals Resorts Announce Landmark Partnership to Accelerate Their Leading Vacation Experiences
Royal Caribbean Group will acquire a 50% equity stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts for approximately $3 billion, with the deal expected to close in early 2027 pending regulatory approvals.
Failure of Leadership Made a Hotel Sales Cold Call Exercise in Futility
An industry sales trainer recounts a hotel cold outreach attempt that failed due to poor leadership support, using it to highlight what managers must do to improve sales effectiveness.
By Doug Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Training Network, Kennedy Training Network (KTN)
The hidden complexity behind hotel payments – and how Mews is changing things
Mews has obtained an Electronic Money Institution license in the Netherlands, enabling its subsidiary to hold funds and build embedded financial infrastructure tailored to hotel payment complexity.
Hospitality’s AI Use Cases Are Finally Mapped: Powered by AI Hospitality Alliance and HEDNA
The AI Hospitality Alliance and HEDNA have published a free, crowdsourced catalogue of 109 unique AI use cases across 39 hotel systems, drawn from 198 industry submissions.
Without the right tech backbone, AI won’t deliver for hotel chains
Growing hotel chains in APAC, the Middle East, and Africa are deploying AI before establishing the unified cloud infrastructure and data foundations needed to scale results across full portfolios.
By Aditya Sanghi, Chief Executive Officer, Hotelogix
A MORE SELECTIVE ERA FOR HOSPITALITY INVESTMENT
Top hospitality investors share views ahead of FHS World 2026 in Dubai, citing cost inflation, geopolitical risk, and selective conviction as defining the current investment climate.
IHG Hotels & Resorts Introduces Newest Brand Noted Collection to Tokyo
IHG signs two Tokyo hotels under its new Noted Collection brand: a 207-key Shinjuku conversion opening 2027 and an 81-key Ginza new-build opening 2029, marking the brand's Japan debut.
HVS Asia Pacific Hospitality Newsletter - Week Ending 25 September 2026
Three Asia-Pacific hospitality deals covered: GIC buys 16 Japanese hotels from KKR for JPY200B, Pebblestone bids KRW500B for Seoul's Hyde Park Myeongdong, and Shorea Capital acquires Hong Kong's Pemberton for conversion.