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Radisson Launches ChatGPT Booking for 1,000+ Hotels, Botanique Cut Staff from 110 to 38 and Hit Profitability by Year Two, Luxury GM Role Is Outpacing Development
Tuesday brought Radisson Hotel Group and Accenture launching a ChatGPT app for direct bookings across 1,000+ properties in 100+ countries, Botanique Hotel Spa's founder on eliminating departments and sharing 23% of revenue with staff to reach profitability with a third of the original headcount, and a World Panel viewpoint asking whether the luxury GM role has outgrown the industry's ability to develop it. U.S. June RevPAR up 8.4%, Marriott's 1,500-key Egypt deal, and nine property announcements rounded out the session.
Stop Screenshotting Your AI Visibility. It Is One Deal of the Cards.
Research across 28,600 AI answers shows the top hotel result changed 40% of the time within one hour, making single-screenshot AI visibility checks unreliable for boutique hoteliers.
By Lynn Patchett, Founder & Head of Marketing, Kollective
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Viceroy Hotels & Residencies announces Viceroy Park Avenue, NYC
Viceroy Hotels & Residences, the global luxury hospitality brand known for its design-forward, culture-led hotels, proudly announces Viceroy Park Avenue, the brand’s highly anticipated return to New York City and a flagship moment in Viceroy’s next chapter of growth and excellence. Set to welcome guests in December 2026 the hotel will be located at the corner of Park Avenue South and 29th Street in the heart of Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood. Viceroy has partnered with Tao Group Hospitality to lead the hotel’s food and beverage programming. The hotel will feature thoughtfully designed accommodations with interiors by Meyer Davis Studio, a rooftop pool and lounge, dynamic meeting and event spaces, a spa and wellness spaces designed for both travelers and local guests, and four presidential suites.
IHG Launches AI Conversational Search Across its Digital Channels, Transforming the Guest Experience
IHG's beta AI conversational search on IHG.com and the IHG One Rewards app lets guests describe travel needs in natural language, surfacing tailored results across 7,000+ hotels, with agentic booking features planned next.
Darshana Jariwala of Bridgeton on Connecting the Dots Between Brand, Product, and Experience
Bridgeton's Darshana Jariwala explains how a CPG-rooted "Center of Excellence" function bridges brand, product, and operations across a portfolio of boutique lifestyle hotels in New York and beyond.
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View AllNobu to Launch Hotel, Restaurant, Villas and Residences at Monte Rei in Portugal’s Eastern Algarve
Nobu is pleased to announce plans for a new luxury destination at Monte Rei, the award-winning resort in Portugal’s Eastern Algarve. The Nobu development will form the centrepiece of a broader investment programme led by Norfin, spanning hospitality, residential living, leisure amenities and future additions, including a beach club. With construction expected to begin in 2027, the Nobu Hotel is anticipated to welcome its first guests in 2029.
‘Living Hospitality:’ When Compassion, Training, and Courage Changed a Life
Newport Hospitality Group shares how compassion, training, and courage combined to make a meaningful difference in an employee's life.
By Portsia Smith, General Manager, Newport Hospitality Group
From Reaction to Foresight: Why Proactive Hotel Operations Begin with a Connected PMS
A connected PMS can unify housekeeping, engineering, front desk, and revenue data in real time, enabling hotels to prevent operational failures rather than react to them.
By Lisa Jane Wheaton, Senior Project Strategist, Maestro
Fuel Shock Keeps Business Travel Prices Elevated Through 2026 With Relief Ahead in 2027, According to New GBTA Forecast
GBTA and ALTOUR forecast global business travel costs to stay elevated through 2026, with airfares up 4.7% and hotel ADR up 3.7%, before moderating in 2027 as structural pressures persist.
The Key Role of Food and Beverage in Luxury Hotels – Focus on Italy
HVS Southern Europe analyzes how F&B drives revenue and brand value in Italy's luxury hotel sector, with case studies from Rome Cavalieri, Da Vittorio, and others showing F&B at 25–40% of total revenue.
Supplier News
View allroommaster Launches AI Guest Management to Bring 24/7 Guest Communication to Independent Hotels
roommaster's new Linq platform deploys an AI agent across web chat, WhatsApp, and email to handle guest inquiries 24/7, drive commission-free direct bookings, and unify all conversations in a single inbox for independent hotels.
OneJourney Expands Reach into European Markets with Managed Payment Services Partnership in Ireland
OneJourney partners with Dublin-based Managed Payment Services to expand its SwiftPay embedded payments platform across Ireland and the UK hospitality and travel markets.
Newbury Guest House: How a Historic Boston Brownstone Outgrew Its Chain Competitors With roommaster
Boston's Newbury Guest House used roommaster's cloud PMS, direct booking engine, and AI-powered revenue management to compete with major hotel chains after a 2020 acquisition.
HCN and Artography Transforming Hotel Guestrooms into Interactive Art Galleries
HCN and Artography will integrate a 200,000+ licensed artwork collection into HCN's in-room tablets at four- and five-star hotels across the US and Canada, letting guests browse and buy art for home delivery.
Recycled Fibres: Giving Materials a Second Life
GCSTIMES outlines the growing role of recycled fibres from agricultural residues and textiles as a complement to FSC-certified wood pulp, helping hospitality procurement teams make more sustainable sourcing decisions.
Glasgow Marriott’s playbook for boosting room service revenue by 24% with IRIS mobile dining
Glasgow Marriott deployed IRIS Mobile Ordering and Digital Guest Directory, achieving 24% revenue growth and 23% order volume increase, with 80% of room service orders now placed digitally.
Glowmads and the Guest Room: Where Beauty Meets Sustainability
GCSTIMES promotes its low-carbon amenity collection, featuring bamboo-handled essentials, biodegradable slippers, and FSC-certified packaging, framed around wellness-focused travelers and hotel sustainability goals.
Mews 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.
RIU Hotels & Resorts reopens the Hotel Riu Palace Peninsula in Cancun following a comprehensive renovation, now featuring the exclusive Elite Club service
RIU Hotels & Resorts has reopened the Riu Palace Peninsula following an ambitious and comprehensive renovation. This historic property, which has stood as an architectural icon in the Hotel Zone since 2012, returns to the market as a completely transformed product, meticulously designed to exceed the expectations of every traveler. Among its main new features, the introduction of the Elite Club service stands out, an exclusive offering that adds a restaurant, a bar, and a private-access pool for its members.
Radisson Hotel Group and Accenture Redefine Travel Discovery on ChatGPT
Radisson Hotel Group, with Accenture, launched a ChatGPT app allowing travelers to search, compare, and book from 1,000+ properties across 100+ countries via natural conversation.
Choice Hotels International's WoodSpring Suites® Ranked #1 Economy Extended Stay Hotel Brand in the JD Power 2026 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study
WoodSpring Suites earns the #1 Economy Extended Stay ranking in the JD Power study for the fifth consecutive year, scoring top across all six evaluated dimensions with 583 open properties nationwide.
India's Tourism Success Story Is Just Beginning – Unlocking International Travel Can Make It a Global Tourism Powerhouse
WTTC's 2025 EIR shows India's travel and tourism sector generated $263.6B and 46.2M jobs, with the sector forecast to reach $527B by 2036 as international spending remains underdeveloped at 14%.
U.S. hotel performance for June 2026
U.S. hotel RevPAR rose 8.4% year-over-year in June 2026, the strongest monthly gain since March 2023, with San Francisco and Miami leading Top 25 Markets driven by World Cup demand.
LivSmart Studios by Hilton Pensacola I‑10 North Davis Highway Opens in Pensacola, Florida
LivSmart Studios by Hilton Pensacola I-10 North Davis Highway is now open, bringing Hilton’s newest long-stay brand to Florida’s Gulf Coast. Located at 7077 Plantation Road, the hotel is owned by 3H Group and managed by LBA Hospitality.
Marriott International Announces Landmark Agreement with Misr Italia Properties and People & Places for over 1,500 keys across Egypt
Marriott and Misr Italia Properties signed a deal for nine properties totaling 1,500+ keys across Egypt, spanning Ritz-Carlton, Luxury Collection, and Autograph Collection brands.
A New Way to Experience Joshua Tree: RESET Hotel Joins Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy
Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy today announced that RESET Hotel in Twentynine Palms, California, has joined its curated portfolio of nature-immersed, design-forward accommodations. The sustainably designed property marks the first new brand to join the collection since its launch in September 2025.
Rebel Hotel Company Expands National Portfolio with Management Acquisitions of Three Distinctive Lifestyle Hotels
Rebel Hotel Company adds three lifestyle properties to its management portfolio: Circa 39 Miami Beach, Hotel La Jolla, and Coachman Lake Tahoe, with a repositioning for Circa 39 planned for Q3 2026.
The Next Chapter of Oaga Art Resort Begins: Reboot and Reopening on 1 August 2026
Oaga Art Resort Maldives returns on 1 August 2026 following a brief operational hiatus, unveiling an island-wide refresh that enhances the way guests eat, stay, unwind and explore, while staying true to the artistic spirit that has defined the resort since its opening. More than a refurbishment, this reboot reflects Oaga's philosophy that creativity is always organically growing. Over the past few months, the resort has reimagined some of its most loved spaces, introduced entirely new experiences, and laid the foundation for the next phase of its growth.