From data to deals: how hotel sales teams win more group business
A Holiday Inn Portland sales director shares how her team uses Knowland data to prospect for group business, monitor competitors, and build relationships that convert to bookings.
Sales & Marketing
Booking.com's shield doubles as an invitation
A critical reading of Booking.com's partner messaging argues its "protection" pitch to independent hotels masks a platform dynamic where independents are the foundation being guarded for Booking's own benefit.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
Shiji releases 2026/27 Hotel Distribution Technology Chart: From Channels to Discoverability and “Bookable Everywhere”
Shiji's 11th annual Hotel Distribution Technology Chart adds new categories for AI discovery, AI-powered direct booking, and map/social platforms, reflecting a shift from OTAs toward "bookable everywhere" commerce.
Recent Appointments
View AllIntegrating Fragrance-Infused Wooden Key Cards into Sleep-Focused Hotel Stays
GCSTIMES promotes FSC-certified, ISO 14068-backed fragrance-infused wooden key cards as a low-infrastructure sensory touchpoint for sleep-focused hotel stays.
What AI can (and can't) do for hotel venue sales
AI tools that automate proposal generation and follow-up prompts can lift hotel venue conversion rates, but misapplied automation risks undermining the trust-based relationships that drive repeat MICE business.
By Lauren Hall, Founder & CEO, iVvy
Influence Society Brings Hospitality Leaders Together for New York Summer Rooftop Mixer
Influence Society hosts a curated rooftop networking event for hotel owners, GMs, and marketing leaders on June 30 at PUBLIC Hotel ROOF in New York City.
The Architecture of Truth: Why AI SEO for Hotels Is Snake Oil (and What Actually Matters)
The author argues that "GEO" and AI SEO packages sold to hotels are largely ineffective, citing Google's own documentation to debunk popular tactics in favor of data quality.
Tell the Arrival Story: Help Guests Picture Their First Impression
Practical guide for branded hotel teams on using organic social media to document the arrival experience with simple mobile video content, helping future guests visualize their stay before booking.
By DJ Vallauri, Founder & CEO, Lodging Interactive
Google just told us how to show up in AI search. Hoteliers, take note.
Google's official GEO guide confirms AI search optimization is still core SEO, urging hoteliers to focus on unique content, technical hygiene, and accurate listings over AI-specific gimmicks.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Lodging Interactive’s Generates 1,253 Wedding RFPs for Client Hotels in Five Months
Lodging Interactive's Social Media Amplified Program delivered 1,253 wedding RFPs across client hotels in five months, representing an estimated $30.6M–$34.6M in potential gross revenue opportunity.
Cendyn’s AI + SEO Course Series: Owning the future of hotel search
Cendyn outlines how hotels can adapt their content strategy for AI-powered search through Generative Engine Optimization, focusing on structure, authority, and traveler intent to drive direct bookings.
How independent hotels should weigh corporate consortia this season
Independent hotels weighing corporate distribution face a choice between fee-based TMC programs with real volume and commission-only consortia; Amex GBT's new Preferred Extras Lite tier now opens a lower-cost entry point at the top.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
You track your Google rank every week. Why aren't you tracking your AI rank?
As AI assistants reshape how travelers research hotels, most properties lack tools to track whether or how they appear in AI responses, ceding bookings and brand narrative to OTAs.
By Paige Lopez, Content marketer, Lighthouse
How Meeting Planners Are Using AI to Source Venues
AI is now filtering hotel shortlists before planners ever contact a sales team, meaning hotels with vague, detail-poor websites are being silently excluded from consideration.
By Cory Falter, Partner, Lure Agency
Expert Views (14)
Erik Muñoz, Business Development Director EMEA, TrustYou
The hotel is the company actually providing the room. If the price and conditions are the same, the AI agent should book directly with the hotel instead of through a middleman like Booking.com. Direct booking can give guests: better prices loyalty points and perks easier changes and cancellations more accurate information better customer support.
Ira Vouk, Hospitality Tech and AI Consultant, Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
Google has already announced: they will not be the merchant of record and they're not even charging a transaction fee. Needless to say, this is a great precedent but it doesn't mean other AI platforms will follow this example.At the same time, there's nothing that prevents us from pushing AI platforms in the direction of a direct booking path integration.
Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH
I am firmly of the view that Google will eventually present all offers openly. Complementing that will be the savvier user who explicitly directs their preferred booking channel. If I am a Bonvoy member, I want to book at marriott.com to protect my loyalty assets.Right now, it's a question of structured supply.
The query became a brief
Google's AI Mode data shows travel queries have tripled in length as travelers shift from keywords to conversational briefs, structurally undermining how hotel distribution channels compete for search visibility.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
If Search and Display Had a Baby: Why Demand Gen is the New Hybrid You Actually Want
A practical breakdown of Google's Demand Gen campaigns vs. Paid Search and Display, covering placements, targeting, creatives, and when to use each in a hotel marketing mix.
By Kylie Chen, Director of Paid Strategy, Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics
Cendyn resets hospitality commitment with leadership reorientation
Under new CEO Michael Bennett, Cendyn has restructured its go-to-market approach around former hotel operators, adding managed services and commercial consultation measured by customer revenue outcomes.
Skyscanner Rebrands "Hotels" to "Stays" to Reflect 3.5M Accommodation Options
Skyscanner renames its Hotels tab to "Stays," reflecting a portfolio of 3.5M properties including hostels, campsites, and unique options, driven by Gen Z and Millennial demand for experience-led accommodation.
Placement, not commission - Google built a hotel checkout it takes no cut of and, that's exactly the point
Google's commission-free Universal Cart is a placement play: by owning the AI surface where travel decisions are made, Google charges for consideration rather than transactions, shifting auction dynamics against hotels and OTAs alike.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today