Catégorie : Hotel & Hospitality

The article by Markus Busch, dated August 24, 2026, examines the restrictions on guest contact information imposed by platforms like Booking.com and Expedia. Booking.com provides a temporary email alias for guest communications, valid from booking until seven days post-checkout, with message threads inaccessible after a year. Expedia offers a similar system, but the alias lasts…

Marriott and Radisson have updated their best-rate guarantees in contrasting ways. As of June 2026, Marriott’s policy applies only to bookings for up to two guests and requires a claim within 24 hours, making it harder for guests to claim refunds. Conversely, Radisson, since July 2026, has automated price matching across over 1,600 hotels, adjusting…

FCM Travel, the corporate arm of Flight Centre Travel Group, launched conversational booking in August 2026, integrating it into Microsoft Teams and Slack. This feature allows travelers to book trips using natural language, with options tailored by company policy and user profiles. While integration with ChatGPT and others is planned, it’s not yet active. FCM…

On July 28, 2026, Radisson Hotel Group launched an app within ChatGPT, developed with Accenture, to enhance guest interaction. The app is accessible by typing “@RadissonHotels” and serves over 1,000 hotels across 100 countries by providing information on properties, rates, amenities, and handing off bookings to Radisson’s website. However, it is primarily a tool for…

As of August 19, 2026, nearly a third of global distribution system (GDS) hotel bookings are from high-spending leisure travelers, not just corporate clients. Despite this shift, many luxury resorts overlook the GDS, assuming it primarily serves corporate bookings. The rise in leisure bookings through GDS is driven by travel advisors and improved economics, with…

Booking Holdings is consolidating the operations of Booking.com, Agoda, and Priceline that sell hotel rooms to banks, airlines, and loyalty programs into Agoda’s engine, known as Rocket Travel. This merger, reported by Skift in August 2026, will streamline the distribution process through a unified platform, enhancing the reach of hotel rooms but centralizing control. This…

Booking Holdings has significantly reduced customer service costs by leveraging AI, achieving double-digit decreases twice in six months. CEO Glenn Fogel emphasized that AI eliminates wait times, lowering service costs per booking. CFO Ewout Steenbergen noted a 10% cost reduction as bookings rose equally. However, no data supports Fogel’s claim that users prefer AI to…

The article, published on August 17, 2026, by Markus Busch, highlights the challenges faced by resorts in directly reaching guests due to intermediaries like OTAs, wholesalers, human advisors, and AI. While OpenAI initially aimed to eliminate these middlemen, it now focuses on search and product discovery, leaving bookings to other platforms. Each intermediary retains control…

The article discusses the evolution of pricing strategies in the travel industry. Historically, hotel room pricing was uniform, based solely on demand and dates. However, by 2025, personalized pricing emerged, with entities like Orbitz initially steering Mac users towards pricier options. A Senate hearing on August 4, 2026, highlighted “real-time desperation” pricing, where agentic assistants…

On August 12, 2026, American Express Travel added 351 properties to its Fine Hotels + Resorts and Hotel Collection programs, expanding to over 3,400 hotels in 116 countries. The selection process is guided by a Hotel Curation Team using undisclosed criteria based on premium cardmembers’ travel preferences. Unlike consortia where hotels opt-in, American Express evaluates…