Chains tell investors AI will book with them. The fine print says maybe not. - Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt each wrote AI into their annual reports as a risk to booking direct. On their earnings calls, the same companies call it an advantage..

Oct 5, 2026 • Hospitality

The bill lands on the independent - Every new way to sell a room is paid for by the hotel. The brands are finding their way out. The independent pays alone..

Oct 5, 2026 • Hospitality

Thirteen words on Reddit can steer an AI answer. Google now calls that spam. - A 12-word Reddit comment about a restaurant that doesn't exist was enough to get AI to recommend it. Google's spam rules now cover the trick, and Reddit checks new accounts for it from day one..

Oct 5, 2026 • Hospitality

Airbnb says "probably not" to Meta's agent - Airbnb's CEO says guests don't want an AI to book a $1,000 stay in four seconds. Expedia's CEO, a day after joining Muse, made the same argument..

Oct 5, 2026 • Hospitality

Hotels losing pricing control: You sell the room. The channel is taking the upsell. - An AI agent that knows what your guest spent last year will offer her the suite, the spa and the late check-out before she ever reaches you, at its price and its margin.

Oct 2, 2026 • Hospitality

Booking, Expedia and Airbnb want the trip. Your room is the way in. - The OTAs are packaging the whole trip for whoever builds the next front door, AI agents included.

Oct 2, 2026 • Hospitality

Your hotel already has a carbon score in the corporate booking tool, and it probably isn't yours. - Concur sorts hotels by lowest emissions. Without your own figure, you're ranked on a regional average built mostly from chain data..

Oct 2, 2026 • Hospitality

Your guests wrote the reviews, and Google now decides who gets to read all of them. - Google Maps now asks visitors to sign in before it shows all of a hotel's reviews, while Google's own Gemini tools keep reading behind the wall.

Oct 2, 2026 • Hospitality