Hotel brands are winning the economics of direct booking — even as OTAs keep the volume - A decade after “book direct” campaigns began, major hotel groups have improved margins, loyalty power, and customer ownership without significantly reducing OTA market share.

May 28, 2026 • Hospitality

Why World Cup hotel demand is falling short in the U.S. - Hotels expected a major international booking wave for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but travel friction, political uncertainty, and operational missteps are weakening demand.

May 28, 2026 • Hospitality

Hotels just got a dashboard for agentic travel - Lighthouse acquires Hotelrank.ai, giving hotels their first real view into how AI platforms rank, route, and recommend their properties.

May 28, 2026 • Hospitality

Placement, not commission - Google built a hotel checkout it takes no cut of — and that's exactly the point.

May 28, 2026 • Hospitality

EU short-term rental rules tighten oversight of Airbnb-style accommodation - New data-sharing and registration requirements could reshape how cities regulate vacation rentals — and influence hotel competition across Europe.

May 27, 2026 • Hospitality

Nobody gets bypassed - Agentic commerce was supposed to route around the OTAs. Google's partner list routes straight through them.

May 27, 2026 • Hospitality

Long Lake’s transformation plan for Amex GBT will take years - The $6.3 billion acquisition signals a long-term AI rebuild of corporate travel infrastructure — with potential ripple effects for hotel distribution.

May 27, 2026 • Hospitality

Airbnb deepens hotel push with Booking.com veteran hire - The leadership change signals Airbnb’s growing ambition to compete more directly in the global hotel distribution market, especially among boutique and independent properties..

May 27, 2026 • Hospitality