Major online travel agencies are deploying billions toward marketing and Answer Engine Optimization, positioning themselves to control AI-driven search and outpace direct hotel booking channels in guest discovery.
Read the Room, Guys (and I do mean Guys)
Travel industry executive advocacy at the White House contrasts with downgraded international visitation forecasts and foreign traveler friction, underscoring the growing gap between industry optics and actual macro market realities.
They Cheered for 4.4% Growth!
Recent STR Hotel Data Conference figures predict 2026 U.S. RevPAR growth driven by major events, highlighting why Hawaiian hoteliers must look past continental averages and prioritize local market fundamentals.
Airbnb Continues Its March Into the Hotel Business
Airbnb is expanding its hotel inventory and utilizing AI-driven personalization to blend search results, signaling a direct challenge to established OTAs and raising questions about the future of commission structures.
Mexico Headlines. What History Says About Recovery.
Recent violence and travel advisories in Mexico highlight how quickly perception can disrupt tourism demand, with recovery hinging on duration, creating competitive implications for Hawaiʻi and other leisure markets.
2025 Was a Step Back. 2026 Looks Like a Grind
U.S. hotel performance slipped in 2025, with occupancy and RevPAR down for the first time since 2020, and 2026 is shaping up as a grind marked by uneven market performance, rising supply, and tighter margins.
Different Cities, Same Math: NYC vs. Hawai’i
New York City’s strict short-term rental rules remain intact, tightening visitor supply and lifting hotel rates, while recent Manhattan ground-lease land pricing offers a striking comparison to Waikīkī’s underlying land value.
New York Times Story That Should Get the Industry’s Attention
A recent New York Times analysis warns U.S. international travel is slipping into 2026, with fewer visits and lower spending driven by fees, visa delays, and border friction, risks that hit Hawaiʻi hard given its reliance on Canada and Japan.
2026 Hawai’i Hotel Hui Predictions
HHH wraps its first year with 10 predictions for 2026, from flat hotel performance and luxury resilience to AI-driven search, hotel debt activity, Green Fee debates, and rising CEO compensation.
It’s Baaack: Vacasa Gets Rewired
Casago’s acquisition and dismantling of Vacasa signals a shift to its franchise-first model, raising questions about whether lean local operators and tight owner-manager splits can sustain a new era of vacation rental management in Hawaiʻi.
