Posts in category: Market Trends

TripAdvisor is laying off 20% of its staff as it pivots toward experiences and AI, but years of overmonetization and declining trust mean the platform’s bid for relevance may already be too late.

Travel’s “K-shaped recovery” is here, premium airlines and luxury spend are booming while midscale hotels and budget travelers pull back, splitting the industry between those climbing and those sliding.

Wyndham launches a $95/year “Rewards Insider” subscription, part hotel perks, part travel club, joining IHG and Outrigger in the pay-to-play loyalty trend as brands chase recurring revenue and new ways to keep guests engaged.

Q3 hotel earnings show U.S. RevPAR slipping, group and government travel weakening, and 2025 forecasts flattening across Hilton, IHG, and Wyndham, while Accor remains the lone bright spot.

The federal shutdown is costing the U.S. travel sector $1B a week, and with Canadian and other international arrivals plunging, Hawaiʻi faces mounting headwinds despite parks and airports remaining open.

Two forces define today’s hotel scene: enshittification, the decline in value, and bifurcation, the widening gap between travelers. Which side is your property on?

Luxury hotels are thriving while the mid-market weakens. Hawaiʻi luxury RevPAR is up 9% YTD, raising questions about inequality in travel demand.

DirectBooker wants to “fix” OTA dependence by becoming yet another middleman, feeding hotel data into ChatGPT and Gemini, just as Airbnb ramps up its own hotel push.

Q2 results show the hotel upswing has ended: flat U.S. RevPAR, softer demand, and cautious forecasts from Expedia, Marriott, Airbnb, and STR point to a tougher lodging cycle ahead.

A packed week at HITEC, HSMAI, and industry side meetings highlighted three themes: AI everywhere, commercial teams needing real alignment, and hotels still struggling with outdated, disconnected tech.