Hotel Industry News

PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of the hotel sector, featuring news, analysis, interviews, research and more on B&Bs, hotels, guesthouses and other property types.

The hotel sector is undergoing significant transformation, powered by new technologies, evolving guest expectations, and a renewed focus on direct booking and operational efficiency. PhocusWire delivers the latest hotel industry news, covering the strategies and innovations shaping the future of global hospitality.

Hotel chain developments, hospitality trends, and market shifts

Stay updated on how hotel brands are expanding, restructuring, and embracing digital platforms to elevate the guest experience. From contactless check-in and AI-powered pricing to loyalty evolution and branded residential offerings, our coverage tracks the industry’s response to changing demand and competitive pressure.

Despegar reports growth in bookings and revenue, optimism from recent partner agreements
News / Distribution
Despegar reports growth in bookings and revenue, optimism from recent partner agreements
By Mitra Sorrells | November 7, 2019
Argentina-based Despegar reports gross bookings up 26% and revenue up 19% in the third quarter of 2019 compared to the same period a year earlier.    Read More
amadeus-Q3-earnings-2019-2
News / Distribution
Amadeus sees growth metrics in 2019 boosted by business expansion
By Linda Fox | November 7, 2019
The travel technology giant reported a 15% increase in revenue to €4.2 billion while EBITDA climbed just over 11% to €1.8 billion in the first nine months of 2019. Read More
Brand Business - Steven Taylor of Accor Hotels
Interview / Distribution
Brand Business - Steven Taylor of Accor Hotels
By Linda Fox | November 7, 2019
The hotel giant's chief marketing officer discusses the major shifts in the marketing discipline, the Billboard Effect and learning from the famous Dove campaign. Read More
How can your smart watch and mobile help you boost hotel revenues on the go?
From Our Partners / Technology
How can your smart watch and mobile help you boost hotel revenues on the go?
By Apurva Chamaria - RateGain | November 5, 2019
Revenue managers need flexibility and responsiveness that comes from mobile notifications. And so we built it. Read More
In the green room at Phocuswright with... Ritesh Agarwal
Interview / Online
In the green room at Phocuswright with... Ritesh Agarwal
By PhocusWire | November 5, 2019
In a series of interviews with executives participating at the event in Florida in November, PhocusWire finds out what makes them tick... Next up: Ritesh Agarwal of OYO Hotels and Homes. Read More
MakeMyTrip reports $181M in quarterly revenue, touts growing customer base
News / Distribution
MakeMyTrip reports $181M in quarterly revenue, touts growing customer base
By Steven Lerner | November 4, 2019
The India-based online travel agency saw gross bookings grow 20.6% year-over-year to $1.5 billion, at the same time as cutting marketing expenses by 10.5% to $40.1 million. Read More
kayak free corporate travel solution
News / Online
Kayak enters corporate travel sector with launch of free solution
By Mitra Sorrells | November 1, 2019
Kayak is going after the small- and medium-sized corporate travel sector with the launch of Kayak for Business. Read More
customer-journey-optimization
News / Distribution
Travel marketers seeing benefits of trip optimization but challenged by privacy laws
By Linda Fox | November 1, 2019
Travel marketers say they're upping their game when it comes to optimizing the customer journey across different channels. Read More
Omio acquires fellow multi-modal platform Rome2rio
News / Online
Omio acquires fellow multi-modal platform Rome2rio
By Kevin May | October 31, 2019
Rome2rio had previously raised a modest $3.1 million in funding - a tiny amount compared to the larger Omio with its $300 million over the course of a number of rounds. Read More
travelfish q&a
News / Online
Q&A: Travelfish's Stuart McDonald on the OYO and Instagram problems plaguing Southeast Asia
By Jill Menze | October 31, 2019
The Travelfish co-founder gets candid on why OYO's model is flawed, Google needs to relent and "influencers are like influenza." Read More
Pegasus and Travel Tripper go forward as Pegasus, unveil new platform
News / Distribution
Pegasus and Travel Tripper go forward as Pegasus, unveil new platform
By Linda Fox | October 30, 2019
Pegasus and Travel Tripper merged in February 2019 but have been kept separate so far. Now they move forward as Pegasus, with Tripper's CEO at the helm. Read More
REPORT: The real value of the bedbank distribution model
From Our Partners / Distribution
REPORT: The real value of the bedbank distribution model
By Robert Cole - PhocusWire | October 30, 2019
This PhocusWire/Hotelbeds report is a comprehensive overview of the bedbank sector, including details on the processes involved, history of the model, issues around rate parity and how the market might... Read More
airbnb-tiqets-investment-2
News / Online
Airbnb leads $60M investment in attraction bookings brand Tiqets
By Kevin May | October 29, 2019
Created in 2014, CEO and co-founder Luuc Elzinga has led the company through a number of investments, including a $23 million Series B almost 12 months ago to the day. Read More
MiStay gets new funding from ah! Ventures
News / Online
Hourly hotel booking company MiStay lands funding from Ah! Ventures
By Steven Lerner | October 29, 2019
Ah! Ventures, along with entrepreneur Sumit Nagpal, lead a new undisclosed funding round for MiStay. Read More
The search for genuine "disruption" in the travel industry
Opinion / Startups
The search for genuine "disruption" in the travel industry
By Peter Matthews - Nucleus | October 24, 2019
Now traditional business models have been turned on their heads by the likes of Uber, Airbnb, Amazon and Google there is a tendency for many brands to believe they need to roll up their sleeves and face... Read More
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