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.

In The Big Chair - Sean Fitzpatrick of OTA Insight
Interview / Technology
In The Big Chair - Sean Fitzpatrick of OTA Insight
By Mitra Sorrells | August 31, 2018
A former-Oracle, Nokia and HotSchedules executive, Sean Fitzpatrick arrives with a recent investment round in the company's war chest and in a marketplace that continues to throw up new challenges. Read More
The impact of influencer marketing on the booking journey
Opinion / Online
The impact of influencer marketing on the booking journey
By Angharad Miller - Swayy | August 30, 2018
Let’s set the scene. Up until the digital revolution, traditional marketing and word-of-mouth were the only real ways to grow consumer awareness at a notable scale. Read More
Is there enough room for another one-stop shop like Airbnb?
News / Online
Is there enough room for another one-stop shop like Airbnb?
By Kevin May | August 29, 2018
It's worth remembering that Airbnb was the feisty little upstart of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry not too long ago - before it became a power player. Read More
Online travel bookings booming in China, India, driven by millennials
News / Online
Online travel bookings booming in China, India, driven by millennials
By Mitra Sorrells | August 29, 2018
Digital travel sales in China and India are far outpacing the rest of the world and that is expected to continue for the next several years.   Read More
Google offers hotel discounts to cloud users, upgrades search tools
News / Online
Google offers hotel discounts to cloud users, upgrades search tools
By Christina Jelski - Travel Weekly | August 28, 2018
Google has enhanced its flight and hotel search capabilities ahead of the U.S. holiday travel season, while concurrently announcing that it has started offering exclusive hotel discounts to paying users... Read More
google-search-travel-hotel-ads
News / Online
Subtle change to users, big impact on brands - Google search and hotels
By Pablo Delgado - Mirai | August 27, 2018
The real estate on Google's search engine results pages has changed dramatically over the course of the last decade.   Read More
ALICE and Puerto Rico partnership
News / Technology
New app aims to boost tourism in Puerto Rico, nearly one year after Hurricane Maria
By Mitra Sorrells | August 24, 2018
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company is partnering with hotel operations platform ALICE and Roca Marketing to bolster tourism on the island by enhancing communications between hotels and tourists. Read More
ota hotel profitability
Opinion / Online
Online travel agency moves harming profitability: What hotels need to know
By Max Starkov - HEBS Digital | August 24, 2018
Two recent events in hotel distribution created a mild media buzz, but unfortunately were ignored by some hoteliers and quickly forgotten by the industry: Expedia’s Add‐On Advantage and Booking.Basic. Read More
Research Spotlight: How call centers are vital to the customer experience
News / Online
Research Spotlight: How call centers are vital to the customer experience
By Jill Menze | August 23, 2018
Operating a call center is often a costly - but necessary - endeavor for many travel companies. For one, to customers, the call center represents the face of suppliers and informs their first... Read More
Revenue and loyalty for vacation rentals in the age of Amazon and Google
Opinion / Online
Revenue and loyalty for vacation rentals in the age of Amazon and Google
By Mike Putman - Custom Travel Solutions | August 23, 2018
The accommodations market has expanded over the past decade, in part due to the growing vacation rental sector. However, nobody quite knows how vacation rentals will fit into the larger travel ecosystem... Read More
STARTUP STAGE: SpareFare creates a sharing economy for travel refunds
Interview / Startups
STARTUP STAGE: SpareFare creates a sharing economy for travel refunds
By Kevin May | August 22, 2018
London-based SpareFare has developed a mechanism and platform so that travelers can get their money back on non-refundable ticket reservations on hotels or airlines. Read More
WayBlazer postmortem: Why did travel's highest-profile AI company fail?
Opinion / Technology
WayBlazer postmortem: Why did travel's highest-profile AI company fail?
By Arnie Weissmann - Travel Weekly | August 21, 2018
Among the reasons many of us were surprised last month by the demise of WayBlazer, travel's highest-profile artificial intelligence initiative, was that we had become habituated to the success of... Read More
STARTUP STAGE: WhyHotel turns luxury apartment buildings into pop-up hotels
Interview / Online
STARTUP STAGE: WhyHotel turns luxury apartment buildings into pop-up hotels
By Mitra Sorrells | August 20, 2018
WhyHotel transforms unoccupied apartment units in brand-new luxury buildings into temporary hotel rooms. The pop-up hotels employ 24/7 on-site staff with the intention of giving guests the "like-home"... Read More
Roomex 8M funding
News / Startups
Roomex locks in €8M to fuel product development and market expansion
By Mitra Sorrells | August 17, 2018
Dublin-based Roomex has raised €8 million series A funding to develop its hotel booking platform for small and medium businesses and to expand beyond Ireland and the United Kingdom.   Read More
The secret to direct bookings? Consider hotel website conversion rates
Opinion / Online
The secret to direct bookings? Consider hotel website conversion rates
By Max Starkov | August 17, 2018
A key imperative for hoteliers in 2018 is preventing travel planners from becoming distracted by digital noise and serving them content at the correct time in order to convert them into bookings. Read More
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