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.

Murky line emerges again over incentives for posting positive travel reviews online
News / Online
Murky line emerges again over incentives for posting positive travel reviews online
By Kevin May | September 15, 2011
A UK travel company has defended its use of a discount voucher given to customers in return for them leaving a positive review of their trip. Read More
Backbid hammers into auction model with hotel exchange service
News / Online
Backbid hammers into auction model with hotel exchange service
By Kevin May | September 13, 2011
TLabs Showcase on travel startups featuring Canada-based Backbid, an auction platform to allow consumers to bid on unwanted hotel reservations. Read More
TripAdvisor quietly changes site titles, promise of trustworthy reviews watered down
News / Online
TripAdvisor quietly changes site titles, promise of trustworthy reviews watered down
By Kevin May | September 12, 2011
Curious switch on TripAdvisor in recent weeks with the user review giant quietly altering the wording against reviews on its hotel pages. Read More
Hotel prices - North America - September to November 2011
News / Online
Hotel prices - North America - September to November 2011
By PhocusWire | September 12, 2011
Data trends on cheapest hotel rates as well as median rate for three months of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in North America, September to November 2011. Read More
Is it time for travel brands to take back their customer reviews?
News / Online
Is it time for travel brands to take back their customer reviews?
By Stephen Joyce | September 9, 2011
We know how powerful sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and others have become when it comes to consumer reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc. Read More
Travelshake aims to give a helping hand with social media
News / Online
Travelshake aims to give a helping hand with social media
By Kevin May | September 8, 2011
TLabs Showcase on travel startups featuring Ireland-based Travelshake, a social media database for travel and tourism businesses around the world. Read More
Eight cardinal sins of online customer service in travel
News / Online
Eight cardinal sins of online customer service in travel
By Timothy O'Neil-Dunne | September 7, 2011
Web brands are often slammed for their poor customer service - and the travel sector is no exception. Read More
Stimulus and the Moments of Truth in hotel marketing
News / Online
Stimulus and the Moments of Truth in hotel marketing
By Viewpoints | September 6, 2011
Moment of Truth is a concept proposed by Procter and Gamble to describe a step on the purchase cycle by a customer. Read More
Luxury Hotelist aims to give upmarket hotels a new online face
News / Online
Luxury Hotelist aims to give upmarket hotels a new online face
By Dennis Schaal | September 5, 2011
TLabs Showcase on travel startups featuring US-based Luxury Hotelist, a new search and booking service for discount upmarket hotels. Read More
Are travel shopping sites killing technical performance?
News / Online
Are travel shopping sites killing technical performance?
By Viewpoints | September 5, 2011
I stumbled across an amazing piece of software recently called Splunk. It does for server logs what Google does for web-pages, more or less. Read More
Epic web battles: Airlines fees vs lower fares
News / Online
Epic web battles: Airlines fees vs lower fares
By Timothy O'Neil-Dunne | September 5, 2011
There have been some epic battles over the years as industries have had to reinvent themselves as a result of the internet and electronic devices. Read More
Hotel prices - Europe - September to November 2011
News / Online
Hotel prices - Europe - September to November 2011
By PhocusWire | September 5, 2011
Data trends on cheapest hotel rates as well as median rate for three months of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in Europe from July to September 2011. Read More
TripAdvisor to be investigated by advertising regulator
News / Online
TripAdvisor to be investigated by advertising regulator
By Kevin May | September 1, 2011
Interesting developments from the UK after the Advertising Standards Authority confirmed it has launched a probe into TripAdvisor over claims it has untrustworthy reviews. Read More
Five ways to engage hotel guests on Twitter
News / Online
Five ways to engage hotel guests on Twitter
By Viewpoints | August 31, 2011
eMarketer estimates that Facebook growth will come to a screeching halt at only 13% this year after about 40% growth in 2010 and over 90% in 2009. Read More
Hotel prices - Middle East - August to October 2011
By PhocusWire | August 28, 2011
Data trends on cheapest hotel rates as well as median rate for three months of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in the Middle East, August to October 2011. Read More
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