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.

How to prepare for the Omicron wave with hotel business intelligence data
From Our Partners / Distribution
How to prepare for the Omicron wave with hotel business intelligence data
By Dori Stein - Fornova | January 10, 2022
Building a tech stack that collates hotel and guest data, competitor pricing and e-commerce tools will give revenue, distribution and marketing teams the opportunity to navigate their way to revenue... Read More
Social media-powered Luxury Travel Hackers raises $250K via crowdfunding
News / Startups
Social media-powered Luxury Travel Hackers raises $250K via crowdfunding
By Jill Menze | January 6, 2022
Luxury Travel Hackers puts together bookable trips using influencer-produced content. Read More
Spectaflow adds €1.7M for hotel operations tech
News / Startups
Spectaflow adds €1.7M for hotel operations tech
By Linda Fox | January 6, 2022
Iceland-based Spectaflow has raised a total of €2.5 million, created in 2019, including this latest funding. Read More
TheUp touts hospitality super app development with £7M investment
News / Startups
TheUp touts hospitality super app development with £7M investment
By Linda Fox | January 6, 2022
London-based TheUp, which started as mobile phone charging business ChargeUp, before pivoting to a mobile order and pay application, ServedUp, wants to create a “super app” for hospitality. Read More
startup-founders-on-fundraising
News / Startups
Travel startup founders on the complexities of fundraising
By Mitra Sorrells | January 6, 2022
With investors showing more interest in travel, founders explain how they make decisions about fundraising. Read More
travala launches nft rewards program
News / Technology
Travala builds NFT-based travel rewards program
By Jill Menze | January 5, 2022
The “Travel Tigers” NFT collection gives users access to Travala’s Smart Diamond membership program. Read More
VIDEO: Being innovative with sustainability challenges
News / Technology
VIDEO: Being innovative with sustainability challenges
By PhocusWire | January 4, 2022
The sector has an important role that it could play, whether its accelerating the deployment of sustainable fuel and designs for commercial aircraft or, more simply, providing services that adhere to a... Read More
No, guests do not require human-provided services in hospitality
Opinion / Technology
No, guests do not require human-provided services in hospitality
By Max Starkov - hospitality consultant and strategist | January 4, 2022
Max Starkov makes a case that in five years, hotels will operate with about 50% of the staff they had in 2019 – and that’s not a bad thing.   Read More
sojern-pcw21-studio
News / Online
VIDEO: Sojern on diversity, sustainability and startups
By PhocusWire | December 23, 2021
PhocusWire chats to Sojern's Noreen Henry at The Phocuswright Conference 2021 about some of the bigger challenges facing the travel industry. Read More
Yatra sees revenue jump 70% in a year as India attempts COVID recovery
News / Online
Yatra sees revenue jump 70% in a year as India attempts COVID recovery
By Kevin May | December 22, 2021
The India-based company says it saw a considerable improvement across all its key performance indicators between July and September while the country attempted to rebuild following the devastating... Read More
jin-jiang-tencent-partnership
News / Technology
Jin Jiang partners with Tencent to spur hospitality innovation in China
By Mitra Sorrells | December 21, 2021
The hospitality and technology companies will work together to identify startups and to enable them to test their solutions in Jin Jiang%27s hotels. Read More
VIDEO: MogulRecruiter - Launch pitch at Phocuswright Conference 2021
Interview / Technology
VIDEO: MogulRecruiter - Launch pitch at Phocuswright Conference 2021
By PhocusWire | December 21, 2021
Mogul is a technology and data sciences company that provides talent, booking and management solutions for the service industry starting with hospitality. Read More
optii-solutions-opinion-2022
Opinion / Technology
Better tech and decision-making are hotel trends to watch for in 2022
By Katherine Grass - Optii Solutions | December 20, 2021
Here are two of the big shifts these changes have catalyzed within the hospitality sector and are likely to have an impact on how hotels run in 2022. Read More
Yanolja acquires Dable to boost hotel AI capabilities
News / Technology
Yanolja acquires Dable to boost hotel AI capabilities
By Yeoh Siew Hoon - WebinTravel | December 17, 2021
Yanolja's acquisition of Dable is part of its ambition to become the world's number one travel platform. Read More
guruhotel-preseed
News / Startups
GuruHotel raises $2.1M to help hotels drive direct bookings
By Mitra Sorrells | December 17, 2021
Founded in 2019, GuruHotel's platform enables hotels to build their websites and start selling rooms online in less than one hour. Read More