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.

Booking Holdings funds part of $180M round into South Korean hotel site Yanolja
News / Online
Booking Holdings funds part of $180M round into South Korean hotel site Yanolja
By Kevin May | June 11, 2019
The South Korea-based hotel booking website has now secured a total of $242 million in funding after landing the latest Series D round. Read More
What happens to rate parity when Airbnb is an online travel agency?
Opinion / Online
What happens to rate parity when Airbnb is an online travel agency?
By Gino Engels - OTA Insight | June 11, 2019
As lines blur between platform and provider, there are some real questions around rate parity and price competitiveness in this brave new world. Read More
Payments month part 2 fraud
News / Online
Travel payments, part 2: Balancing friction and risk in fighting fraud
By Mitra Sorrells | June 10, 2019
For part two in our series on travel payments, we explore issues related to fraud and how machine learning can help to solve them. Read More
Nordic Choice on Google Amazon using blockchain
News / Technology
Will Google and Amazon embrace a blockchain travel marketplace?
By Mitra Sorrells | June 7, 2019
Nordic Choice Hotels’ director of future business, Christian Lundén, says blockchain has the potential to disrupt travel distribution by stimulating activity from both startups and large tech players... Read More
Google shuts Trips app, everything migrates to broader Google Travel platform
News / Online
Google shuts Trips app, everything migrates to broader Google Travel platform
By Kevin May | June 6, 2019
The search giant quietly updated the app's help page this week to reveal support for the product will cease after almost three years in the market. Read More
VIDEO: Amadeus on an exciting evolution for online travel agencies
From Our Partners / Online
VIDEO: Amadeus on an exciting evolution for online travel agencies
By PhocusWire | June 5, 2019
Online travel agencies hold an important position in the ecosystem of search and buying travel products on the web. Read More
OYO talks up hospitality chain growth as it expands distribution strategy
News / Distribution
OYO talks up hospitality chain growth as it expands distribution strategy
By Kevin May | June 4, 2019
OYO Rooms now has distribution deals in place with every major online travel agency around the world. Read More
hotel-attribute-systems
Opinion / Distribution
Rethinking hotel distribution with attribute-based selling
By Simone Puorto - Simone Puorto Consulting | June 4, 2019
How the development of systems to offer room attributes might impact distribution. Read More
How Airbnb threatens to disrupt traditional hotel pricing strategies
News / Distribution
How Airbnb threatens to disrupt traditional hotel pricing strategies
By Jill Menze | June 4, 2019
A study pitted flexible-capacity Airbnb against the fixed-capacity lodging industry to uncover how the sharing economy has changed hospitality. Read More
VIDEO: Travel Ledger - Battleground pitch at Phocuswright Europe 2019
Interview / Startups
VIDEO: Travel Ledger - Battleground pitch at Phocuswright Europe 2019
By PhocusWire | June 4, 2019
Welcome to a new era of low-cost billing and payment in travel thanks to distributed ledger technology. Read More
Corporate Traveller claims there is demand for business trips in Bitcoin
News / Distribution
Corporate Traveller claims there is demand for business trips in Bitcoin
By Linda Fox | June 3, 2019
U.K. travel management company Corporate Traveller says customers, particularly in fintech, want to pay using cryptocurrency. Read More
Payments month part 1 alternative payments
News / Online
Travel payments, part 1: Beyond credit cards and cash
By Mitra Sorrells | June 3, 2019
We begin our month-long series on travel payments with a look at some of the options for paying without cash or a traditional credit card. Read More
Welcome to a new era for online travel, where any brand can get left behind
Opinion / Online
Welcome to a new era for online travel, where any brand can get left behind
By Jeff Katz - Journera | May 31, 2019
We spent the last two decades in the Transaction Era - making it easier to find and book the elements of a trip. But we are now entering the Experience Era. Read More
travel-payment-tech-latin-america-2
Opinion / Technology
How payment tech could revolutionize travel brands in Latin America
By Howard Blankenship - CellPoint Mobile | May 31, 2019
Have fintech and alternative forms of payment had an effect on the travel sector in Latin America? The short answer is yes; in fact, the impact is significant. Read More
Are your demand channels taking more than commission?
From Our Partners / Distribution
Are your demand channels taking more than commission?
By Chinmai Sharma - DHISCO | May 31, 2019
Let me start by getting something out of the way: commissions in hospitality distribution are fair. Read More
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