🤯 Booking.com Q2 Hits $46.7B

1 – “Why does it take so long to get paid for group bookings?”
Because traditional systems rely on manual invoices, endless follow-ups, and siloed teams. ROH automates the full payment lifecycle—with auto-reminders, real-time alerts, and digital contracts—so hoteliers get paid 81% faster without chasing clients.

2 – “Why is it so hard to get sales, finance, and ops on the same page?”
Most hotels still run payments across email threads, PDFs, and spreadsheets. ROH brings every stakeholder into one platform with shared access to contracts, payment status, and reporting—eliminating disconnects that slow down the deal.

3 – “Why aren't we growing our event revenue like we should be?”
Payment friction kills conversion. Hotels using ROH report a 15%+ lift in event revenue per property simply by making it easier for clients to say yes—and pay faster.

👉 Book a demo with ROH and turn payment chaos into performance

Booking Holdings saw a standout Q2 with earnings per share up 32% year-over-year. Revenue surged 16% to $6.8 billion, while gross bookings climbed 13% to $46.7 billion. Room nights also increased by approximately 8%, with strong international demand in Europe and Asia helping offset softer U.S. trends. Notably, Booking’s marketing costs were also up 10%.

🎯 Why it matters: Beyond top-line growth, Booking Holdings is deepening its strategic lead through technology (like the AI Tech Stack Advisor we built with them): advancing its connected trip vision, expanding AI personalization, and strengthening cross-vertical engagement across hotels, flights, and attractions. These investments are not only fueling user loyalty but also boosting revenue efficiency and owner economics and reinforcing resilience in a volatile macro environment.

🔑 Key takeaway: Booking’s Q2 results showcase how tech-driven platforms can amplify growth even amid travel uncertainty. Operators and partners should take note: integrated AI tools (like Priceline’s “Penny” assistant and Kayak.ai) and the connected-trip model are expanding user engagement and monetization. Travel companies investing in seamless, data-rich digital experiences are positioning themselves for sustainable expansion and stronger competitive differentiation. Read More →

Travel content is shifting from follower counts to interest-driven discovery, where platforms like TikTok and Instagram push highly personalized content based on engagement—a trend dubbed “interest media.” This shift means that small or new accounts can rack up millions of views on a particularly interesting post, when in the past engagement was more correlated with follower count. For Gen Z and millennial travelers, these platforms are now the first stop for trip inspiration and decision-making, with many users treating them as de facto search engines rather than traditional social feeds.

🎯 Why it matters: Travel brands must adapt to this paradigm change. Working within the interest media ecosystem is critical to capturing demand amid changing traveler behavior. With the right strategy and content, TikTok and Instagram can drive not just awareness but actual bookings, often outperforming traditional marketing channels by surfacing travel content that aligns with user interests.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hoteliers and travel brand marketers should prioritize creating entertaining, relevant short-form content optimized for algorithmic discovery, not follower engagement. By embracing interest media (leveraging influencer collaborations, authentic user-generated stories, and TikTok-native content types) brands can connect with high-intent travelers and shape decision journeys early. Your goal should shift from “gaining followers” to “being discovered.” Read More →

Hyatt has rapidly evolved into an asset-light, fee-based model—offloading billions in owned assets while acquiring and launching lifestyle and select-service brands to drive growth. Recently, the $2 billion sale of Playa Hotels & Resorts’ real estate effectively converted Hyatt’s all-inclusive portfolio into long-term management contracts and marked a major step toward its target of 90% asset-light earnings by 2027.

🎯 Why it matters: Hyatt’s strategy exemplifies a broader shift in the hotel industry—from owning properties to building global platforms powered by brand, distribution, and loyalty. This model offers greater scalability, less capital risk, and stronger recurring revenue from fees and franchise royalties. As market volatility, rising interest rates, and evolving guest preferences reshape the landscape, asset-light hospitality groups are better positioned to pivot quickly, innovate across segments, and maintain margin resilience.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hyatt’s strategic blend of divestitures and targeted brand acquisitions underscores a shift from real estate ownership to platform power. Owners, investors, and operators should consider how brand-led and fee-based models, especially those built on lifestyle and Essentials segments like “Unscripted by Hyatt,” can offer agility, margin expansion, and scalable global opportunity without heavy capital commitments. Read More →

✅ Plusgrade: Unlock new revenue by automating targeted guest upgrade offers.

✅ Otelier: Optimize hotel budgets and forecasts with precise, data-driven insights.

✅ Hireology: Find and hire reliable staff faster to fill key hotel roles.

✅ Canary Technologies: Powerful but simple AI powered digital guest journey platform.

✅ Tripleseat: Manage group bookings, tracks leads, and simplify event communications.

✅ MeetingPackage: Simplify MICE bookings and boost event revenue.

⚖️ Over 10,000 hotels joined a complaint against Booking.com, challenging commission fees and opaque algorithms.

📊 Marriott’s Q2 earnings beat expectations, powered by global demand and loyalty growth.

💎 Dubai Royal’s $50,000-a-Night Resort flaunts Africa’s future in luxury travel

☀️ A sluggish summer may spell trouble for fall bookings as leisure demand cools.

🛎️ A leaked internal memo reveals ChatGPT may soon plan and book entire Airbnb trips.

💰 Hotels are exploring crypto as travel payments shift toward blockchain and digital wallets.

📉 Economic uncertainty is stalling hotel dealmaking as investors grow cautious and valuations fluctuate.

🏗️ The U.S. hotel construction pipeline grew in Q2, but project starts and completions lag.

🤖 Chipotle is scaling automation and energy tech to streamline kitchen ops and boost margins.

🤝 Oyo acquired MadeComfy in a $50M deal to boost its short-term rental tech and listings.

💵 Expedia says AI tools are driving real revenue, not just consumer engagement.

🏷️ Marriott CEO insists 30 brands is “the sweet spot” as it balances scale and distinctiveness.

🌍 Wyndham missed its climate targets, prompting a reassessment of its emissions strategy.

📢 Amazon plans to insert ads into Alexa+, monetizing its voice assistant through AI.

⚡ Iberostar credits renewables and electrification for progress on its emissions goals.

🤖 Meta bets big on super-intelligent A.I., posting 36% profit growth and planning major smart glasses integration.

🧠 Hotel industry thought leaders weigh in on whether AI will lead to sunsetting of hotel websites.

💼 Alphabet earnings exceeded forecasts as AI and ad revenue continue to outperform.

📊 Strong demand in June couldn’t offset labor costs for many U.K. hotels.

🏦 The Fed held rates steady, signaling cautious optimism despite internal dissent.

🎰 MGM’s Vegas earnings fell short in Q2, with slower convention traffic and weakened gaming revenue.

🏨 Loyalty startup Journey raised $7.7M to grow its guest engagement tools for hotels.

What if you could combine the reliability of a hotel with the unique charm of an Airbnb? In this episode, Matt Shanley, Director of Revenue and Operations at The Neighborhood Hotel, reveals how technology is reshaping the hospitality landscape.

Key Takeaways:

👉🏼 Check out the interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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