🔌 Hilton's EV Charging Playbook

According to HotelData.com’s Budget Planning Guide, H1 2025 labor costs rose 6.6% year-over‑year, RevPAR underperformed budget by nearly $19 (actual $105.12 vs budget $123.89), while ADR remained relatively stable (actual $186.14 vs budget $191.35). Despite softer revenue, hotels maintained GOP margins around 37.7%

🎯 Why it matters: Hotel budgets often rely on outdated assumptions. This guide offers live benchmarks from thousands of properties, giving operators a more accurate view of current market conditions and cost trends.

🔑 Key takeaway: Use this data to validate or revise your 2025–2026 budget. Focus on controlling labor costs and adjusting RevPAR expectations to protect margins in a softer demand environment.

👉 Get the free Hotel Budget Guide and take control of your numbers now.

Los Angeles has approved a plan to raise the minimum wage for hotel workers at properties with 60+ rooms to $30/hour by 2028. Industry leaders warn the mandate, set to phase in over three years, will force service cuts, layoffs, and property closures. With RevPAR still 15% below pre-pandemic levels, many owners say they’ll pause renovations or eliminate labor-intensive services like valet and in-house dining. A ballot referendum effort to repeal the ordinance is now underway.

🎯 Why it matters: This is the highest minimum wage law for hotel workers in the U.S., and it’s setting a precedent other cities may follow. Operators face mounting pressure to sustain margins amid wage inflation, uneven recovery, and growing union influence, especially ahead of demand spikes from global events like the 2028 Olympics.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hoteliers must prepare for wage inflation to become a structural reality, not a temporary shock. Future-proofing means optimizing labor models, adopting guest-facing automation, and participating in policy coalitions early, before legislation hits the books. Read More →

Hilton recently revealed that EV charging stations now drive more bookings on Hilton.com than amenities like pools or free breakfast, making them the brand’s top converting filter. Installing dependable EV infrastructure isn’t just trendy; it’s essential for attracting eco-conscious guests, increasing length-of-stay, and unlocking a new revenue stream from EV charging fees, especially for hotels in road trip destinations and popular drive-in markets.

🎯 Why it matters: EV charging is no longer a niche perk. It’s now a mainstream booking driver among high-income, tech‑savvy travelers seeking convenience, sustainability, and seamless trip planning. Hotels without EV charging options risk losing both awareness and loyalty in an increasingly competitive landscape dated by traditional amenities.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hoteliers should prioritize deploying reliable Level 2 (or faster) charging infrastructure and ensuring maintenance protocols (e.g. minimizing downtime, avoiding blocked EV slots), crucial for brand reputation and guest satisfaction. EV charging delivers a triple win: it attracts new bookings, extends guest stays, and creates differentiated value-driven revenue. For forward-looking hotel operators, it’s quickly becoming as crucial as pools or breakfast in the modern guest decision journey. Read More →

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts says its global system expanded about 4% year-over-year in Q2 2025, while its development pipeline grew 5%—now totaling a record 255,000 rooms across ~2,150 hotels. CEO Geoff Ballotti highlighted the company’s latest tech rollouts which contributed to this strong growth, including a new centralized Wi‑Fi login system called Wyndham Gateway and Wyndham Connect PLUS, an AI-powered platform aimed at streamlining hotel operations and elevating the guest experience.

🎯 Why it matters: Wyndham’s continued global expansion—despite softening U.S. RevPAR—shows how strategic tech investment can help drive sustained growth. By equipping franchisees with scalable digital tools that reduce operational friction and enhance guest service, the company is strengthening owner appeal while positioning its brand portfolio for long-term resilience.

🔑 Key takeaway: For hotel operators, Wyndham’s growth story highlights the business case for tech-forward infrastructure. Tools like AI-powered engagement platforms and seamless connectivity solutions can directly support pipeline growth by making a brand more attractive to owners. Investing in the right tech stack is becoming just as critical as location or design when it comes to fueling portfolio expansion. Read More →

✅ HotelData.com: Benchmark staffing and costs using real data from 2,000 hotels.

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

✅ Tripleseat: Manages group bookings, tracks leads, and simplifies event communications.

✅ Sertifi: Simplify hotel check-ins and payments with secure digital solutions.

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

🔍 Could Airbnb beat OTAs at their own game with an AI-powered travel search tool?

🤝 Data collaboration can unlock pricing insights, better forecasting, and smarter marketing strategies for hotels.

🔻 New Pew Research shows Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary present

📊 EY’s new AI survey finds 34% of execs have started implementing agentic AI, but 87% face barriers to scaling it.

💵 Hidden hotel fees frustrate guests and may lead to regulatory scrutiny as backlash against "drip pricing" grows.

🍽️ Small restaurants thrive by embracing tech like mobile payments and online ordering.

🥤 The minibar’s decline reflects a shift toward smarter in-room monetization and data-driven upselling.

🎛️ Hotel AV systems create legal and operational risks; ownership confusion can stall upgrades and guest experience innovation.

📊 Travel bookings rebound in August, lifting revenue forecasts and signaling strong Q3 for hotels and airlines.

🏨 Marriott finalizes CitizenM acquisition, expanding its urban lifestyle portfolio with the tech-forward brand.

🌍 Luxury hotel market projected to hit $181.5B by 2034, driven by business and resort travel demand.

🧯 Strong crisis management plans are now essential for hotel resilience amid climate events, cyber threats, and global disruptions.

🧠 Microsoft Copilot mode turns Edge into an AI agent that can plan trips and summarize hotel options for travelers.

💸 TakeUp raises $11M to bring smarter, automated pricing tools to independent and boutique hotels.

How can technology redefine the guest experience in the hospitality industry? In this episode, Mattias Tanski and Erik Bergsten from CIC Hospitality reveal their innovative approach to integrating cutting-edge tech into their operations.

Key Takeaways:

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

Want to advertise with us?

💌 Sponsor this newsletter (here) or a dedicated eblast (here) to our 50k subscribers

👀  Run a site takeover campaign (here) to drive downloads of your lead magnet

⭐️ Become a premium member, join the best companies in the industry (here)

🎯 Set up a PPC campaign to drive high-intent traffic from our homepage and category pages straight to your website in under 3-minutes (here)