🪄 OTAs Just Hijacked ChatGPT

Still using outdated dashboards to manage guest feedback? Today’s AI reputation software like MARA Solutions does more than monitor - it powers real-time decisions, drives revenue, and personalizes guest experiences.

Legacy platforms can’t keep up with this shift. The latest buyer’s guide from MARA Solutions shows how AI is turning review data into strategic advantage - and why it might be time to rethink your current vendor.

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Expedia and Booking.com have officially launched apps inside ChatGPT, giving travelers live pricing, maps, and hotel inventory without ever leaving the chat. For all the hype about AI disrupting OTAs, this move shows the opposite: they’re becoming even more entrenched. Nearly a third of ChatGPT’s early app partners are OTAs a clear signal that conversational AI isn’t replacing them, it’s amplifying their reach.

🎯 Why it matters: Everyone predicted LLMs would upend travel search. In reality, AI chat is just the next distribution layer and the OTAs got there first. OpenAI would need roughly 12 million paid subscribers just to replace the ad revenue Expedia and Booking drive for Google, so it’s no surprise ChatGPT is leaning in.

🔑 Key takeaway: Expect more of the same power dynamics—just in a new format. Hotels that ignore this shift risk being invisible in AI-driven discovery. The smart play isn’t to fight OTAs it’s to ensure your property is fully surfaced, bookable, and optimized in the channels where travelers are already chatting. Read More →

This week’s headlines read like a brand explosion: Wyndham launched Dazzler Select, Hilton rolled out Outset Collection, and Sonesta introduced Americas Best Value Studios. Every chain seems to be spinning up another “flexible” soft brand—each promising individuality wrapped in corporate scale. I’m not gonna lie Dazzler and Americas Best Value Studios are pretty absurd names, like seriously wtf is coming up with these? I digress.

🎯 Why it matters: The surge in soft brands isn’t just about flexibility it’s about growth without friction. Chains have hit the ceiling on traditional flags, so they’re loosening the rules to keep owners in the fold. But underneath the lifestyle gloss, this looks a lot like an OTA play: converting independent supply into distributed inventory while maintaining control of the booking funnel. The more “soft” the brand, the more it starts to behave like a distribution platform.

🔑 Key takeaway: As hotel groups blur the line between brand and channel, owners should rethink what they’re really buying into. If affiliation is mostly about visibility and distribution, the question becomes how does that value compare to an OTA? The winners will be those who harness brand scale strategically, not sentimentally.

A recent Amadeus survey reveals that 34% of U.S. travelers now turn to social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for travel inspiration, surpassing traditional sources such as recommendations from friends and family. This marks a 21% increase year-over-year, with Gen X showing the most significant growth at 30%. Simultaneously, 17% of travelers are utilizing generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for trip planning, a 30% rise from the previous year. Despite this adoption, only one-third find AI tools time-saving, and 27% report encountering inaccuracies, leading to additional time spent on fact-checking.

🎯 Why it matters: The shift toward social media and AI in travel planning is undeniable, yet the reliability of AI-generated information remains a concern. Travelers are increasingly seeking reassurance and accuracy in their planning tools.

🔑 Key takeaway: To meet evolving traveler expectations, the hospitality industry must enhance the accuracy and integration of AI tools, ensuring they provide reliable and personalized information. Collaborative efforts across the travel ecosystem are essential to build trust and deliver seamless, accurate travel planning experiences. Read More →

✅ MARA Solutions: Tap insightful feedback analysis and automate review management with AI.

✅ ClickMaint: Simplify maintenance tasks with user-friendly software for hotel operations.

✅ Actabl: Turn powerful BI data into actionable insights that maximize profits.

✅ ROH: Automate sales and finance to save time and capture more revenue.

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

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

✅ Tripleseat: Manage hotel group bookings, catering and event sales with AI.

✅ Vouchercart: Turn gift vouchers into prepaid revenue across rooms, dining, and spa.

💸 Deal-seeking diners are driving restaurant strategy as inflation forces brands to offer value options.

💳 Forget swiping at checkout — asynchronous payments are making hotel stays feel as effortless as streaming Netflix.

🧑‍🍳 AHLA and business groups push for a solution to chronic hotel worker shortages hitting seasonal destinations.

🏚️ With costs rising and rates softening, budget hotels are caught in the middle: too cheap to upgrade, too expensive to fill.

🙅 How Dutch hoteliers are preparing for a 100% VAT tax increase and what it means for other EU countries

🤝 Plusgrade acquires Oaky, expanding its upsell ecosystem across ancillary revenue tech.

🕵️ The hyperlink economy is collapsing as AI absorbs search and ads into a single response.

🧠 AI is becoming an essential tool for event planners, automating logistics and personalizing attendee experiences.

🚀 Expedia partners with Perplexity and Comet to power next-gen trip planning with generative AI.

🏨 AI adoption in hotels remains uneven: independents lag while big brands surge ahead.

🎁 An Airbnb loyalty program is in the works, though experts predict it will look much different from legacy hotel loyalty programs.

🧩 From ops to sales, agentic AI could unlock the next wave of hotel efficiency and creativity.

🪞 Hotel leaders are split on AI’s big transformation: is it a revolution, or just another tool in the shed?

🎢 When algorithms plan your vacation, the results can get weird. The BBC dives into the downsides of AI trip planning.

📱 OpenAI’s Sora takes over social media feeds, blurring the line between human and AI-generated content.

What if your team could double productivity—without adding a single new hire? In this episode, Diego Fernández, CEO of Port Hotels, reveals how his 11-property Spanish hotel group is scaling smarter by automating repetitive work and treating technology as an investment, not a cost.

Takeaways:

Port Hotels even tested service robots—not to replace staff, but to give them back time to connect with guests, showing that smart automation can enhance hospitality rather than depersonalize it.

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

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