🏖️ Sell hotel room nights on TikTok?

1️⃣ How does ChatGPT decide which hotels to show guests?
We’ll break down exactly how large language models like ChatGPT curate hotel recommendations—and what factors make a hotel pop up or disappear in AI-driven search results.

2️⃣ What kind of data actually influences my hotel’s visibility?
You’ll learn which sources—reviews, listings, keywords, and more—matter most when AI tools choose which hotels to recommend to potential guests.

3️⃣ What can I do right now to improve my hotel’s ranking in AI search?
We’ll walk you through practical, proven strategies to boost your visibility and increase bookings in this new era of AI-powered travel planning.

🚨 Guests are already using AI to pick hotels. Make sure they find yours.

👉🏼 Save your spot to boost your hotel’s presence in AI search

TikTok has rolled out TikTok Go, a new affiliate marketing program that lets creators tag hotels in their content and earn commissions on resulting bookings. Initially available in markets including the U.S., Japan, and Indonesia, the program enables influencers, particularly in the travel space, to drive traffic directly to hotel listings via in-app links, creating a seamless path from inspiration to transaction. Hotels participating in the program benefit from embedded visibility in authentic, creator-led content without needing to run paid campaigns or manage influencer partnerships manually.

🎯 Why it matters: TikTok Go signals a deeper convergence of social discovery and direct booking, powered by creator-led distribution. For hotels, it offers a scalable way to tap into Gen Z and Millennial audiences (who increasingly use TikTok as a travel search engine) without the overhead of traditional ad buys. The program leverages TikTok’s native commerce infrastructure, reducing friction in the booking journey and allowing hotels to generate demand through trusted voices.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hoteliers should explore participation in TikTok Go as part of a broader digital commerce and influencer strategy. It’s a low-lift way to test social selling and affiliate marketing within a platform already driving massive organic travel discovery. Early movers can gain a competitive edge by aligning with TikTok’s algorithm-driven reach, empowering creator advocates, and tracking ROI through embedded conversion tools. Read More →

Airbnb has launched “Reserve Now, Pay Later”, a new payment option allowing guests to book stays with no upfront cost and settle the bill closer to check-in. The move, currently available in select markets, is designed to attract price-sensitive travelers who may hesitate to commit due to budget constraints. Airbnb is positioning the feature as a way to remove booking friction, particularly for longer stays and higher-value trips, while supporting hosts with more consistent demand.

🎯 Why it matters: Flexible payment models like this reflect a broader shift in hospitality toward consumer-friendly financing. By lowering the barrier to booking, Airbnb is betting on higher conversion rates and reduced cart abandonment, paralleling trends in other industries where “buy now, pay later” has taken hold. For hotels, it signals increasing consumer expectations for financial flexibility, particularly as affordability pressures and competition from short-term rentals intensify.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hotel executives should note that payment innovation is becoming a competitive lever, not just a back-office function. As Airbnb and OTAs embrace installment and deferred payment options, hotels that explore similar models, either directly or through fintech partnerships (Affirm, Klarna, etc.), may gain an edge in capturing hesitant travelers and driving incremental bookings. Read More →

Italian authorities have confirmed a major cyber breach affecting at least 10 hotels, where a hacker known as “mydocs” posted 90,600 high-resolution scans of passports, ID cards, and other guest identity documents for sale online—a breach dating from June to August 2025.

🎯 Why it matters: This incident underscores the acute cybersecurity vulnerabilities within the hospitality sector, where routine practices like storing scanned IDs can expose highly sensitive personal data. Such breaches threaten both guest trust and regulatory standing, especially in regions governed by strict privacy mandates like the GDPR or Italy’s AgID regulations.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hotel executives must urgently reevaluate their data collection and retention strategies. Best practices include minimizing identity data capture, enforcing strict retention limits, encrypting stored documents, and implementing segmented, access-controlled systems. Additionally, rapid incident response protocols (including guest notification procedures!) are essential to mitigating damage and complying with regulatory frameworks. Read More →

✅ Mara Solutions: Grow AI search visibility with modern reputation management tools.

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

✅ M1 Intel: Purpose-built sales platform to help your hotel close more deals.

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

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

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

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

🏠 Members-only Soho House accepts a $2.7B private buyout.

📊 Q2 earnings trends show strong luxury demand but softness in midscale hotels.

🏠 U.S. short-term rentals outperformed hotels in Q2, widening the gap in ADR.

🍔 McDonald’s–DoorDash partnership expansion could be a model for boosting hotel F&B delivery revenue.

🎭 Hotels lean into experiential travel, offering curated activities to capture demand.

📉 Analysts highlight shifts in hotel demand patterns, with group travel weakening.

🔒 HR giant Workday data breach exposes sensitive employee info.

🤖 Americans fear AI displacement of jobs, new poll shows.

🔍 Perplexity challenges Google with a travel SEO bid.

✈️ Gen Z travelers demand freedom and flexibility, reshaping loyalty.

🌐 Bluesky positions itself as a rising rival to X.

🚧 U.S. hotel pipeline growth hits pause as construction stalls.

📝 Curacity launches a content hub for brands to drive demand.

💼 Accor considers a U.S. IPO for Ennismore lifestyle arm.

📊 Marriott Vacations streamlined BI platforms, boosting analytics speed and accuracy.

📊 A study of 1,500 European hotels shows 75% use a PMS, but industry practices and metric remain fragmented.

In this episode, Stuart Godwin, Managing Director of Lamington Group, shares how his team achieved 50%+ direct bookings with bold innovations:

🎧 Tune in to hear how Lamington Group is rewriting the playbook for modern hospitality.

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

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