📉 STR Growth Stalls

Insider Highlights

• How to get real results on TikTok and Instagram

• Airbnb now showing total price in search results

• Travelers want financial value from loyalty programs

• UK hotels’ solution to staff shortages? Baby boomers!

• + much more!

• 🛠️ 6 Tech tools you should try

• 🎧 Podcast: Find out how Koncept Hotels uses a digital-first operating model to deliver great guest satisfaction.

BIG STORIES

Big headlines this week

📲 Hotel marketers adapt SEO, ads, and content to stay visible as travelers shift to AI search.

💳 Hotel payments platform ROH raises $9M round led by Highgate Tech Ventures

🛡️ Study Hotels hit by ransomware attack, underscoring growing cybersecurity risks in hospitality.

👥 Trump’s recent comments imply hotel industry workers might be exempt from immigration crackdowns.

🤖 AI travel agents like Gemini and Claude challenge OTAs as Expedia and Booking.com race to stay competitive.

TOOLS & TACTICS

⚒️ Hotel Tech Tools You’ve Gotta Try

✅ Cloudbeds: Comprehensive hotel management software at the speed of AI.

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

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

✅ SuitePad: Boost hotel revenue with in-room tablets for 1-click ordering and booking.

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

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

GOING DEEPER

1. Court Finds Google Has a Monopoly on Digital Ads

A federal judge ruled that Google illegally monopolized publisher-side ad tech, marking its third major antitrust loss in under a year. For hoteliers relying on Google Ads, this opens the door to future changes in ad pricing, competition, and performance visibility. Now’s the time to diversify ad spend and build more control over your media mix before the landscape shifts.

🎯 Why it matters: Google may be forced to unbundle key ad tech tools, potentially lowering costs and increasing transparency for advertisers. This could improve ROAS and give hotels better visibility into where their ad dollars go — but only if they’re ready to act on it. In the short term if you rely heavily on Google (most hotels do) then you may experience some volatility and should have a strong channel diversification strategy in place.

🔑 Key takeaway: Audit your digital ad spend and begin testing alternative platforms like Meta, TikTok, or direct publisher buys. Being proactive now gives you an edge if (and when) Google’s ad dominance gets restructured — and puts you in control of your own results. Personally (for what it’s worth) I think these rulings are pretty bogus since now there are more Google alternatives than ever from social platforms like Tiktok to vertical specific players like Booking.com and now GenAI. Read More →

2. Hotel-Quality Expectations Are Now Haunting Short-Term Rentals

The short-term rental sector, once surging post-pandemic, is now facing stalled growth and a reputational crisis as younger travelers demand higher standards and are turned off by viral horror stories.

🎯 Why it matters: STRs are no longer the disruptors—they’re facing disruption. This creates a strategic opening for hotels to win back market share, especially among younger demographics. Technology will be key: streamlined booking, consistent experiences, and smart operations are where hotels can shine while STRs struggle with fragmentation and regulation.

🔑 Key takeaway: Travelers are increasingly comparing STRs to hotels not just on price and space, but on reliability, professionalism, and trust—areas where hotels still dominate. This shifting perception gives hotels a renewed edge to win back market share, especially if they double down on consistency, cleanliness, and digital convenience. Read More →

3. Top Hotels’ Secrets to Success on Social

Hotel brands (and independents!) are tapping into TikTok and Instagram to drive bookings, build brand loyalty, and create viral travel moments. At a time when the influencer marketing space is growing massively ($24B in 2024 to a projected $32B in 2025), top hotels and brands like Fairmont and Marriott are building influencer partnerships, leveraging UGC, and embracing platform-native content to engage next-gen travelers.

🎯 Why it matters: Social platforms aren't just for brand awareness anymore—they're becoming critical conversion tools. With Gen Z and Millennials heavily influenced by short-form video, hotels that crack the code on TikTok and Instagram are seeing real ROI in the form of increased direct bookings and brand buzz.

🔑 Key takeaway: Hotels investing in social-first storytelling and authentic content are winning not only users’ attention, but also confirmed bookings. If your property still sees social media as a “nice to have,” it’s time to rethink your strategy. The scroll is the new search, and your next guest is watching. Read More →

TOGETHER WITH CLOUDBEDS

Staffing shortages, rising OTA commissions, and tightening margins are putting more pressure than ever on hotel teams. Operators are looking for ways to drive more revenue, deliver consistent guest service, and streamline daily tasks—without adding to headcount or complexity.

By consolidating core operational functions like PMS, distribution, and payments—and integrating with leading specialists across the tech ecosystem—Cloudbeds gives hoteliers the ability to centralize control and move faster.

⚙️ Automate your hotel operations with Cloudbeds

AROUND THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

Other hospitality happenings this week

🏟️ Sports tourism generated $114B in U.S. travel spending in 2024, driving hotel and event demand.

🏨 Luxury hotels often miss top brand rankings due to weak loyalty and inconsistent marketing strategies.

🛎 Baby boomers, seeking part-time jobs and social connection, make up a growing share of the UK hospitality industry workforce.

💱 Mews launches multi-currency, cross-border payments to help hotels boost international revenue and guest satisfaction.

💼 U.S. government policies dampen business travel demand, complicating forecasts for hotel recovery.

💳 Arrivia study finds travelers value loyalty programs offering financial perks and seamless digital booking experiences.

🧠 Booking.com’s CTO emphasizes building AI tools that prioritize traveler trust, transparency, and personalization.

💸 Airbnb rolls out total pricing display globally to improve transparency and booking conversion.

HOTELIER SPOTLIGHT
🎙 Koncept Hotels' Founder on The Role of Digital in Limited Service

What if you could run a hotel with minimal staff while maximizing guest satisfaction? In this episode, Martin Stockburger, founder and managing director of Koncept Hotels, reveals how a digital-first approach and sustainable practices can redefine the hospitality landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• Discover how Koncept Hotels leverages technology to streamline operations and enhance the guest experience, allowing for a lean staffing model without sacrificing service quality.

• Learn about the importance of localizing hotel experiences and how this strategy can differentiate your brand in a competitive market.

• Explore actionable insights on integrating artificial intelligence to handle common guest inquiries, freeing up staff for more complex interactions and improving overall efficiency.

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

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