If you follow tech headlines, you’ve likely seen the buzz: Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) is being hailed as the “e-commerce website-killer” that will turn every AI interaction into a seamless transaction. The narrative suggests that the old web build for humans is dying and agent-led commerce is the future. But here is my contrarian view: While this vision might hold true for buying a pair of sneakers, the travel sector remains a massive outlier. Despite the hype, UCP in its current form is unviable for travel. There is a long, complex road ahead before an AI can reliably book your next trip.

OpenAI is considering a new monetization concept in which it would take a share of the financial value derived when its AI tools help customers make commercially valuable discoveries or inventions. According to The Information, the company’s CFO has floated the idea that OpenAI could receive a “cut” of outcomes when its technology directly contributes to profitable results. This proposal would go beyond traditional subscription and usage fees and represents an exploration of licensing, profit-sharing, or outcome-based pricing models. The idea signals a broader shift in how AI platforms might align their financial interests with the success of enterprise customers. Key takeaways Outcome-based pricing concept: OpenAI is considering taking a cut of value created when its AI materially contributes to profitable outcomes, rather than charging only for access or usage.

A debate at Skift’s Megatrends event highlighted broad agreement that artificial intelligence will transform hotel distribution, while exposing meaningful disagreement over how quickly that transformation will play out. While AI is expected to increasingly mediate how travelers discover and book hotels, adoption will depend on consumer trust, economic incentives, and operational execution across the industry. For hoteliers, the discussion pointed to gradual but structural pressure on traditional OTA commission models, alongside emerging — yet uneven — opportunities to strengthen direct distribution. The takeaway was pragmatic rather than dramatic: AI will reshape hotel bookings, but change will arrive in phases, not overnight. Key takeaways AI-driven discovery will steadily reshape demand: As AI tools become part of trip planning, traditional search rankings and OTA merchandising will lose influence, shifting how hotels are surfaced to travelers. Revenue risk matters more than visibility loss: The larger threat for distribution platforms — and indirectly for hotels — is not fewer clicks, but declining monetisation as AI changes who captures booking value.

"A VC and Skift research analyst agreed AI will transform travel distribution. They disagreed on timing — and on whether consumers will trust a machine with their most consequential purchases. At the Skift Megatrends event in New York Thursday, Altimeter Capital Partner Thomas Reiner and Skift Head of Research Seth Borko squared off on how quickly artificial intelligence will reshape travel distribution.  They largely agreed on where the industry is headed. The disagreement was over how fast it gets there, and how the travel industry can capture value along the way. The Future of Online Travel Agencies Reiner argued that online travel agencies face structural decline. Not death, but compression, pushed down the value stack as AI takes over discovery."

Apple is preparing a major overhaul of Siri, replacing its traditional voice assistant with a full-time generative AI chatbot later this year. The new system, reportedly built on a customized version of Google Gemini, would turn Siri into a persistent, conversational interface across Apple devices. While the change promises a more capable assistant, its impact on travel will depend largely on how much access Apple grants third-party developers. Without deeper integration options, Siri may remain a gateway to apps rather than a platform for end-to-end booking.

Die österreichische Hotellerie startet mit stabiler Nachfrage, aber wachsendem wirtschaftlichem Druck in das Jahr 2026. Trotz guter Auslastung bleibt die Ertragslage vieler Betriebe angespannt. Laut aktuellem Markt- und Trendreport liegt die Ursache weniger auf der Nachfrageseite als in einer strukturellen Verschiebung von Kosten, Erträgen und saisonaler Abhängigkeit. 2026 wird damit kein Jahr eines neuen Aufschwungs, sondern ein Jahr grundlegender strategischer Entscheidungen.

Leading technology advisors are urging hoteliers to open up to artificial intelligence (AI) search platforms by giving greater access to their crawlers and bots. Hoteliers should be adding new types of unique content too, as large language models (LLMs) accelerate as a source of direct bookings. Hospitality companies are in a favorable position in the new “zero-click” environment—where results appear in generative AI summaries on Google or an LLM search such as ChatGPT. A recent Bain study found 80% of consumers rely on zero-click results at least 40% of the time. While opening up to crawlers can boost visibility and potentially direct bookings, questions remain over security and compliance risks and the longer-term benefits as search-and-book habits evolve.

Apple’s decision to integrate Google’s Gemini models into next-generation Siri marks a significant shift in how travelers may plan and book trips from their phones. By embedding advanced AI directly into the iPhone experience, Apple and Google are moving closer to the traveler’s moment of intent—often before a browser, OTA, or hotel website is opened. For hoteliers, this raises new questions about how properties are surfaced, compared, and recommended by AI-driven assistants. The development signals a gradual but meaningful change in the distribution landscape rather than an overnight disruption.

Google says the way guests discover hotels is changing, with conversational AI increasingly shaping early trip planning while traditional search remains critical at the point of booking. Travelers often explore destinations and hotel options through AI tools, then return to Google search to confirm details and book on trusted hotel or brand sites. For hoteliers, this means success is less about ranking for broad keywords and more about making properties legible to AI through images, reviews, and clear signals of guest intent. As AI-driven discovery accelerates, Google’s advice is to adapt now and refine over time rather than wait for certainty.

Next week, hospitality industry leaders, including investors, owners, lenders, developers, management and brand executives and the like will travel to Los Angeles to attend ALIS, the world’s leading and most influential hotel investment conference. While there, discussions will not debate whether AI matters. That conversation is over. The new question is where capital should be deployed in relation to AI and what kind of return investors should realistically expect.

" Jay Chauhan, Google’s industry head for travel, believes travel brands should focus less on generic keywords and more on how AI interprets content — from images to reviews to user intent. Although more travelers are using conversational AI to plan trips, Chauhan said that most people who use LLMs also rely on Google search. Google is seeing a decline in clicks for broad terms like “all-inclusive holiday,” while AI is increasingly able to identify amenities visually.  Chauhan said travel brands shouldn’t wait for a perfect AI strategy in a landscape that’s still shifting. "

Kunst auf über 2100 Metern ist ungewöhn­lich. Im Interview erklärt Sandra Bütler, CEO Pilatus-Bahnen AG, warum sie mit Annabelle Schneider eine begehbare Instal­la­tion ins Pilatus Kulm Hotel holt.

"Payments in travel are evolving from a technical necessity into a strategic foundation for guest relationships. Drawing on insights from a WiT Singapore panel with leaders from Ant International, Visa, BigPay, Mandai Wildlife Group, and Agoda, it shows how travel’s complexity has consistently pushed payment innovation forward. For hoteliers, the key implication is that payments now influence trust, conversion, loyalty, and personalization across the entire guest journey. Rather than ending the transaction, payments increasingly enable relevance, resilience, and long-term value for both guests and operators."

Key Data Dashboard’s 2026 travel outlook highlights a structural shift away from concentrated, seasonal demand toward a more distributed and data-driven market. Secondary and emerging destinations are outperforming traditional gateway cities as travelers seek flexibility, space, and alternative experiences. Remote work, technology expectations, and sustainability considerations are reshaping booking behavior and guest expectations. At the same time, access to real-time market intelligence is becoming a decisive advantage for operators navigating increasingly uneven demand patterns.

"Hotel wholesalers like Hotelbeds, WebBeds, and Expedia Partner Solutions continue to play a role in global travel distribution, but their traditional business model is under increasing pressure as artificial intelligence reshapes how hotels are discovered, priced, and booked. While wholesalers still generate meaningful transaction volumes, their overall share of hotel bookings remains relatively small compared with OTAs and direct channels. AI-driven booking agents, API-based connectivity, and platform consolidation are accelerating structural change across distribution. Long-term survival will depend on wholesalers’ ability to redefine their value beyond legacy intermediation. Key takeaways Wholesalers’ limited market share: Hotel wholesalers account for only a small single-digit percentage of global online hotel booking revenue, making their strategic importance smaller than often assumed. AI-driven disruption: AI-powered booking tools and automated decision-making systems are reducing the need for traditional intermediaries and compressing distribution layers."

"Europe’s online travel landscape is changing in ways that matter directly to hoteliers. While Booking.com has long dominated demand, recent regulatory pressure and strategic shifts are opening new distribution paths. Expedia Group is not trying to beat Booking.com head-on in consumer traffic; instead, it is expanding through B2B partnerships, technology platforms, and bundled distribution that sits behind the scenes. For hotels, this signals a more fragmented OTA environment, new opportunities for incremental demand, and a renewed need to think strategically about channel mix and pricing control."

"For years people have wondered whether Airbnb's business is doomed as it faces increased regulation around the world. Airbnb has an answer to getting shut out in that manner — hotels, hotels, hotels."

AI is reaching a stage where access to advanced assistance could meaningfully shape opportunity and inclusion. To expand access while maintaining affordability, ChatGPT plans to introduce advertising tests for its free and low-cost Go tiers in the U.S., while keeping paid Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans ad-free. The company positions ads as a way to reduce usage limits and extend capabilities without charging all users. Throughout this shift, ChatGPT emphasizes that trust, privacy, and answer quality remain central.

In its 2026 What the Future (WTF) Report, KAYAK analyzes billions of user searches alongside survey data from 14,000 Gen Z and Millennial travelers to identify emerging destinations and behaviors. The report highlights a growing preference for less crowded, lower-priced locations and a clear move away from social-media-driven travel choices. Artificial intelligence is positioned as a central force in travel planning, with many travelers trusting AI recommendations more than personal networks. Overall, the findings point to a more personalized, flexible, and experience-focused approach to travel in 2026.

"Airbnb is accelerating its push into hotel distribution by creating a dedicated hotels leadership team and hiring senior executives with deep hotel and OTA experience. The move signals a deliberate strategy to expand beyond short-term rentals, partly as a response to growing regulatory pressure on home-sharing markets. By strengthening hotel partnerships and distribution capabilities, Airbnb is positioning hotels as a major growth lever. The initiative could place Airbnb in more direct competition with established online travel agencies."

"Am kommenden Sonntag (18. Januar 2026) ist der vom Ski-Verband Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) in Leben gerufene World Snow Day. Der kommt dieser Tage immer seltener vom Himmel und stattdessen aus Schneekanonen, wie eine weitere Statista-Grafik zeigt. Mit der Verknappung der weißen Pracht dürfte das ohnehin nicht ganz günstige Ski fahren noch teurer werden. Dabei ist Wintersport jetzt schon eher etwas für Besserverdiener:innen, wie eine Auswertung der Statista Consumer Insights verdeutlicht. Demnach fahren nur zwei Prozent der in Deutschland befragten Menschen aus der unteren Hälfte der Einkommensverteilung Ski oder Snowboard. Bei den oberen zehn Prozent steigt dieser Wert auf neun Prozent. Eine ähnliche Verteilung zeigt sich auch bei den anderen betrachteten Ländern. Dabei macht es wohl einen Unterschied, ob das nächste Skigebiet gleich um die Ecke ist, wie das Beispiel Österreich zeigt"

Chaque début d’année amène son lot d’analyses et de prédictions en marketing. Au-delà du bruit et des buzzwords, quelles devraient être les priorités concrètes pour une PME québécoise en 2026? Que vous soyez dans le tourisme, l’hôtellerie ou tout autre secteur B2B, voici six axes sur lesquels concentrer vos efforts cette année pour guider vos actions. 1. L’IA GÉNÉRATIVE, ALLIÉE INCONTOURNABLE Pas de grande surprise ici : l’intelligence artificielle (IA), et surtout l’IA générative, est partout sur la scène marketing. En 2025 déjà, plus d’un tiers des petites entreprises utilisaient l’IA dans leurs opérations marketing, et un autre 27% prévoyaient de l’adopter en 2026. Qu’il s’agisse d’automatiser des tâches répétitives, d’analyser des données ou de créer du contenu, l’IA devient le pilier invisible qui aide les PME à gagner du temps et en efficacité. Par exemple, un hôtel indépendant peut déployer un chatbot alimenté à l’IA pour répondre aux questions fréquentes des clients 24/7, tandis qu’un concessionnaire automobile peut s’aider d’outils d’IA pour segmenter sa clientèle et personnaliser ses courriels promotionnels.

Sustainability in hospitality has evolved from visible gestures to a comprehensive operational discipline focused on measurable outcomes, efficiency, and community impact. Sustainability can be embedded across data tracking, renovations, energy and water management, waste reduction, and guest experience design. In resource-constrained and highly regulated environments, sustainability is increasingly treated as a core business function rather than a standalone initiative. Hotels of any size can adopt scalable practices that reduce costs, meet guest expectations, and strengthen their role within the local community. Key takeaways Sustainability as a business system: Modern hotel sustainability is no longer symbolic but integrated into operations, investment decisions, workforce culture, and guest experience design. Measurement drives credibility: Data tracking across energy, water, waste, and social impact is essential to accountability, informed decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Google is removing reviews from restaurant Google Business Profiles at unprecedented levels, reflecting a broader crackdown on review quality, authenticity, and compliance. Both positive and negative reviews are being deleted, often through automated systems that flag suspicious patterns rather than individual intent. Restaurants, which rely heavily on reviews for discovery and conversion, are particularly exposed to these changes. The trend is altering how trust is built, how local search rankings behave, and how operators must think about review strategy going forward. Key takeaways Restaurants hit disproportionately hard: Food and beverage businesses experience higher-than-average review deletions due to high review volume and frequent abuse patterns. AI-driven moderation: Automated systems increasingly remove reviews that appear incentivized, repetitive, or coordinated, even when customers are real.

The hospitality industry is entering a period of accelerated transformation driven by changing consumer expectations, economic constraints, and rapid advances in technology. Deloitte’s January 2026 report argues that traditional scale-driven growth models are no longer sufficient in a market defined by fragmented demand, AI-driven discovery, and heightened scrutiny from communities, regulators, and investors. Travelers increasingly seek emotionally resonant, personalized experiences, while operators face capital constraints, workforce shortages, and social backlash against mass tourism. To navigate this crossroads, hospitality companies must rethink how they design experiences, deploy technology, manage operations, and define responsible growth.