Now, in a courageous initiative set to shake up the tourism market, industry heavyweights with a background in tech are backing a bold new startup, DirectBooker.
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Research: OTAs Dominate as Primary Source in AI-Powered Hotel Discovery
Cloudbeds has released a new report titled The Signals Behind Hotel AI Recommendations. The study is the first in the hospitality industry to examine in detail how generative AI platforms identify and recommend hotels to travelers…
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The Hotel Industry's Bold Play: When Your Biggest Partner Becomes Your Target
Across Europe, we're witnessing an unprecedented wave of collective legal action as hotel associations in more than 25 countries have joined forces to sue Booking, seeking billions in damages for commissions paid between 2004 and 2024…
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Hotel glitch hits Thai travel scheme as bookings halted despite unused subsidies
Top hotels suspend bookings under ‘Half-Half Thai Travel 2025’ scheme due to system glitches.
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Should the Government be Regulating Commissions Hotels Pay to the OTAs?
Recently, the Switzerland’s price watchdog (Der Preisüberwacher / Le surveillant des prix) ruled that Booking’s hotel commissions were 'abusively high' and ordered the OTA to lower them by 25% for Swiss hotels…
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What is a metasearch engine? The ultimate guide for hotels
When travellers search for a hotel, they’re not just browsing, they’re comparing…
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How GDS Commission Shares Impact Global Hotel and Agency Revenue
Part one of this two-part series explores the global landscape for GDS commission shares, which represent tens of millions of dollars in revenue for travel management companies and agencies. A better understanding of gaps by region, country, and…
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New study: If You Spend $89 on OTA Commissions, Your Hotel's Occupancy Will Be 100%
According to research undertaken by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in February 2025, hotels see strong financial returns from commissions paid to the OTAs.
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What are the 2025 must-have uses of AI in hotel marketing?
Recently Revfine asked its Panel of Digital Marketing Experts the question What are your top suggestions and best practices for using AI in hotel marketing activities (e.g., communication, data analysis, etc.)…
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How to overcome revenue managers’ aversion to the direct online channel?
Recently, a revenue manager reacted to my LinkedIn post about independent hoteliers’ overdependence on the OTAs by stating Even with the best intentions, money and talent, there's no way independents can beat the big OTA's in search and make money…
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Hotels + OTAs: A love-hate relationship that needs to change
Online travel agents (OTAs) have been made the arch-enemy of hotel direct bookings – a narrative we’ve seen across the sector due to the volume of bookings and high commission costs they command. But if hotels can reframe their thinking, OTAs are a…
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Is Simone Puorto the John Titor of Hospitality? 10 Predictions That Might Prove It
The hospitality and tech industries are navigating a liminal space where the boundaries between human and artificial are increasingly blurred. Generative AI, hyper-personalization, and digital workers are not merely disrupting established norms but…
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Europe gains pricing control as hotels tackle rate parity
The European hotel market is leading in price parity by outperforming OTAs and Metasearch engines with more aggressive pricing, according to the World Parity Monitor by 123Compare.me, giving hotels real-time control of its pricing distribution…
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How the DMA Protects OTA Giants and Destroys Independent Hotels. The EU’s Digital Market Disaster
When the European Union introduced the Digital Markets Act (DMA), it was supposed to revolutionize the digital economy, it promised fairness but delivered chaos.
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Giovanni Angelini: Is the One-Stop-Shop Booking Platform Viable?
Is the 'one-stop-shop' or 'door-to-door' booking platform for travelers a practical reality or a logistic nightmare in this highly specialized/people industry?.
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Great news about direct hotel bookings or simply wishful thinking?
Skift Research came with its much anticipated Hotel Distribution Outlook 2024. In this report, based on the wishes of both branded and independent hoteliers surveyed, Skift Research predicts that by 2030, direct digital channels will have overtaken…
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The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled on price parity clauses in contracts between an important hotel reservation platform and hotel establishments. The CJEU has determined that these clauses must be analyzed under the rules on…
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Hotel leaders to explore the use of AI and guests experience goals at TIS2024
The fifth edition of TIS – Tourism Innovation Summit will take place from October 23 to 25, 2024 in Seville, Spain.
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