Articles tagged “hospitality”

UK hotels have been excluded from two rounds of government business rates relief. The sector is pushing back, and the numbers show why.

AI is pushing hotel discovery earlier in the traveler journey, forcing commercial leaders to rethink who owns visibility, how to measure success, and whether more budget should move upstream before demand reaches traditional booking channels.

You can only build so many Tajs. Scaling to 700 hotels means following demand and building for India's expanding middle class, where consistency matters as much as luxury, rather than chase the shrinking pool of ultra-premium international arrivals.

Accor's AI strategy spans discovery, distribution, loyalty, and operations, but its boldest bet is the one focused on people. The company believes automating the invisible half of hotel work is what will let the visible half feel more human.

RARE India's partnership with SAMHI Hotels is a measured bet on a familiar problem: how to build commercial infrastructure around a product that derives its value from resisting it. The opportunity lies in scaling access while preserving the experience — without standardizing it.

In this video from Skift Asia Forum 2026, Andrew Langdon, chief development officer at Accor, explains how generational shifts and rising competition are accelerating hotel brand conversions across Asia, with mid-scale and economy properties driving most of the growth.

Hotel companies built portfolios for coverage and growth. In an AI-compressed, loyalty-fatigued market, the next competitive edge will come from sharper brands, not more of them.

The Indian hotel group is focusing on steady expansion in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and select GCC markets.

Short-term rentals are no longer a frontier business. Outside of a small group of disciplined operators, the sector has settled into a slow, operational grind that favors local execution over national ambition.

As travelers invest more in premium, emotionally charged trips, hotels face rising pressure to provide continuity and reassurance. Peace of mind has not only become the ultimate luxury, but a new measure of guest loyalty.