Skift columnist Colin Nagy presents his biannual list of innovators, highlighting places, experiences, and people that showed judgment and nerve in a crowded hospitality landscape. Examples include a converted prison, a school returned to a neighborhood, and an airport lounge designed for productive time.
Skift Research's Global Travel Insights survey shows 32% of travelers find credit card/bank loyalty programs most rewarding, hotels second at 26%, airlines third at 20%, and OTAs only 8%. Travel companies must contend with competition from financial institutions.
Hotel rates in central Delhi are surging ahead of the BRICS Summit (September 12-13), with properties near the Bharat Mandapam venue charging between 124% and 323% more than the following weekend's rates, according to MakeMyTrip listings. The spike is driven by a structural mismatch: central Delhi has a finite pool of five-star keys, and security protocols plus VIP delegation logistics concentrate demand in specific areas like Chanakyapuri and Connaught Place, making newer inventory in Aerocity a secondary option. Leading luxury hotels including Taj Palace, ITC Maurya, The Oberoi, The Imperial, and The Leela Palace are effectively sold out. The event coincides with an already strong Septemb…
ALL Accor, Accor's booking platform and loyalty program, partners with KATSEYE to create an immersive pre-concert experience in a Parisian hotel, including beauty prep, meet-and-greets, and backstage access. The initiative aims to turn hotels into gateways to members' passions, reflecting the 'Endorphin Economy' trend.
Air India and IHG Hotels & Resorts have formed a loyalty partnership. Maharaja Club members earn two points per $1 spent at IHG properties, and IHG One Rewards members can exchange points for Maharaja Points. IHG is the first major global hotel partner to join Maharaja Club.
Due to a super typhoon, Ningming County in Guangxi faced heavy rain and a citywide water outage. City Comfort Inn 4.0 Chongzuo Ningming store operated at full capacity for 8 consecutive days, with staff walking 20 kilometers to fetch water for guests. Dossen Group donated 200 bottles of water and set up a free water station for rescue workers and affected residents.
Air India's Maharaja Club and IHG One Rewards partnered, allowing members to earn points on stays and exchange points. IHG operates 53 hotels in India with a pipeline of 110.
Beyond Green, a global sustainable travel brand, held an event in Beijing showcasing six member hotels and announced its launch on Xiaohongshu. Marking its fifth anniversary, the brand has expanded to 70 hotels in 22 countries and partnered with sustainable organizations. Its annual summit will be held at Three Camel Lodge in Mongolia.
Baiman Hotel, under Dossen Group, opened its first 3.0 version property in Cangzhou Huanghua on Yingbin Street. The hotel integrates local culture in design, offers quality sleep and convenient transport, aiming to be a 'city living room' for business and leisure travelers.
Mews launched its POS system in the US and Canada, integrating property management, payments, and F&B. MGM's Borgata Tower began a $107 million renovation starting Sept 13, with first rooms available in October.
As luxury hotel brands scale and codify standards, the general manager's distinct point of view becomes the decisive factor in preserving a property's unique experience. Using Jerome Arribas, GM of Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, as a case study, the article illustrates how a strong vision protects against 'death by a thousand cuts.' Arribas rejected a lobby bar that would obscure the desert view, and calibrated scent, uniforms, and smoke to align with the desert's rhythm. He balances commercial reality with experiential vision and secures staff buy-in through empathy, holding 'the poetry and the spreadsheet in the same mental picture.'
Hilton announced the opening of Xi Zhe Wuxi, Curio Collection by Hilton, marking the brand's first property in Jiangsu Province. The hotel combines a historic residence with a new building, blending Jiangnan heritage with contemporary design, and features 105 guest rooms and suites. Located in Wuxi's cultural heart, it offers dining, pools, fitness, and more. This marks Hilton's continued expansion of its lifestyle brand portfolio in China.
Hilton announced the signing of Hilton Garden Inn Batam City Centre, its first hotel on the island of Batam, Indonesia. Expected to open in 2028, the 199-room hotel will be located in Batam's central business district, with easy access to commercial, retail, and transportation hubs, including ferry terminals and Hang Nadim International Airport. Developed by PT. Sabang Raya Investama, the property aims to capture growing demand from corporate travel, meetings and events, leisure, and medical-related stays.
On September 1, the seventh Aranya community officially settled by Kuncheng Lake in Changshu, creating a unique lakeside campus-style ideal community in the Yangtze River Delta. The community plans nature and aesthetic education classes, sharing lectures, outdoor sports parks (including clay tennis courts, basketball, football, skate parks), bookstores, theaters, art galleries, and themed hotels.
IHG Hotels & Resorts is enhancing the guest journey with concert-focused hospitality solutions across Greater China, responding to growing demand for live entertainment travel. Participating hotels offer tailored packages, transport links, and loyalty rewards, extending the concert experience beyond the venue. InterContinental is also extending its 'Ticket Stub Economy' into theatre and arts through collaborations with cultural institutions.
Jinjiang, Huazhu, and Atour released H1 2026 results, showing a shift from scale to efficiency. Jinjiang's profit surged 47%, Huazhu raised its full-year guidance, and Atour's retail business grew. All face RevPAR pressure at mature hotels.
The ultra-large cruise ship 'Dream One', jointly built by China Merchants Group and Bauhinia Culture Group, was named in Hong Kong. With a gross tonnage of about 18,580 tons, it features large conference and banquet facilities and will operate as a high-end cultural tourism vessel in Victoria Harbour.
Huazhu Group launched its Youth Card on September 1, offering Pro and Max versions with benefits like stored value, room upgrades, and breakfast vouchers. Students verified via CHSI can enjoy discounts from 25% off. This aims to capture young users early and build loyalty from their first stay.
On September 2, Homeinns' wholly-owned sub-sector Cloud Hotel announced the completion of its five-brand matrix, including Paibai·Yun Hotel, Ruibai·Yun Hotel, Subai·Yun Hotel, Shibai·Yun Hotel, and Yunshang Siji Homestay. Paibai·Yun Hotel is positioned for economy business travel with over 2,000 signed properties; Ruibai·Yun Hotel has surpassed 1,000 signed properties; and member orders account for 65% of Yunshang Siji Homestay's bookings.
IHG's Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square opened on Sept. 2 after a yearslong renovation. The 685-key hotel is positioned as the brand's Americas flagship. Developed by Qatar's Al Rayyan and managed by Highgate, it offers dining, meeting spaces, and wellness activities. Manhattan's lodging market is strong, with RevPAR up over 7% YoY.
Huazhu Group's hotels welcomed over 72 million guests during summer (July 1-August 26), averaging over 1.26 million daily, with occupancy above 85%. International tourist arrivals grew nearly 55% YoY, with multi-brand portfolio meeting diverse needs.
Marriott Bonvoy and DiDi launched a co-branded membership program. DiDi V4-V8 users can claim Marriott Bonvoy elite status, while Marriott Bonvoy Silver and above members can receive DiDi benefits. Eligible ride-hailing trips earn Marriott Bonvoy points, integrating the two loyalty programs.
Amadeus data shows that during Celine Dion's Paris residency, international flight searches to Paris rose 11% YoY, and bookings rose 5%. The U.S. accounts for 26.5% of searches, followed by Brazil and Canada. APAC shows strong growth, with Thailand bookings up 200%. Paris hotel RevPAR is up 13% YoY, with longer stays.
Opus Training, a training operations system for multi-unit brands, released Audits, a feature to streamline store inspection workflows and follow-through. It integrates corrective action into the inspection process, allowing leaders to score locations, attach photos, and assign tasks with deadlines. Early adopters report efficiency gains; Boston's Pizza reduced bi-annual brand standard reviews from three days to about a day and a half.
Actabl, a hospitality business intelligence and labor management platform, released initial beta metrics for AI Insights for Hotel Effectiveness, its predictive labor management module. Embedded in Hotel Effectiveness, the platform uses predictive daily coaching to catch labor overages and scheduling gaps before costs hit the P&L. Across 100+ beta properties, overtime share of total hours fell 13% on average, while non-beta properties saw overtime remain flat or increase.
Infrastructure vendor Positron Access Solutions and network integrator UberData Networks have launched an integrated network modernization solution for tribal gaming, casino-resort, and legacy hotel properties. The solution leverages existing coaxial and CAT-3 copper wiring to deliver symmetrical Gigabit Ethernet backbone via G.hn/GAM technology, supporting Wi-Fi 7, IPTV, and IoT services without costly rewiring or room downtime.
Cloud hospitality platform Mews has launched Mews POS in the United States and Canada, following its rollout across Europe and APAC. The platform unifies property management, food and beverage operations, and payment processing into a single software environment. It automates charge posting and reconciliation, eliminating manual shift reconciliation, and syncs guest profiles in real-time.
Short-term rental analytics provider AirDNA has launched Adapt, an AI-native Revenue Management System that sets nightly rates and minimum stay rules across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com listings. It features an explainable AI engine that generates plain-language explanations for rate decisions, and a conversational AI assistant for natural language queries and strategy adjustments.
Consumer insights platform Azira (formerly Near) launched Azira One, a conversational AI location intelligence interface currently in beta for Destination Marketing Organizations and travel brands. Users can type plain-English prompts to analyze foot traffic, origin markets, visitor behavior, and POI trends without writing SQL or building custom BI dashboards.
At the Restaurant Technology Network's Town Hall, Patrick Bobrukiewicz, VP of AI Strategy and Innovation for Thrive Restaurant Group, shared how they automated their P&L process with AI, reducing manual work from 8-10 hours per brand per period to seconds. He emphasized a mindset shift from ROI to ROA (Return on Attention), measuring the productive human time and focus technology gives back.
Lighthouse has launched Ernest Crews, a forward-deployed services and engineering model designed to embed directly within hotel organizations to integrate, customize, and deploy its AI commercial agent Ernest into daily production within 30 to 60 days. Each crew includes a Captain, Product Builder, Connector Builder, and Field Researcher to address integration challenges in hotel AI adoption.
Frontline enablement platform Axonify has launched Max Coach, a voice-based generative AI roleplay capability integrated into its learning platform. Frontline employees can practice high-stakes guest conversations and upselling scenarios before shifts, receiving instant feedback. The tool supports 24 languages and offers no-code scenario administration.
Hotel investment firm Highline Hospitality Partners, managing a 21-property, $1.7 billion portfolio, has selected Otelier to centralize and normalize its financial and operational data. Otelier provides a clean, normalized data feed that pipes directly into Highline's proprietary internal data warehouse, powering its in-house AI engine, Highline Intelligence.
Journey's white paper, analyzing over one million transactions across 750+ properties, reveals legacy payment stacks stifle high-margin ancillary revenue. One-click checkout via Stripe Link boosts average basket size by 53%, Apple Pay usage rose from 22% to 35%. Only 28% of operators can easily support non-room offerings, and 74% of executives spend excessive time on manual reconciliation.
Sofitel partners with Nespresso to offer a limited-edition 'Please Disturb' croissant and coffee pairing menu from September 1 to November 26, 2026, at 20 selected hotels worldwide, featuring three signature pairings to elevate in-room dining.
J.D. Power's 2026 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark shows average satisfaction rose to 696 from 682 last year (out of 1000). Guest room improvements drove gains, but common area perceptions remain low: only 43% of guests found them inviting, 48% modern. Cost pressures led some owners to delay renovations. Columbia Sussex led with 739.
Hilton's 'Behind the Stay' series spotlights the DoubleTree by Hilton Bengaluru Whitefield team, which anticipates guest needs and adapts to changing schedules for seamless business travel. During an extended stay, an international guest faced a medical emergency; the team assisted with hospital transport and continued care. The hotel offers thoughtful touches like packed breakfasts and fosters an inclusive culture, including sign language communication among staff.
Aimbridge Hospitality has launched its proprietary Labor Insight & Forecasting Tool (LIFT), which uses data science and AI-assisted forecasting to integrate labor data from multiple systems, helping owners and operators identify staffing gaps in real time and improve profitability and scheduling accuracy.
On August 31, the first model project under the strategic cooperation between Wanxin and Marriott's 'Bo Xuan' was signed in Shanghai's Wujiaochang Dabaihu area, with a total of 156 rooms. The project is positioned as a benchmark for upgrading existing properties in core urban areas and will serve as a reference for replicating the 'Bo Xuan' model nationwide.
Recently, Fosun International's Club Med Lifestyle Group filed for a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In 2025, Club Med was the world's largest all-inclusive resort brand by revenue, with revenue of €1.95 billion, gross profit of €590 million, and adjusted EBITDA of €390 million. Proceeds will be used to expand the global resort network and upgrade products.