Technology
Choice Hotels International saw U.S. RevPAR increase 3.8% year over year in Q3 2026, driven primarily by higher occupancy and accelerating rate growth, according to CEO Dom Dragisich. The company raised its full-year 2026 RevPAR growth outlook to 1.5%-2.5% amid stronger demand trends. Business travel led demand growth, and infrastructure-related demand, including data center development, contributed significantly. Extended stay remains a key growth driver, delivering 13 consecutive quarters of double-digit rooms growth and representing over 40% of the U.S. pipeline. Choice's global pipeline totaled 78,200 rooms, with 96% concentrated in extended stay, midscale and upscale brands. U.S. room openings increased 17% year over year for the first nine months, and the U.S. conversion pipeline grew 29%. The company also acquired Harvest Hosts and progressed on its AI deployment strategy.
Hyatt Hotels has upgraded its Hyatt Leverage program for small and midsize businesses, providing exclusive rates at more than 1,300 hotels and end-to-end travel management via a modern booking experience. The platform, first launched in 2018, is now powered by Spotnana to enable an integrated booking experience, allowing clients to book, view and manage reservations and payments in one place. The move comes as SMEs remain a critical segment for Hyatt, and follows similar offerings from Hilton and Omni Hotels & Resorts. Hyatt Leverage also offers loyalty benefits through World of Hyatt.
Hilton launched Pay with Points, enabling Hilton Honors Silver, Gold, Diamond and Diamond Reserve members to apply points to eligible hotel charges through a fully digital checkout in the Hilton Honors app. The program is available at 150 U.S. hotels and is expected to expand to 800 by year-end and over 6,000 in the U.S. and Canada by early 2027. Hilton claims it is the first major hotel brand to offer this fully digital points-payment option, responding to member feedback that 70% want to use points for on-property purchases.
This week's hotel industry highlights: Mews launches POS system in North America; Borgata announces $107 million tower renovation; Hotel Equities partners with Lodgic Hospitality to manage three Austin hotels.
Hotel management company Aimbridge Hospitality has announced the launch of its proprietary Labor Insight & Forecasting Tool (LIFT), which combines advanced data science with AI-assisted forecasting to consolidate workforce data from multiple systems into a unified view, helping owners and operators optimize staffing. Pilot hotels achieved measurable efficiency gains in housekeeping and laundry departments, and scheduling accuracy also improved.
Google announced the launch of a hotel booking feature in AI Mode for Search, enabling users to discover, compare, and book hotels through natural language conversations, with support for Google Pay. Initial partners include 10 travel websites and hotel groups such as Choice Hotels, Hilton, and Wyndham. This move comes as travelers increasingly rely on AI to plan trips, and the hotel industry is also advancing its own AI strategies.
Travelers are moving from browsing search results to obtaining AI-generated synthesized answers, which changes the distribution logic for hotels. Hotels are no longer just competing for rankings but face the risk of being interpreted by invisible systems. This article analyzes the behavioral shift, the risk of distribution loss of control, and introduces agentic AI as a new tool to help hotels monitor and optimize their presence on AI platforms, ensuring they are accurately understood before decisions are made.
Hotels invest heavily in optimizing the booking funnel, but optimization strategies often break down once guests click "Book." This article points out that the booking confirmation page carries too many competing objectives, diluting the value of this high-intent moment. It suggests drawing on e-commerce incremental thinking, making precise decisions about relevance in the post-booking phase based on the destination and dates revealed by the booking, and measuring true incremental value through experiments, rather than merely filling space or chasing clicks.
As travelers increasingly use artificial intelligence to plan trips, multiple hotel companies including Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts have launched conversational search tools this year. Hilton's generative AI digital concierge service is still in the testing phase. These tools are part of the hotel industry's technology strategy upgrade, with executives revealing related plans in Q2 earnings calls.
Marriott International has confirmed the appointment of Daniel Dubowski as its new senior vice president and chief information security officer. Dubowski, who previously held the same role at Hertz, will report to Chief Information Officer Naveen Manga, succeeding Arno Van Der Walt. The move comes as Marriott continues its multiyear technology transformation, with a focus on security-by-design and trust-by-design.