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The customer is technically in charge of booking decisions, but social media and AI systems are increasingly making the decisions for them.

For Uber, this is bait to drive more sign-ups to its paid subscription service. For Expedia, it's an incremental channel. For hoteliers, another distribution tax of sorts.

For Asian travelers, the booking decision increasingly starts on social media — the platform just takes the order.

Chinese brands can't copy and paste their strategies to compete in international markets.

Years of acquisitions left Minor Hotels with a fragmented technology stack that limited personalization across the guest journey.

The Iran war disrupted travel across key corridors, but it also exposed a larger shift already underway. Asia increasingly brings together the demand growth, traveler demographics, value, and digital behavior shaping the industry’s next decade. Many strategies are still built around the demand patterns of the previous one.

Morgenshtern makes the case that the AI conversation in travel has moved past the question most of the industry is still asking.

You can be sure that Agoda is far ahead of 95% of the travel industry in reimagining its business using multiple AI agents from the ground up. But will it be enough if some of the LLMs crack travel booking?

Ennismore, in partnership with Accor India and InterGlobe Hotels, announced the signing of The Hoxton, Bengaluru City. Plus, more hotel news.

Airlines have turned to partnerships in recent years to boost their loyalty programs as they focus more on high-spend travelers. Loyalty programs and high premium demand have fueled much of the industry’s profits since the pandemic.

Low-cost airlines push for government aid, international travelers pull back from U.S. trips, and Virgin Voyages bets big on TikTok creators.

The most digitally ambitious airline start-up in a generation is going on sale the old-fashioned way: through the OTAs.