1. AI is reshaping hotel discovery, but it's still early days
The "Winning the Decision Layer" panel, featuring Uta von Dietze (Wyndham), Andrew Boch (mobi.AI), and Sanjay Vakil (DirectBooker), delivered some useful AI-related insights like the fact that some studies show 40% of consumers already using large language models (LLMs) for travel search, with 95% saying they'll use them again.
In the "Global Google Travel Outlook" session, Alejandro Stockdale (International Growth Senior Manager, Google) and Jorge Gilabert (Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal) shared that AI queries are three times longer than traditional searches, and branded searches are increasing after AI research. Guests are discovering through AI, then searching for the hotel directly.
This is where it gets interesting for hotels. Panelists pointed out that online travel agencies (OTAs) are actually at a disadvantage in an AI-driven discovery world. OTAs compress property information into standardized checkboxes and filters, while AI tools can surface the rich, detailed content that hotels are best placed to provide. For hotels, this is a chance to compete on the quality of your information, not just on price.
Google is clearly placing big bets here. Gemini and other AI tools are being positioned to play a larger role in the booking journey. But the research suggests that for now, AI is primarily a discovery layer. It's hard to predict exactly how this will evolve over the next year. What we do know is that being discoverable in AI matters, and that means having structured data and rich content on your website. This is the shift from search engine optimization (SEO) to generative engine optimization (GEO) that we've been talking about for a while. If you want to go deeper, watch our GEO masterclass.
Key takeaway for hotels: Make your hotel discoverable in AI tools by enriching your property descriptions. Not just "pool" but "heated pool." Not just "meeting room" but "meeting room with natural light." Make sure that detail is structured, accessible, and on your website. The goal is no longer to rank. It's to be mentioned.
2. Fix your foundations before chasing AI
In the "Technology Trends Shaping Hospitality" panel, Pedro Colaco (Guestcentric), Champa Hariharan Magesh (The Access Group), and Teresa Mackintosh (Aven Hospitality) were asked what single capability would most impact hotel performance in the next 12 months.
And their answers? It wasn't AI. It was fixing the basics.
Champa introduced the "toggle tax": the hidden cost of staff switching between eight or more fragmented systems, copying data manually, and dealing with errors. Her message was direct. As long as you're paying that tax, you're not ready for AI.
Teresa argued that data enrichment and governance should be the priority. Pedro added that before buying any AI tool, hoteliers need to reconnect with their commercial strategy first. Once you know your strategy, then you figure out how AI adds value.
Key takeaway for hotels: Audit your tech stack and data quality before making AI investments. Can your systems talk to each other? Is your guest data clean? Do you have a clear commercial strategy that technology should serve?
3. Synthetic personas: a practical AI use case worth paying attention to
The panel on synthetic personas in hospitality, featuring Dr. Jorg Meurer (Profitl Germany) among others, got into specifics.
A synthetic persona is an LLM configured to take on the personality of a specific guest segment. You feed it demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data, and instead of reading reports, you can have a conversation with it as though you were speaking to an actual guest.
Hotel groups like Accor are using synthetic personas to test landing pages, booking journeys, and CRM strategies at speed. One example showed how they enabled full brand concepts for three different brands in a fraction of the traditional timeline.
The speakers were clear on boundaries, though. Synthetic personas work best when you have good historical data. For brand-new concepts, traditional research is still essential. And keeping humans in the loop was a consistent message.
Key takeaway for hotels: If you have good guest data, consider experimenting with synthetic personas in tools like ChatGPT or Claude. Use them to pressure-test your website content or marketing messaging. They won't replace real guest feedback, but they can help you move faster, especially if you have specific guest personas or segments in mind.
4. The travel map is being redrawn
Sarah Kopit's Skift keynote revealed that nearly half of international travelers are now less likely to visit the US due to political concerns. The US was the only major tourism economy among 184 tracked by the World Travel & Tourism Council to show contraction in 2025, with recovery to 2019 levels not expected until 2029.
The flip side? Among travelers reconsidering US trips, the majority said they'd go to Europe instead. Southern European destinations are performing well, and emerging gateway cities are gaining prominence.
Google's Travel Outlook added a longer view. International travel is projected to double to nearly 3.5 billion travelers by 2050, with $4.2 trillion in new spending. But the top five destinations' market share is projected to decline from 37% to just 16%. More corridors, more destinations, more competition.
Key takeaway for hotels: The implications depend on where you are. If you're a European hotel, this is a moment to invest in your visibility and direct booking strategy. A large, motivated traveler base is actively looking for alternatives, and your property needs to show up where they're searching. If you're a North American hotel, the focus should be on strengthening loyalty and doubling down on domestic travel. The U.S. Travel Association's latest data shows the sector entering 2026 on steady footing, underpinned by domestic leisure demand, even as international inbound visits decline. Make sure your direct booking experience and guest retention strategy are strong enough to compete in a tighter market.
5. Tomorrow's traveler looks different
Google's "Global Travel Outlook" research highlighted that seven generations are now traveling together, from the Silent Generation through to Gen Beta. But the critical focus was on younger travelers. Today's Gen Z and Gen Alpha will be the dominant spending force by 2050. Alejandro Stockdale's message was clear: if you're not building brand relevance with these audiences now, you risk becoming invisible to the future economy.
Skift brought this to life with the sober travel movement. In 2025, only 54% of US adults drank alcohol, the lowest level in nearly 90 years of Gallup research. Among Gen Z, only half say they drink.
The commercial case is strong. Hotels embedding zero-proof F&B options are seeing margins hold or rise. Younger travelers want experiences that don't depend on alcohol. They search more specifically, discover through AI and social channels, and expect brands to reflect who they actually are.
Key takeaway for hotels: Understand the guests you're trying to attract, not just the ones you already have. If younger travelers are searching for wellness experiences, zero-proof options, or values-driven stays, make sure that information is on your website and detailed enough for AI tools to surface. The hotels that win future guests will be the ones that show up with rich, specific content where those guests are looking.
Making the most of ITB 2026
The hotels best positioned for what's coming are investing in two things: understanding the technology that's changing how guests find and book, and understanding the guests themselves.
AI is part of the picture, but clean data, connected systems, a clear strategy, and a strong direct booking channel are still the foundations. If you'd like to talk about how Triptease's Data Marketing Platform can help, get in touch with our team.Megan is the Product Marketing Executive for Targeted Messages.
