This week, we cover key trends in AI, as well as diving deep into some key trends seen in Q2 earnings reports. Plus, dive into industry news, including regulatory challenges to Booking Holdings in both Europe and the USA and TikTok's new affiliate program.
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Booking Holdings in $9.5 million 'junk fee' settlement with Texas
Booking Holdings will pay $9.5M to settle a Texas lawsuit over hidden “junk fees.” Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the company of drip pricing, misleading guests with low rates before adding mandatory charges. The settlement aligns with the FTC’s new Junk Fees Rule, which since May 2025 requires hotels and OTAs to display all-in pricing upfront. , and underscores the importance for all hotels of making sure your pricing configuration is aligned to new regulations.
Learn all about the latest challenge to Booking.com's power
Google's Travel Feeds in Search Ads now available on Triptease Paid Search
Google’s Travel Feeds in Search Ads lets hotels link their pricing feed to Google Ads, automatically enriching search ads with dynamic prices. Triptease is now offering Travel Feeds in Paid Search campaigns, improving ad relevance and performance. Together with Triptease’s own unique Price Preview feature, Travel Feeds in Search Ads can drive more qualified traffic to your booking engine and improve your ROAS on Paid Search.
Learn what Travel Feeds in Search Ads could do for your hotel
Top trends from the hotel industry’s Q2 2025 earnings
In Q2 2025, U.S. hotel RevPAR declined due to lower government spending, weaker business travel, and reduced international visitation. Despite this, luxury and lifestyle segments, strong group bookings into 2026, and resort markets like Las Vegas showed resilience. Read Hoteldive’s roundup of top US chains’ Q2 earnings results, along with detailed insights from top executives at these companies.
How The Inn at Christmas Place uses Triptease to help maintain over 90% direct bookings
The Inn at Christmas Place is a destination hotel in Pigeon Forge Tennessee that consistently drives more than 90% of its bookings direct. Learn all about the Inn’s strategic direct-first approach to marketing–and how it plans to grow direct bookings even further moving forward.
LLM Visibility and AI Search Statistics: 80+ Stats
This new guide compiles 80+ statistics on AI search and LLM visibility, covering everything from Google’s AI Overviews to platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Have a read of these data-driven insights to adapt your SEO and content strategies as guest discovery shifts toward AI-driven answers.
Read the guide from Originality.ai
LLM Visibility and AI Search Statistics: 80+ Stats
This new guide compiles 80+ statistics on AI search and LLM visibility, covering everything from Google’s AI Overviews to platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Have a read of these data-driven insights to adapt your SEO and content strategies as guest discovery shifts toward AI-driven answers.
Read the guide from Originality.ai
Sociable: TikTok launches simplified affiliate program for hotel promotions
TikTok has launched TikTok Go, a simplified affiliate program allowing creators in select regions to earn commissions by promoting hotels in-app. This activation could be an integral channel for hotels in search of new ways to drive direct bookings.
Learn about TikTok's new affiliate program
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Genevieve is a product marketing manager at Triptease.
