Sponsored By Travel Outlook and Track Hospitality Software
Lead Drought Got You Parched? Here’s How We Refill the Hotel Sales Pipeline
Booked, Busy, and AI-Ready: The New Playbook for Hotel Group Sales Success If you’ve noticed a slowdown in inbound RFPs lately, you’re not imagining things. In fact, you’re likely in the middle of what I call the Great Lead Drought of Hospitality. I recently sat down with hotel sales trainer and certified Gap Seller, Celeste Berke Knisely, on the InnSync Show, and she confirmed what so many of us are seeing: inbound leads are drying up in some markets by as much as 30%. That’s not a seasonal slump. That’s a crisis. And what’s worse? Many hotel sellers are doubling down on hope as a strategy. Hope isn’t a strategy. It’s a symptom. Let’s unpack what’s really going on … and more importantly, how we turn this around. What’s Drying Up the Pipeline? Watch this InnSync episode here >> Celeste and I uncovered four major culprits: Vanishing International TravelHotels that relied heavily on overseas business are still feeling the sting. In some U.S. cities, travel from abroad hasn’t bounc…
Curacity Launches Cruise-Optimized Features on Its Demand Platform
Curacity, the leading demand creation platform for luxury and lifestyle travel brands, today announced an expansion of its platform optimized for the cruise industry. With this release, cruise lines can now reach affluent, opt-in travelers through trusted media outlets – including AFAR, Food & Wine, and Travel + Leisure – eliminating reliance on broad, inefficient mass-market advertising and gaining revenue-based ROI tracking.
Luminara, the Newest Superyacht from the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Celebrates Official Launch and Embarks on Maiden Voyage
Luminara, the third ultra-luxury superyacht from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, has officially set sail, ushering in the next chapter in the brand’s expansion and continued leadership in redefining luxury at sea. As the newest yacht to join the fleet following Evrima and Ilma, Luminara builds on a legacy of innovation in hospitality, design, and legendary service. Marking the start of its highly anticipated debut season, the yacht departed from Monte Carlo on July 3, 2025, sailing a seven-night itinerary to Rome with calls in iconic Mediterranean destinations including Cannes, Livorno, and Portofino.
The Problem With “Just Ask a Manager” — And Why AI Needs to Meet Workers Where They Are
In hospitality, knowledge is power—but only if it’s accessible. Too often, the people who need critical answers the most—the ones on the floor, in the kitchen, or starting a shift—are the least likely to find them quickly.
Why HITEC 2025 Felt Like a Turning Point: Education, Innovation and the Guestroom of 2075
At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we sat down with Justin Taillon, President of HFTP and professor of hospitality technology, for a closing reflection on what made this year’s event stand out. From a record-breaking exhibitor floor to packed education sessions, Justin shared what makes HITEC more than just a trade show. He also gave us a preview of his next project, a bold new book on what hotel guestrooms might look like in 2075.
Construction Begins on One of London’s Largest Budget Hotels
Whitbread PLC, the UK’s largest hotel business and owner of Premier Inn, has started construction enabling works on its flagship hub by Premier Inn hotel development at 5 Strand, a prime site just off Trafalgar Square in Central London.
How Can Hoteliers Build a Future-Proof Commercial Strategy for Their Revenue Management?
Have you ever found yourself buried in spreadsheets, trying to manually forecast your hotel’s revenue? I’ve been there, and I know how frustrating and limiting those traditional methods can be. But imagine this: spending less time crunching numbers and more time crafting strategic decisions that truly move the needle for your hotel. In this article, we’ll go over how modern technology and integrated strategies can transform your revenue management, making your hotel competitive, agile, and ready for the future.
Marseille Was Never for Tourists. Neither Is Venice (Or: How We Disney-fied Cultural Europe, and What We Might Do Before It’s All Gone)
A few days ago, Jeff Bezos anchored his floating temple of techno-capitalism (a yacht longer than Piazza San Marco) just off the coast of Venice. The media, predictably, responded with sterile moral outrage, but the more profound irony escaped most: Bezos isn’t visiting Venice; he IS Venice. Or rather, he embodies what Venice has become: a luxury simulation of itself. Stripped of context, suspended in spectacle. That moment brought back a provocation I had posted months ago in my weekly column on 10 Minutes Hotel: maybe the only rational way to manage Venice today is to treat it like Disneyland, not as a joke, but as a system. At the time, it sounded dystopian. Now, it sounds like long-range urban planning.
WTTC Calls for Smarter Tourism Management as Destinations Face Pressure
As Travel & Tourism enters the height of the summer season, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has today launched a new report calling for a more balanced approach to managing tourism in popular destinations.