Weekly Insights. November 8, 2025

What is your single budget focus for 2026?

The end of the year is when every GM turns strategist, shaping a budget that does more than cover costs - it sets the tone for what is ahead. Budgets are never just numbers on a spreadsheet; they are a reflection of priorities, trade-offs, and the risks you are willing to take. In a world where guest expectations, technology, and costs are constantly shifting, every budget choice becomes a statement about where you see the greatest potential.

For 2026, every GM is making a call on what matters most. Some will double down on guest experience, others on efficiency, others still on growth. We would love to hear from you: for your 2026 budget, what is the one area you are most determined to focus on, and why?

Hotel pricing strategies: Optimizing room rates effectively

The article explains dynamic pricing for hotels and how to use it well. Prices should move with demand to raise profit in busy times and fill rooms in slow periods, using data and AI rather than guesswork. It notes risks like hurting trust if prices change too often or too much, and the cost of the tools you need. Practical tips include watching competitors, adjusting by room type, staying alert to sudden events, and segmenting guests so forecasts and prices fit real behavior.

How the USALI 12th revised edition enhances hotel benchmarking and drives hotel performance

The article explains how the USALI 12th edition makes hotel benchmarking clearer and more useful. It standardizes definitions and reporting so properties compare apples to apples, expands guidance on labor and department costs, and better captures non room revenue, technology, and distribution expenses. With cleaner categories and modern metrics like total revenue and profit per available room, owners and operators can spot gaps faster and make smarter decisions across the portfolio.

Are your hotel KPIs lying to you? Why averages are costing you profit

The article warns that averages like overall occupancy or ADR can hide serious problems and cost you profit. A “good” average makes teams ignore low demand days where fixed costs eat margins, such as midweek valleys masked by a 70 percent headline. The advice is to stop relying on averages alone, dig into day level patterns, and target the weak spots with focused actions to lift profit.

10 hotel tech predictions for 2026

The article says hotel tech in 2026 will be about owning the guest journey, not chasing buzzwords. It predicts the booking engine will feel like part of the stay, AI will power pricing and messaging using a hotel’s own data, and the direct channel will act as the commercial hub. It expects digital brand equity to matter to investors, guest data to drive timely offers, and marketing to shift toward selling bookable experiences.

Luxury travel market: Key trends, players, destinations

The AltexSoft article gives a clear overview of today’s luxury travel market, noting strong post-2020 growth and a shift from flashy displays to authentic, personalized, experience-led trips. It explains who the main players are, how affluent traveler behavior is changing, which trends and destinations are rising, and what businesses can do to compete and win.

Family first: How hotels can truly connect with traveling parents

The article explains how hotels can win traveling parents by pairing family specific offers with smart personalization on their direct channels. It highlights seasonal campaigns that showcase kid friendly activities, flexible deals like discounted connecting rooms with breakfast, and clear messages placed inside the booking flow. Using engaging visuals and tailoring content to each step of the journey helps families feel understood, boosts direct conversions, and builds long term loyalty.

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