Welcome to RemoteHotelier!
In the next 4 minutes, you’ll catch up on the most interesting AI, and hotel operations updates.
Also, today it’s the first Thursday of the month, which means a quick look at the best funding and acquisitions news from last month.
In today’s newsletter:
🤖 Why does more AI competition mean better tools for hotels?
📄 Fresh data from Cloudbeds and Duetto about booking trends
🏨 + 4 deals & updates
💼 + 2 new jobs in hotel tech
🤝 + 4 deals of the month
🗞️ + 3 hotel tech extra news
Why does more AI competition mean better tools for hotels?
ChatGPT turns three in one of its toughest moments, with the company’s CEO declaring a “code red” after Google wins back a huge chunk of the market. Some reports say around 200 million users may have moved from ChatGPT to Gemini in the last three months.
Anthropic, with its AI chatbot Claude, is also catching up very quickly.
Google recently released Gemini 3 and it beats ChatGPT on several public tests.
OpenAI paused all the projects they had in the pipeline (ads, health tools, and a personal assistant) to focus on improving ChatGPT and outperforming the competition.
Many tech leaders admit the market feels like a bubble, but long term value still looks strong.
Most AI features in technology for hotels run on top of one of these three models, because they’re the ones with the scale and quality vendors rely on. And I think hotels get something good out of this chaos. You don’t want a single company setting all the rules, because then you get Google 2.0 and that’s not fun for anyone who works with distribution.
If you think about it, in only three years chatbots went from something completely new to something many people, including hotel teams, use every day. In the present, OTAs are integrating their booking engines with these AI chatbots, so these models will soon guide your customers through room choices, upsells, and even service questions before arrival.
Fresh data from Cloudbeds and Duetto about booking trends.
Cloudbeds and Duetto released a report with booking and profitability data from early 2025 with interesting insights.
Some OTAs like Expedia, Trip.com and Hotelbeds grow, while others like Booking.com, Agoda and Vrbo lose some ground.
The average daily rate went slightly up compared with the previous year. But if you adjust for inflation, many hotels see an actual drop.
Labor remains as the biggest expense, and went up by 4.6% in the US and by 3.9% in Europe.
Most guests stay fewer nights and hotels have less pricing power, which is a tough combination for hotels, especially if you try to forecast demand with last year’s data. Labor is still the biggest cost, and it clashes with all the staff shortages many hotels face.
This is the classic vicious cycle in hotel operations. When hiring gets hard, keeping people becomes even more valuable, especially when every new hire is so expensive. But to invest in people and better tools, the hotel needs steady revenue. And to protect that revenue, you need systems that help the team work smoother and get more value from every room you already have.
And, by the way, unfriendly tech is often mentioned as one of the reasons for new employees to quit.
THE RESOURCE HUB
📍 Next Event: Independent Hotel Show London (6–7 October 2025).
📅 2025/2026 hotel tech event calendar.
💼 Hotel tech companies offering remote jobs.
💻 Cloud PMS comparison spreadsheet.
🏨 DEALS & UPDATES
Airbus confirmed a global software glitch that hit airlines globally a few days ago. Even the Pope’s plane was impacted. They resolved the issue, but some deliveries might be facing delays.
Amazon is testing ultrafast 30-minute deliveries through its Amazon Now service. This is interesting for hotels, especially for kitchens, as they might not need to run for supplies in the middle of their shift.
LodgIQ, the American RMS company, announces its latest updates, including advanced analytics, BI integration, real-time PMS sync, and mobile tools. Not a bad way to end 2025 for them.
My Place Hotels launches Market Force, a commercial platform that combines AI pricing, forecasting, and detailed market intelligence to help franchisees maximize property performance and adapt to changing hospitality demands.
💼 HOTEL TECH JOB BOARD
🤝 DEALS OF THE MONTH
Amenitiz raised $45 million to expand its AI platform to boost direct bookings for independent hotels.
BoomPop got $25 million in funding to help companies plan offsite events. The platform connects businesses with curated venues, activities, and tools, aiming to streamline group bookings.
Maic, a hospitality tech startup, secured a €1 million investment round. The funding aims to accelerate its product development, grow its team, and expand operations in Europe.
Pangea acquired Overlap, a social travel planning app, to expand its digital community tools. This deal aims to grow Pangea's user base and improve social trip planning features.
🗞️ HOTEL TECH EXTRAS
Evolve acquires Guestworks from Vacasa, adding about 1,000 new properties to its platform to expand in the STR market.
Oyo plans its third IPO attempt to raise $744 million, backed by international acquisitions like Motel 6 and MadeComfy.
VSR integrates conversational AI with Bounte’s lost-and-found platform, enabling guests to file claims by phone in multiple languages without staff involvement. Hotels get faster recoveries, fewer manual tasks, and a smoother guest experience.
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Jose