Welcome to RemoteHotelier!
In today’s newsletter:
🍎 Siri is finally learning how to talk…
👂 … and hotels should listen
🛠️ Good tech + human touch = higher guest satisfaction
🪨 David beats Goliath in online travel
👎 Growth up, jobs down at Expedia
🗞️ + 7 extra news
💼 + 3 new jobs in hotel tech
MAIN NEWS
#1 Siri is finally learning how to talk…
Apple is planning a massive Siri upgrade to turn the voice assistant into a full AI chatbot.
The new Siri will use Google Gemini to power this version.
Apple might officially reveal these changes at the next WWDC (June 2026).
The biggest change is that it’ll support real conversations, not just commands.
Why is this important for hotels? It’s actually similar to what we mentioned with Alexa Plus. But this is a different beast because of how many people have an iPhone, and because our smartphones are always with us. Let’s break it down below.
#2 … and hotels should listen
We certainly have heard that “Siri’s getting better” for a while (more than a decade actually). But this time it looks real. Apple has clearly lost its innovator aura. When it comes to smartphones, Android is catching up fast. And Apple’s AI so far has been a complete disaster.
They joined the AI party way too late. However, using Gemini’s tailwind is a different story. Google’s models are amazing (they’re also catching up with their competition). You might even think that this partnership doesn’t make sense, because they compete (iOS vs. Android). But in reality, Android is just a fraction of the business for Google. And Apple is much more than smartphones. They have a whole ecosystem.
As we all know, Apple’s ecosystem is widely used. But that’s not all. Google already knows everything there is to know about hotels and travel. So combining Siri and Gemini means that any user with an iPhone in their pocket would be able to book a hotel with their voice in seconds.
#3 Good tech + human touch = higher guest satisfaction
According to this report, hotels are actually getting better at keeping guests happy despite people traveling more than ever.
The report analyzed data from 12,000 hotels across eight global regions, and it’s based on a massive sample of over 40 million reviews.
Global guest satisfaction reached a remarkable 86.7% in 2025. A 0.5% increase compared with the previous year.
Google is catching up to Booking.com as the main place where guests leave feedback.
Three and four star hotels drive most of the growth.
It’s impressive to see these numbers when we all know how much pressure hotel teams are under right now. To me, this is just one more sign that a good balance of using the right tech while keeping the human touch is key in the current environment.
#4 David beats Goliath in online travel
Destinia, a relatively small OTA, just bought two established travel brands to speed up its international expansion.
They acquired Travel Republic and Netflights. Both companies are based in the UK.
The British brands will keep their names and continue to operate as usual for their existing customers.
Destinia will provide the backend technology and operational support to help these brands scale up.
I just love David vs. Goliath stories, especially in an industry where the giants usually eat everyone else. How can a small OTA manage to buy two companies that are way larger than them? Sometimes good timing and solid operations (and a bit of cash 💰) beat the biggest marketing budget.
#5 Growth up, jobs down at Expedia
Expedia is cutting part of its workforce again. They’re laying off employees across several roles, including product managers and engineers.
This is the third round of cuts in two years, despite Expedia reporting a 9% revenue growth and $30 billion in bookings.
According to this article, Expedia had around 16,500 employees at the end of 2024.
The company aims to reduce "organizational layers" to move faster and increase accountability.
It’s very sad to see a company reporting record growth and letting go the people who contributed towards that milestone at the same time. Unfortunately, reduce organizational layers is code for “brace yourself”. So I reckon this won’t be the last round of layoffs. Suffice to say, AI has had a massive influence in these cuts.
RESOURCES
📍 Next Event: NoVacancy London (25–26 February).
📅 See the full hotel tech event calendar.
💼 Check which hotel tech companies offer remote jobs.
💻 Get your cloud PMS comparison list.
HOTEL TECH EXTRAS
🚀 Turneo launches Neo, an AI agent platform for hotels that handles over 80% of guest inquiries and personalizes guest engagement across multiple channels.
🤝 myRiva partners with DerbySoft to offer real-time hotel bookings for business travel, improving pricing and personalization for hotel chains.
🛒 Snaptrip Group went shopping and made two acquisitions this week: StayCato (a pet-friendly accommodation firm) and My Boutique Hotel (a hotel reservation website). They’re clearly looking to expand its portfolio and strengthen its position in the boutique hotel and STR market.
⚡ iVvy launches Instant Proposal, an AI tool that automates venue sales proposals, speeding responses and improving conversion rates by responding to inquiries in minutes.
💰 And 3 new funding rounds worth mentioning this week in hospitality tech:
🤖 Altek AI secures $500,000 in pre-seed funding to automate guest communications, aiming to reduce staff workload with automations across channels and deeper system integrations.
💳 Heymax raises $11 million in Series A funding to improve its loyalty and cashback rewards platform. The company is looking to expand partnerships with travel and hospitality brands.
✈️ TripWorks raises $6 million in Series A funding to enhance its booking and operations platform for tour and activity operators.
JOB BOARD
Senior Account Executive | Remote (based in New York City) | Mews.
Regional Sales Manager - Business Intelligence EMEA | Remote (based in Madrid) | Lighthouse.
Sales Executive, Market Data | Remote (based in the UK) | Duetto.
BEYOND HOTEL TECH
Following up on the Siri news above, Apple seems to be also working on a small AI wearable (similar in size to an AirTag) to leverage the tech behind the new Siri. It’d have cameras, a speaker, and microphones… and to be honest, their most devoted customers will buy anything they launch. So, if this doesn’t end up in the same drawer as the Apple electric car, you might see your guests wearing one of these very soon.
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See you next week!
Jose