Welcome to RemoteHotelier! And happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US.
Winter demand has been historically slow for most hotels. But it seems that’s not the case anymore.
There’s a simple reason behind it, and today we look at what that means for hotels and how technology can help. Let’s get started!
In today’s newsletter:
❄️ Tripadvisor predicts a strong winter season
✈️ Amex GBT looks for a buyer
🏠 How do hotels really show on Booking.com and Airbnb?
🏨 + 4 deals & updates
💼 + 3 new jobs in hotel tech
🗞️ + 3 hotel tech extra news
#1 Tripadvisor predicts a strong winter season.
Tripadvisor releases a report, and says that 60% of people plan a winter trip this year. There are more interesting insights for hoteliers:
From those who plan to travel, 83% plan one or two trips, and more than half will stay for 5 nights or more.
93% say experiences are an important part of their budget and 84% plan activities in advance.
Seasonal traditions and family time influence 86% of winter travel decisions.
Cost is still the main concern, but the estimation says that 52% will spend more this winter.
It looks like some hotels might be rubbing their hands, but there’s a caveat. A good chunk of guests are looking for experiences, meaning that a good room and a bed might not be enough.
Simple but meaningful details make the difference, and technology can help. For example, upsell tools might help guests find what they’re looking for. And guest messaging platforms could contribute to personalize their experience.
According to this report, travelers already set some money aside for something memorable, and hotels have the chance to capture some of that by offering value in return.
#2 Amex GBT looks for a buyer.
Amex GBT is looking to sell the company even after buying CWT and reporting good results, which shows how tough the market pressure is right now.
After acquiring CWT, Amex GBT total transaction value went up 23% compared with the previous year.
CWT alone reported about 850 million dollars in revenue in 2024.
There are interesting candidates among the possible buyers, like Expedia or Google.
If the sale goes through, it could be one of the biggest deals in the travel sector.
Speaking of rubbing hands, if names like Google are lurking, that clearly means something. Let’s wait to see how this plays out, but for hotels, this move might mean a shift in room distribution.
By the way, you can tell the competition for better tech is insane. Despite positive results, they’re still looking for an exit.
#3 How do hotels really show on Booking.com and Airbnb?
This interesting video compares how Airbnb and Booking.com present hotels right next to rentals, and each one does it in a very different way:
Both platforms mix hotels and rentals in the same search results without any clear separation.
On Airbnb, hotels get short AI written descriptions under the photo carousel, something rentals don’t get.
Booking.com keeps the same layout for hotels and rentals, with differences mostly in room types and terms.
Airbnb uses AI to change the homepage after a search, showing things like “featured hotels” in the destination you just checked and curated stays based on past activity.
A couple of things came to my mind after watching this. First, it was Booking who initially went after Airbnb’s throat and now they are fighting back and playing the same game. Very tough match between these two.
Second, it’s curious to see how both just integrate STR and hotels in the same ecosystem. For hotels, that means they need strong photos and descriptions to clearly differentiate.
THE RESOURCE HUB
📍 Next Event: Fitur Madrid (21–25 January 2026).
📅 2025/2026 hotel tech event calendar.
💼 Hotel tech companies offering remote jobs.
💻 Cloud PMS comparison spreadsheet.
🏨 DEALS & UPDATES
Cendyn partners with DirectBooker to push live hotel rates into AI search platforms like ChatGPT, giving hotels more visibility and helping them compete directly with OTAs during the digital trip planning.
Trip.com teams up with Coras to sell event tickets directly on its platform, making it easier for guests to book everything at once as demand for event tourism continues to rise.
Cloudbeds partners with Klaviyo to give hotels access to AI marketing tools, making it easier to create personalized campaigns and improve targeting to boost direct bookings and loyalty.
Maestro PMS launches a new gift card module, offering customizable digital cards to boost guest loyalty and revenue for hotels and resorts.
💼 HOTEL TECH JOB BOARD
🗞️ HOTEL TECH EXTRAS
Pangea, a travel platform focused on group planning, acquires the social trip planning app Overlap to strengthen how it connects guests and helps them coordinate trips together.
SuitePad launches SuitePad AI, a voice and chat platform for guest communication. After testing it in more than 30 hotels, it’s already handling a large share of guest questions automatically.
Galt House Hotel adds mobile F&B ordering with IRIS across its 1,300 rooms.
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See you next week!
Jose