Good morning, readers.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky defended the company's approach to AI. Hyatt has seen gains from AI. And we explain what steps Saudi Arabia should take to become the world's most event-friendly country.

EVENTS

Skift Data + AI Summit

The travel industry is moving from AI experimentation to execution, with real impact across distribution, operations, and customer experience. The Skift Data + AI Summit returns June 3 in New York City, bringing industry leaders together to share the next wave of AI applications and data strategies shaping travel.

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Online Travel

Dennis Schaal

Executive Editor

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Airbnb Defends Its AI Strategy

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky pushed back against critics of the company's AI pace, arguing its "intentional path" toward an AI-native platform is "our strongest defense against disintermediation."

"While other companies rushed to bolt chatbots into their existing app, we started by solving the hardest problem: customer support," Chesky said.
"We believe we're building something that's impossible to replicate."
Chesky added AI platforms will benefit Airbnb, noting that their traffic converts into bookings at a higher rate than Google referrals.

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Hotels

Luke Martin

Hospitality Reporter

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Image by Hyatt Hotels

Hyatt Gets Boost From AI Search

Hyatt said its multiyear push into artificial intelligence is delivering measurable gains across search, group sales, and internal operations.

"We recognized early that guests actually wanted to search with prose, as opposed to a city, state, and availability date framework," CEO Mark Hoplamazian said.
Inside ChatGPT, users search conversationally but complete bookings on Hyatt's own platform.
Hyatt has also worked directly with OpenAI to launch a branded app inside ChatGPT.

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Hotels

The Next Era of Independent Luxury Hospitality

the set

The Set reveals why individuality is becoming luxury's most valuable asset

Demand for authenticity is creating new room for boutique luxury brands
The Set helps independent hotels scale without losing their individuality

read the Q&A here

Tourism

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How Saudi Arabia Can Be the World's Most Events-Friendly Country

Saudi Arabia has been pushing to transform its economy and embrace tourism. But instead of chasing Dubai, there's a smarter pivot: become the world's most event-friendly country.

Saudi has been running the mass-events experiment for centuries with pilgrimage and is now building on it with sports, music, and entertainment.
The desert and coast should be activated for year-round events that combine music, culture, and unique Saudi geography.
Stop selling Saudi as a luxury escape. Sell it as the safest, fastest place on earth to move gatherings of humans at any scale, on deadline.

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