The weekend wrap-up: Hotel software amid an AI revolution / How ground transport is evolving / APAC travel trends

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March 07, 2026

The Daily

PhocusWire and Phocuswright hit Berlin this past week for ITB.

While it was great to be on the ground with old friends and new, it was disheartening to see quieter booths as industry colleagues from the Middle East missed the event due to the conflict in the region.

Over the coming days PhocusWire will bring you stories from the show. Already, we've published a story on one panel with executives from Booking.com, Google, Sabre and Skyscanner that stood out. The panelists shared about industry challenges in deploying artificial intelligence (AI), such as consumer trust and technology readiness.

Our most popular read this week was an opinion piece on the potential diminishing need for hotel software as artificial intelligence (AI) develops. Jordan Hollander of Hotel Tech Report argues that while AI augments system performance, not all hospitality software will be affected.

We also covered ground transportation developments and the race to own the A-to-B journey. Companies in the space, such as BlaBlaCar, Rome2Rio and Travelier are growing as they attract investment, make acquisitions and enter new markets.

And we kicked off our APAC-focused month with a two-part trends piece written by news editor Abby Crotty. The first looked at changing traveler behavior and growth markets while the second highlighted how AI and loyalty developments, as well as the experiences boom, are playing out in the region.

Stay tuned for news of further APAC-related travel tech developments and send your news to editor@phocuswire.com.

-Linda Fox, executive editor

Latest News

Hotel software: An unlikely winner in the AI reset

HotelTechReport.com co-founder Jordan Hollander challenges industry concerns about AI's effect on applications, outlining what sets hotel software apart.

Consolidation, AI and the race to own the A-to-B journey in ground transport

The sector has been active in recent years, with players like BlaBlarCar, Flix, Rome2Rio and Travelier all making moves to adapt to a changing market.

APAC travel trends pt. 1: Traveler behavior, growing markets and what's coming next

In part one of a two-part feature, PhocusWire takes a deep dive into the current travel trends defining APAC and what the landscape may look like moving forward.

APAC travel trends pt. 2: AI, loyalty ecosystems and the experiences boom

The second part of our APAC travel trend series focuses on loyalty, experiences and technology's role in the "digital-first" region.

Agentic AI in travel: Technology readiness and consumer trust

Executives from Booking.com, Google, Sabre and Skyscanner discuss the challenges for the travel industry in adopting agentic AI.

Lighthouse introduces ChatGPT app for direct hotel booking

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