The investment online travel agencies (OTAs) commit to performance marketing on a quarterly basis has shown no signs of letting up. In 2025,
OTAs spent more than $20B on marketing, up from more than $17B in 2024.
Despite loyalty programs, talk of keeping customers within their ecosystems and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven efficiency, the largest OTAs—Booking Holdings and Expedia Group—continue to increase their spend.
We also looked at
potential for a Plaid for the hospitality industry in an opinion piece from Ira Vouk of AI Hospitality Alliance. OpenAI announced a connection to the financial infrastructure platform in ChatGPT providing access to 12,000 financial institutions through one interface.
Vouk argued for an “industry-aligned infrastructure layer that allows AI systems to access trusted hotel data directly."
A separate story delved into recent statements made by hotel group CEOs on their
AI competitive advantage. The bosses of large groups including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Wyndham know they need to invest in AI, internally and through consumer-facing services, even though it’s not yet clear where the story ends.
Naturally part of the investment for hotels and the wider industry is in making sure technology stacks are AI ready. A further piece last week looked at
the challenge of transforming legacy technology. Cloud has and continues to play a significant role but overcoming fragmented data remains a huge challenge.
And we covered
views on AI from Expedia Group chairman Barry Diller and former CEO and founder Rich Barton shared during their discussion at the recent Expedia Explore customer event. Bottom line? AI won’t replace humans, though it does offer opportunities for the sector.
-Linda Fox, executive editor
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