News & Stories

The new EU Code of Conduct for Online Reviews in Tourism is a step in the right direction, comments ÖHV. However, there are still gaps that need to be closed.

Consumers want sustainable products, but other factors are more important to them when making a purchase. New EU regulations are intended to protect consumers and reduce environmental impact. Take smartphones, for example. 

ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity are changing the way travellers discover hotels on the Internet: AI assistants no longer provide hit lists, but specific recommendations with reasons. Classic visibility via classic SEO is being overtaken by GEO, generative answers.

Transformative power, saviour and problem solver: this is how artificial intelligence is being touted, and not just in the hotel industry. But what does it look like in practice? A study sheds light on how hotels actually use various tools.

How does AI know these things? New EU regulations force AI providers to disclose what they have used to train their models. Failure to do so could result in fines.

The Leipzig-based start-up Onsai has received more than one million euros in growth capital to further relieve the workload of hotel businesses with its AI solution. Its voicebot handles communication with guests and bookings.

Google and its AI assistant Gemini will become a mirror of the digital, not of the hysical world anymore. The giant machines replace browsing by suggestion and decision-making by algorithmic curation. And Google Ads are part of the AI answers. The victims are the travellers and smaller hotels. For them, the shift is devastating. 

There is no doubt that hoteliers are interested in AI. The industry sees AI as a lever for performance, personalisation and operational control. This is shown by a Europe-wide survey of hoteliers.

France has given Booking.com until the end of this year to bring its contracts into line with current legislation. If the OTA fails to comply, it faces fines in the tens of millions - per day. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also revolutionising the travel market. It will even push OTAs and search engines like Google to the side: AI can advise, book and solve complex tasks, just like a personal assistant. Hotels therefore need significantly more reach in their own direct sales.