News & Stories
Booking’s finance chief stated at a Goldman Sachs conference last week that the group is small hotels' "best friend" - and revealed rarely heard figures and strategic details about the giant. At the same time, European hoteliers published figures about their dependence.
Europe’s hotel distribution market is becoming increasingly concentrated, strengthening the case for firm EU action to ensure fair and transparent digital markets. Experts are now calling for action.
A study has found that 79% of Germans fear the unpredictable risks posed by AI. As a result, experts have now developed a framework to assess the quality and safety of AI systems. TÜV is currently trialling the certification scheme with pilot partners and plans to make it available to businesses from the end of 2026.
At last, there's a built-in Android solution for travel sickness. How Bubbles helps, what settings users can adjust – and who beat Google to it.
At the end of July, the EU imposed a fine of 890 million euros on Google for breaches of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Google describes the now necessary changes to its search results as the "greatest deterioration in quality" in the history of the search engine. What impact will these changes have on the visibility of hotels, flights and other services?
ChatGPT will soon be subject to stricter regulations in the European Union. On Monday, the European Commission classified the well-known chatbot as a "Very Large Online Search Engine" (VLOSE). The provider now has four months to comply with the requirements of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
A week ago, an advertisement for the sale of one of Switzerland’s iconic luxury hotels appeared online, which, according to the photo, was none other than the Lucerne Mandarin Oriental Palace. It was a fake.
AI travel recommendations now include paid offers. Google announced this as part of the release of its Q2 results. IHG is the first partner in the Direct Offers programme.
On Thursday, 23 July 2026, the European Commission took two decisions finding non-compliance by Google with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and issued a fine of 460 million euros and a fine of 430 million euros respectively.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) has been fully in force across the EU since February 2024. It also has a significant impact on the hospitality industry. The European Consumer Centre (ECC) Germany has published an online guide explaining the key provisions.