Plus: Adios wardrobes | Indie agility
Everyone's talking about the latest tech stack, but this week, the biggest disruptor seems to be… being human.
Travelers are bypassing OTA algorithms to email GMs directly for upgrades, proving that personal connection is still the ultimate currency. We’re also diving into why your hotel’s unique personality is the antidote to "copy/paste" competition (and the key to better margins).
Plus, we look at the flip side of innovation: why letting AI run wild with your guest comms is a dangerous game—and how you can protect your brand. It turns out, the more high-tech we get, the more high-touch we need to be.
Static photos are so last year. With their recent partnership with Hovr, Curator Hotel & Resort Collection now offers members a fast, turnkey way to plug high-impact video into their sites without a full redesign. It gives guests a sneak peek they can’t scroll past and delivers real-time performance insights that help hotels understand what inspires guests to book.
Wardrobes are vanishing. Is it just us, or do hotel rooms seem to be shrinking? WSJ offers a few thoughts on the money-making secrets behind hotel design.
Chasing that "best night’s sleep of my life" review. One California hotel is betting big on rest, turning a $3,000 mattress into the headline amenity. Sleep, packaged well, is a destination in itself.
Besotted with boutiques. Tablet Hotels' Smallest New Boutique Hotels list is a sublime example that scale dictates very little when vision is doing the heavy lifting.
The hotel bar is back. From an "illustrious piano bar with panache" to a Belle Époque-era establishment with "gilded glamour and Latino spirit," here’s a look at eight of the best hotel bars in the world. It’s a whole new kind of bucket list.
Importing the "manor" vibe
London’s buzz-worthy The Twenty Two officially landed in NYC last year, bringing its signature blend of 78 hotel rooms (including 19 suites) and a private members club to the historic Margaret Louisa home. The interior design group Child Studio gave the Union Square property a West London manor makeover, reimagining American vernacular styles with a distinctly modern New York edge.
Why it matters: We're so here for design that shifts away from impressive and moves toward intimate. The line between a hotel room and a guest bedroom is intentionally blurred, as velvet, rich wood and custom furnishings kill the corporate hospitality feel entirely. Styling spaces to look like a well-traveled friend’s apartment makes a premium price point feel justified not by square footage, but by the intense level of comfort and curation it provides. (Hospitality Design)
Above: A guestroom at The Twenty Two NYC. (Courtesy)
Unpredictability: AI’s known risk
It's tempting to toss generative AI into your high-frequency guest touchpoints like answering FAQs or suggesting local experiences, but it's not a plug-and-play upgrade. Without clear oversight and security, any small misstep today is a guarantee of guest friction later.
Why it matters: Generative AI’s free-form nature introduces real brand risk when responses go off-voice, data handling gets fuzzy or the tech simply guesses wrong. Vetting vendors for transparency, encryption, audit trails and clear escalation paths protects the trust you’ve worked hard to earn while still unlocking real productivity gains. When you bake security into your AI rollout, you deepen loyalty instead of risking reputational damage. (CX Dive)
The indie advantage: Agility over scale
Small scale can deliver outsized profit potential. Hotels with personality, local roots and agility gain a significant competitive advantage in their market, driving revenue and long-term ROI that outperforms standardized competitors.
Why it matters: There's a distinct freedom in not having to be everything to everyone. As an independent owner, entering a competitive city doesn’t mean you have to blend in—it means you must stand out.
Your superpower is your ability to offer a genuine connection to the place and the people; this attracts the kind of guest who is happy to pay for an experience they can't get anywhere else. What makes you distinct drives direct bookings, boosts your ROI and cements your hotel as a vital part of your city's future. (Hotel Dive)
Inbox zero just got further away
Travelers are actively internet-sleuthing for management contact info, convinced that a personal note is the secret to unlocking VIP treatment. The "secret" is out, and your inbox is likely seeing a spike in "special occasion" claims.
Why it matters: This behavior highlights a massive gap in the OTA experience: the lack of human connection. Independent hotels have the agility to actually say "yes" (or at least "maybe"), whereas big chains are very likely bound by more rigid policy.
Our take: While the influx of copy/paste requests might feel like spam, consider treating them as warm leads. These guests have already identified themselves as wanting a premium experience, so use this opening to upsell a paid upgrade or a high-margin amenity package. You could turn a request for "free" into incremental revenue. (People)
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Mint Pillow is curated and written by Jennifer Glatt and edited by Bianca Prieto.
