Hotels are fast to reply but slow to resolve
A new analysis of reservation workflows by Lobby, an AI platform that automates booking operations for travel and hospitality suppliers, challenges the industry’s focus on response times and conversion rates. Lobby found that hotels often answer quickly without fully resolving guests’ questions. Only 44% of multi-question enquiries were completely answered, and nearly 12% of inbound emails came from guests repeating a request they had already made. Guest preferences were also frequently overlooked, even when bookings were completed.
Lobby also found that hotels treat reservations as administrative tasks rather than commercial opportunities. In 42% of cases, conversations ended after a refused request with no alternative offered. Co-Founder and CEO Romy Abbrederis said hotels are “solving transactions but not maximizing value” and urged teams to look beyond traditional KPIs to the quality of the reservation journey. Lobby announced the findings ahead of the Web in Travel conference in Singapore (September 30 to October 2), where it will compete for the People’s Choice Award after winning the startup competition at PhocusWright Europe in June.
Update: Lobby was voted as the People’s Choice Winner at WiT Singapore.
Tech enhances Polar travel but can’t replace human element
Sam Seward, President of Quark Expeditions, told the Travel Trends Podcast that polar expedition travel reflects a broader shift in premium tourism: travelers increasingly want access, expertise and unique experiences over scale. Unlike conventional cruising, expedition travel relies on smaller vessels, expert-led programs and remote destinations. Quark is responding with specialized offerings, such as a Guided Photography Program limited to 16 guests per group, and growing demand for programs combining exploration with education, including citizen science and conservation.
Booking behavior is shifting too. Seward said Antarctica is being booked further in advance and at higher average values, while the Arctic has historically drawn more last-minute demand. He added that technology can make trips easier and help the company understand guest preferences, but it cannot replace guides, scientists and crew. The conversation opens Season 8 of the podcast, which launched September 9 and covers polar travel, wellness, culinary and Indigenous tourism, marketing, distribution, startups, and travel technology and AI.
AI will transform tourism, but human experiences remain at its core
For World Tourism Day (September 27), whose 2026 theme is digitalization and AI, PR firm Belvera Partners hosted a LinkedIn Live panel with Catt McLeod of Elegant Hotels of the World, Ivonne Arriola of Connect by PriceTravel Holding, and Daniel Pino of Aloja. Panelists agreed that AI is accelerating change across the travel value chain, from how travelers discover and book to how experiences are designed and how profitable companies are. McLeod noted that end travelers can now book directly, a task once reserved for professional bookers. Pino said AI will change almost everything in travel except the experience itself.
All participants stressed that tourism remains built on human experiences and that technology should support, not replace, them. They called for responsible AI adoption, including governance, data privacy safeguards, employee training and investment in digital skills. Arriola warned that AI has advanced faster than regulation and should be used with humans overseeing it. Pino urged companies seeing falling bookings amid rising demand to re-examine their customer acquisition strategies. Watch the panel here
84% of UK travellers prefer flexible or refund-protected bookings
Protect Group’s 2026 Global Booking Anxiety Report, produced with Web in Travel and Phocuswright, found that 84% of UK respondents prefer bookings with flexibility or refund reassurance over the cheapest no-refund option. When shown otherwise identical bookings, 47% chose a pricier option with built-in flexibility, 37% chose a cheaper option with refund protection added, and only 16% picked the lowest price with no refundability. A full refund was the top confidence factor, ranked first by 36% of respondents, and 39% said getting 100% of their money back was the most appealing aspect of refund protection. Protect Group defines “booking anxiety” as the uncertainty customers feel before, during and after booking, which peaks at checkout. Stephen Joyce, Global Strategy Lead for Travel, Tours and OTAs, said price is only part of the decision, and the report recommends that sellers show refund information early in the purchase journey and offer protection both within higher-priced flexible options and as an optional checkout add-on.
Traxo and Otonoma partner to resolve travel disruptions without putting the burden on travellers
Traxo, a real-time corporate travel data provider, and Otonoma, which is building an intelligent network for travel and hospitality called the Paranet, announced a long-term technology and mutual referral partnership that gives Otonoma a live view of every booking on a trip, regardless of where it was made. 30-40% of corporate bookings are made directly with suppliers or consumer sites, outside any single system, so downstream providers often never learn of changes. Traxo’s AutoDetect captures confirmations within seconds of purchase and streams full itineraries into Otonoma’s network, which monitors for problems such as a canceled flight that would cause a missed meeting. When one arises, the network automatically coordinates supplier APIs, human travel advisors and AI agents to fix it in the background while keeping the traveler informed through their preferred channel. Otonoma CEO Jim Harding said travellers stay informed but are never the ones who have to fix problems. A limited number of corporate travel programs can join the pilot now, ahead of general availability in Q4 2026 through the Traxo Marketplace and other outlets. Existing Traxo clients can activate Otonoma with a single authorization and no IT work.
