AI Tourism Innovator Weekly Digest #22: Actionable AI Insights for Travel Brands

Hey travel professional,

1. Polarsteps Adds AI Itineraries & Shareable Reels

Source: Polarsteps newsroom

Published: 24 Jun 2025

What’s happening:

The popular trip-tracking app now lets users generate day-by-day itineraries in seconds and export them as short, Instagram-ready reels.

Why it matters:

Combining AI planning with social-media formats shortens the path from inspiration to booking.

Actionable tip: Integrate a “make-a-reel” button after itinerary creation to boost organic reach.

💡 Prompt: “Which itinerary moments would our guests love to share as a reel?”

2. HRS Unveils Copilot for Corporate Hotel Programs

Source: Business Travel Executive

Published: 17 Jun 2025

What’s happening:

Copilot utilizes generative AI to flag out-of-policy bookings, predict savings, and suggest preferred hotels in real-time.

Why it matters:

TMCs and corporates can cut leakage and admin work while boosting traveller compliance.

Actionable tip: Feed your negotiated-rate data into an AI rule engine so travellers see “best for policy” suggestions first.

💡 Prompt: “How can we surface policy-smart hotel options before travellers go off-tool?”

3. MARA’s “Ask Reviews Anything” Turns Guest Feedback into Answers

Source: Hotel Tech Report

Published: 24 Jun 2025

What’s happening:

Front-office teams type questions (“What do guests say about breakfast?”) and the AI summarizes thousands of reviews instantly.

Why it matters:

Real-time sentiment insights help you fix pain points before they hit TripAdvisor.

Actionable tip: Connect your review feeds to an AI dashboard and create a weekly “top three fixes” report for ops teams.

💡 Prompt: “What recurring complaint should we tackle first, according to our latest reviews?”

4. MarketWatch Pits Generative-AI Flight Search vs Google Flights

Source: MarketWatch

Published: 24 Jun 2025

What’s happening:

A journalist asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Google Flights, and a human agent to find the cheapest NYC–Charlotte fare. AI came last; Google Flights and the agent won.

Why it matters:

Pure LLMs lack real-time pricing feeds, highlighting the need to blend AI with live GDS data.

Actionable tip: Ensure your AI chat or planner pipes directly into up-to-date inventory APIs, otherwise, price accuracy will erode trust.

💡 Prompt: “Are our AI quotes pulled from live fares or static averages?”

5. HiJiffy White Paper: Where Hoteliers Want AI Most

Source: HotelSpeak

Published: 24 Jun 2025

What’s happening:

Survey of 1,200 properties shows highest AI interest in upselling (62 %), 24/7 guest messaging (55 %), and housekeeping scheduling (41 %).

Why it matters:

Focus your first pilots where peers see the biggest ROI.

Actionable tip: Start an AI upsell engine tied to PMS data—then expand to messaging and staff scheduling.

💡 Prompt: “Which upsell trigger (room upgrade, late checkout) should our AI test first?”

6. Global AI Hospitality Market Now Seen Hitting $58.6 B by 2029

Source: EIN Presswire

Published: 26 Jun 2025

What’s happening:

New forecast pegs five-year CAGR at 30 %, nearly doubling some earlier estimates.

Why it matters:

Investment and competitive pressure will intensify; waiting means playing catch-up.

Actionable tip: Secure budget now: show leadership how competitors plan to capture a slice of that 30 % growth.

💡 Prompt: “What revenue line can an AI tool boost fastest for us—ADR, conversion, or ancillary?”

Why You’re Receiving This

You’re receiving this because you’ve either subscribed to the AI Tourism Innovator newsletter or downloaded one of my resources in the past. If you prefer not to receive these updates, you can always unsubscribe via the link in the footer below.

That said, I see this as a great opportunity for all of us to connect, share ideas, and take advantage of these exciting changes in tourism. 

After all, more minds are better than one! 🙌

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Kind regards,
Ivan Ivanovic
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-ivanovic-marketing/