🛎️ Tariffs shake up hotels, Mews hits a milestone and Expedia opens up messaging

💸 What tariffs could mean for hotels

Rising tariffs could raise hotel construction and renovation costs. These cost increases could potentially impact ongoing developments in the short term.

On top of that, lodging stocks took a dip last week, with investors reacting to economic uncertainty.

It’s still too early, but I find it interesting how the global supply chain keeps shifting priorities overnight. Especially for asset-heavy businesses like hotels.

📈 Mews keeps scaling as demand grows

Mews now powers operations for over 12,500 hotels globally. The company continues to expand in North America and Europe.

With hotel groups like Generator and Strawberry on board, one of the founders, Richard Valtr, says they’re investing in AI and automation next.

PMS systems aren’t just back-end tools anymore. They’re slowly evolving towards strategic growth engines.

💬 Expedia opens the door to HiJiffy chats

HiJiffy now connects directly with Expedia, letting hotels manage pre-stay messages in one place.

For hotels using HiJiffy’s chatbot, Expedia messages will now land right inside their existing dashboard.

It might seem like a small update, but to me, this solves the problem of fragmented communication across multiple channels.

🏨 Hotel bookings up 16.8% for Easter 2025

SiteMinder’s latest data shows a 16.8% increase in Easter bookings across nine hotel markets compared to 2024.

Properties are seeing more bookings and earlier lead times, with guests planning an average of 96 days ahead.

Spain and Portugal lead in both volume and ADR.

Interestingly, while demand grows, the average stay is getting shorter, and more international guests are showing up in nearly every market.

This could point to a more international and confident market, but one that’s still price sensitive.

⚙️ More automation coming from Amadeus and Canary

Amadeus and Canary Technologies are expanding their partnership to automate more hotel tasks.

Their new integration helps front desk teams verify IDs and collect deposits faster.

CEO Harman Narula of Canary says it’s all about reducing friction. What I like here is the focus on actual problems, not just flashy AI buzzwords.

🤝 A new boost in upselling for RoomRaccoon hotels

RoomRaccoon’s new integration with Great Stay lets hotels send personalized upsell offers during the stay.

If you are looking to boost ancillary revenue, this integration automates the promotion of add-ons like room upgrades or breakfasts.

To me, this signals how smaller hotels are getting access to tools that were once only for big brands.

🏷️ SiteMinder rolls out real-time pricing tools

SiteMinder now offers dynamic pricing tools that let hotels respond to demand changes in real time.

Its new tools let hotels automatically adjust rates based on demand signals, even down to the channel level.

Sure, this isn’t new tech, but it’s finally within reach.