Expedia elevates AI and data to the C-suite, a run of CTO chairs change hands across hospitality, Oracle threads an assistant through OPERA Cloud and Cendyn starts watching how hotels show up inside ChatGPT.
Expedia names its first AI and data chief
Expedia Group has appointed Xavier Amatriain as its first Chief AI and Data Officer, moving both functions to the C-suite. The title itself is the signal: a global platform is treating AI capability as a standing leadership mandate rather than a project buried under the CTO.
The CTO chairs keep turning over
A cluster of technology leadership moves landed at once: Choice Hotels promoted Tony Pallas to CTO, Access Hospitality named Aravinda Gollapudi CTO, AmaWaterways appointed Virginia Suliman CTO and Remington Hospitality brought in Ayotunde Gibbs as EVP of Technology. Travelodge also named Kinnari Ladha Chief Data Officer, another hotel brand putting data leadership at the top. The concentration says technology and data mandates are being formalised across operators, not just vendors.
RateGain hands the Americas to Toby March
RateGain Travel Technologies has appointed Toby March as Executive Vice President, Americas, a senior regional post at the distribution-focused SaaS provider. A commercial leadership hire on the vendor side, distinct from the run of operator CTO moves.
Oracle threads an assistant through OPERA Cloud
Oracle introduced the OPERA Cloud Assistant, a set of AI capabilities embedded directly into OPERA Cloud workflows rather than bolted on as a separate tool. It fits the broader pattern of AI shifting from standalone products into the core operations layer, where the PMS already lives.
Cendyn starts watching the ChatGPT shelf
Cendyn unveiled Wayfinder, a GEO analytics and LLM monitoring platform that tracks how hotel content surfaces inside models such as Gemini and ChatGPT. It follows Lighthouse data showing AI referral traffic to hotel websites climbing after ChatGPT expanded outbound links, and marks the point where AI citation share becomes something hoteliers are expected to measure.
Revenue Analytics takes Climber RMS to North America
Revenue Analytics launched Climber RMS in North America, an AI-driven revenue system pitched at independents, boutique groups and regional chains rather than the enterprise. Lighthouse also debuted Ernest, an AI commercial teammate, as the RMS category continues to fill in the segments legacy tools left underserved.
On the calendar
- ESTO 2026 — 2026-08-23, Philadelphia, United States
- HEDNA Global Distribution Conference 2026 — 2026-09-14, Orlando, United States
- WYSTC 2026 — 2026-09-16, Marrakech, Morocco
- Arival 360 Las Vegas 2026 — 2026-09-27, Las Vegas, United States
More next week.
