Expedia clears eight senior product and technology leaders in an AI-driven reorganisation, the major hotel brands all ship conversational search on the same week, Mews takes its POS across the Atlantic and Spotnana folds in TROOP for meetings travel.
Expedia thins its tech bench in AI reset
At least eight VPs and SVPs are leaving Expedia Group as it restructures its Product and Technology organisation around smaller AI-focused squads, with SVP of book-to-trip technology and former Amazon executive Sachin Singh the most senior name out the door. Also departing are Sara Beckmann, Ian Butcher, Matt Esler, Amitabh Ghosh, Emil Riccardi, Fiona Stevenson and Shao Xie. The move trades coordinating executive layers for teams aligned more tightly to brands and products.
Every major brand ships conversational search at once
Hilton launched AI Planner on Hilton.com and wired it to Google AI Mode, ChatGPT and Claude for trip planning and Honors Points redemption, while IHG rolled out natural-language search across IHG.com and its app and Marriott introduced Ask Bonvoy. Google, meanwhile, added hotel booking inside AI Mode with Choice Hotels and Hilton among launch partners. The direct channel is being rebuilt around the chat box.
Mews takes POS across the Atlantic
Mews launched its point-of-sale product in the US and Canada, unifying property management, food and beverage and payments on one system after earlier rollouts in Europe and APAC. The expansion continues its push to consolidate the operational stack under a single platform.
Spotnana folds TROOP into corporate travel
Corporate travel platform Spotnana completed its acquisition of meetings and events travel planner TROOP, integrating those capabilities into its wider stack. The deal adds a meetings and events layer to Spotnana's managed travel offering.
Cloudbeds puts a chat layer on its data
Cloudbeds introduced Ask Signals, a conversational AI interface built on its unified hotel data, alongside Cloudbeds Insights, a reporting and data intelligence product aimed at large groups and multi-property operators. Both lean on the same theme dominating the week: natural-language access to operational data.
Revenue Analytics aims Climber RMS at the independents
Revenue Analytics launched Climber RMS, a revenue management system built for independent and boutique hotels, family-owned groups and regional chains in North America. Separately, Sceptre integrated its Wave RMS with Apaleo PMS, syncing rates, restrictions and oversell limits — more evidence that the RMS-PMS interoperability layer is where much of the plumbing work sits.
Chairs change hands at HBX, KAYAK and FCM
HBX Group named Brendan Brennan interim chief executive, KAYAK appointed Katherine Clark as GM and VP of EMEA, and FCM Travel created a Chief Customer Officer role for Jo Lloyd. Convene Hospitality Group also brought in Melanie Colton as Chief Product and Technology Officer.
On the calendar
- HEDNA Global Distribution Conference 2026 — 2026-09-14, Orlando, United States
- Arival 360 Las Vegas 2026 — 2026-09-27, Las Vegas, United States
- Hospitality Tech Expo 2026 — 2026-09-29, London, United Kingdom
- HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference - Europe 2026 — 2026-10-21, London, United Kingdom
- The Hospitality Show 2026 — 2026-11-02, Miami Beach, United States
More next week.
