Lodging Conference 2026: optimism in hospitality, a crisis in marketing measurement

The 2026 Lodging Conference held in the USA demonstrated optimistic sentiment in the hotel sector, while also bringing to the agenda the impact of artificial intelligence on distribution channels and the problems in marketing measurement.

Martin Soler drew attention to the attribution crisis in hotel marketing at the conference. According to him, artificial intelligence, zero-click searches, and the loss of third-party cookies make it difficult for a hotel to track the path from discovery to booking. Wayne West III, meanwhile, noted that alongside optimism, development advantages are shifting and the concerns created by artificial intelligence in distribution.

Within the framework of the conference, the Duetto company announced that it had begun implementing a revenue management system covering 930 properties with B&B Hotels. Revinate, in turn, presented a data platform for 1.25 billion guest profiles. Property projects planned in places such as Saudi Arabia and Silicon Valley were also discussed at the event.

These discussions are also relevant for hotels and guesthouses in Azerbaijan: rising intermediary costs in online booking channels and the difficulty of measuring advertising results have a direct impact on the profitability of small properties.