Raymond Cyrus

Corporate buyers have changed how they shop for hotels — so Hilton rebuilt its entire B2B sales machine around them. The company reorganized its sales operation around three distinct buyer types: unmanaged accounts using digital self-serve portals, customers who buy digitally but want a human when they get stuck, and large accounts where direct sellers handle complex negotiations. The most notable move is a new direct booking connection with Navan that pipes negotiated rates straight from Hilton's reservation system — tackling the "leakage" problem where negotiated rates get buried by intermediaries. Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG are reportedly testing similar connections. One clever detail: to retrain reps, Hilton now runs monthly "scrimmage" sessions where sellers rehearse tough client conversations live, with real-time coaching. hubs.li/Q04shHgx0

Every major hotel company is cutting fees this earnings season — Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt all giving owners money back. IHG is doing the opposite: handing owners a bundled services package (marketing, web design, training) instead of cash. CEO Elie Maalouf’s line: “It isn’t less for less. It’s more for less.” The bet: 85% of IHG’s Americas portfolio sits in lower-cost Essentials and Suites brands, and loyalty nights have jumped from under 50% to 67% globally in five years. Maalouf says owners wanted more loyalty contribution, not fee cuts. Owner pressure is the story of this earnings season. IHG is the one betting it can sit it out. hubs.li/Q04sJccn0

Hotel owners have been squeezed for two years: U.S. rate growth turned negative last year while insurance, energy, and labor costs kept climbing. Now Hilton is responding, cutting loyalty fees by 30 basis points and rolling out a new program called RISE that discounts fees for hotels hitting rising guest-experience benchmarks. CEO Chris Nassetta calls it a top priority: "We're spending a huge amount of time on this." But there's nuance here too: royalty fees, which flow straight to Hilton's bottom line, are untouched, and management/franchise fees actually rose 6.4% year over year. A follow-on effort called "RISE II" is reportedly already underway to dig further into the hotel P&L. How much of this genuinely rebuilds owner margins, and how much is optics? Worth reading our full breakdown: hubs.li/Q04r5Tww0