Apaleo, the API-first property management platform for hospitality businesses, has launched Apaleo Copilot, a new agentic layer embedded in the platform that simplifies hotel operations. With a lightweight chat interface, staff can ask Apaleo Copilot to handle complex tasks, such as checking arrivals, extending stays, planning housekeeping, resolving overbookings, and assigning rooms, without having to switch between multiple systems or applications.

As Independent Accommodation Day takes place today, 24 March, industry data suggests independent accommodation providers are increasingly turning to practical AI tools to improve efficiency and stay competitive in a more demanding market. The shift comes as PwC’s latest hotels forecast says the UK hotel sector enters 2026 with “a sense of resilience and renewed confidence,” supported by strong international demand, event-led travel and a steady recovery in domestic leisure. PwC forecasts 1.5% RevPAR growth and 1.2% occupancy growth across the UK regions in 2026. But, it also points to ongoing cost pressure, tighter margins and softer rate growth, increasing the need for operators to find new efficiencies.

Access Hospitality, the hospitality technology division of The Access Group, today announced the appointment of Aravinda Gollapudi as Chief Technology Officer. She will lead the organization’s global technology vision with a focus on embedding agentic AI across its platform to deliver smarter, more connected operations for hospitality businesses. Aravinda joins from Sage, where as Head of Platform Business Unit and SVP of Technology she led a globally distributed organization spanning product, engineering and platform strategy. Her 28-year career includes leadership roles at Intuit, Ellie Mae and VeriSign, with deep expertise in SaaS architecture, AI driven transformation and large scale platform development. She was recently named among Channel Insider’s 2025 Top 50 AI Leaders in the Channel and is a Stevie Award winner, recognizing her impact in bringing enterprise AI into commercial reality

As AI becomes an everyday part of travel planning, one thing is increasingly clear: while the technology may be global, how travellers use it is anything but uniform. New data from TripGenie, Trip.com's AI travel assistant, reveals that three years of real-world usage have surfaced new patterns in how travellers plan, decide and navigate their journeys.

TripWorks, the AI- and business intelligence-driven booking and automation platform for tours, activities, and attractions operators, today issued a warning that the travel industry is heading into a decisive consolidation phase as AI accelerates a long‑brewing SaaS shakeout. New research shows travel agencies and operators are relying on an unsustainable number of disconnected systems – a fragmentation problem that is driving up costs, eroding margins, and undermining customer experience.

Propellic, the leading AI-focused travel marketing and advertising agency, has been announced as the headline sponsor of the Travel Marketing AI Summit 2026, taking place March 24 in New York City. This premier event brings together senior leaders at the intersection of travel, marketing, and artificial intelligence to explore how AI is transforming the traveler journey; from discovery to loyalty. As the sole travel marketing & advertising agency on the roster, Propellic will bring its expertise in travel marketing across AI visibility optimization (GEO), performance marketing, SEO, data, and analytics to the event.