In Skift’s new Power Rankings for 2026, hospitality execs illustrated a key AI challenge: AI is widely available, but most hotels aren’t ready for it. According to Marriott CIO Naveen Manga, every hotel company has access to the same models, tools, and vendors, so standing out hinges on the back end. Nearly all hotels want that, said Hapi’s Luis Segredo, but almost none have the data to really pursue it. Yet.
This work is starting to take shape, however, especially among majors like IHG and Wyndham, both speakers at the Skift Global Forum, kicking off Tuesday. IHG is rebuilding its content so AI can better match properties to traveler needs, while Wyndham is feeding live rates and inventory into LLMs, adapting data based on traveler requests. Accessing AI is the easy part; what’s harder is all the prep needed to make it useful.
Skift Global Forum
The AI conversation in travel has moved past pilots and proofs of concept. The question now is who controls the interface between traveler and trip, and what an AI-native travel company actually looks like when built from the ground up.
Hear it firsthand in New York, September 22–24: OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor on AI's real impact, Brian Chesky on rebuilding Airbnb as AI-native, and the CEOs of Booking Holdings, Expedia, and Hilton on where the advantage goes next. 94% sold, 56 seats left.
CURACITY + SKIFT
At Skift Data + AI Summit 2026, travel leaders shared how AI is moving from pilots to production, with data, ownership, and trust emerging as the biggest differentiators.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Skift Global Forum Preview: Wyndham CEO on Placing Its Own Agents Inside the AI Models
September 17, 2026
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
Starlink is becoming the must-have feature in aviation but the price tag is staggering. $500,000 to outfit a single plane, $28 million just for American's narrowbody fleet, and then another $20 million a year in monthly fees on top of that.
In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down who is actually footing the bill, why airlines are racing to install it anyway, and whether passengers will start choosing flights based on whether they have Starlink.
SKIFT RESEARCH
How are public travel tech companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.
