New Episode Drops 12/2: Adam Harris, CEO of Cloudbeds:
This week’s episode is with Adam Harris, the co-founder and CEO of Cloudbeds — one of the most influential hotel-tech companies on earth, powering 1.2M+ rooms across 157 countries.
How Cloudbeds started
Why Cloudbeds acquired a tiny channel manager that ended up eliminating their competition
How “systems of action” will replace legacy PMS thinking
Why Cloudbeds do not “buy” customers
Travel & AI News:
1) Marriott & MGM Launch Joint Booking Platform — Finally Live
Source: Marriott - MGM
Sloan’s Take:
This is a power move. Marriott is quietly building an entertainment- experience-plus-hospitality empire.
2) Airbnb Announces “Group Trip Planning” Powered by Generative AI
Source: Airbnb Article
Sloan’s Take:
Airbnb is recreating the future of trip planning while hotels still brag about kiosks and mobile keys. Hotels are competing on amenity upgrades while Airbnb is competing on workflow ownership.
3) Booking.com Expands “AI Trip Planner” Globally
Source: Booking.com AI Trip Planner
Sloan’s Take:
OTAs are now the discovery layer AND the experience engine. If brands don’t build their own AI-driven inspiration funnels, they become pure commodity inventory.
Source: Airbnb Social Announcement
Airbnb announced new social features for Airbnb Experiences, allowing guests to connect with fellow travelers before, during, and after activities. At the same time, Airbnb is rolling out AI-enhanced search and discovery, flexible carousels, updated maps, and more AI-powered support features to improve matching and loyalty.
Sloan’s Take:
Airbnb is using AI to make travel more social and more emotional, not just more efficient. That’s the real threat to hotels: they’re building belonging as a product. If hotels don’t find a way to own community and connection, they’ll be just beds — and beds are easy to price-shop.
5) Hotel Giants Cut Corporate Roles as Tech Reshapes Staffing
Source: Hotel News
Hotel News Resource reports that major hotel companies are trimming corporate ranks, citing cost discipline and the impact of technology and automation. The article notes that targeted cuts are likely to continue as tech reshapes staffing needs at the corporate level.
Sloan’s Take:
This is the first visible wave of AI + automation hitting the back office. There will be more to come. Then eventually (in 12 - 24 months) innovation will be less about layoffs and more about who can redeploy people into revenue-generating roles. The third-party managers and brands that don’t build AI literacy into their org design will be the ones getting consolidated.
The future just pulled ahead. Time to catch up.
Stay Not Done.
Cheers, Sloan