Turn Down: 21 October 2025

Punch Hospitality have pulled together all the latest hospitality marketing news from the past week, just for you. Skip the newsletter and delving into reports and get the key highlights of the week, directly from the experts, with overviews and links to find out more. These are the stories that are constantly guiding our strategies and helping us go above and beyond for clients – winning guests and driving revenue. Interested in learning more? Explore the rest of our website.

In this week’s wrap up, we’re covering how the rise of AI search is impacting one of the internet’s most beloved information sources, how Meta is making their platforms safer for children, and what the top travel trends for 2026 will be! And as always, you can get in touch with any questions about hospitality marketing by emailing us or dropping us a call at 0113 255 7285

AI

• Wikipedia (once the go-to site for research and trusted information on the internet) says that traffic is falling, with human pageviews decreasing 8% YoY due to the shifting ways in which people seek information. They cite people turning to Gen AI and social media rather than traditional search for information as the reason for this.
• Reddit’s cofounder, Alexis Ohanian, has stated that ‘much of the internet is now dead’. He referenced the dead internet theory, stating that the internet was ‘quasi-AI’ but believes there’s hope in the future, with group chats booming with human-generated content and discussions. 
• Google has released Veo 3.1, a new AI video generation model that aims to add more realism and has better quality and control for the user. Since launching Flow, Google has said that over 275 million videos have been generated across its Veo models.
• Reddit’s AI tool is in the spotlight as it suggests users use drugs that are illegal in many states and countries. It poses an issue as there’s no current way to turn off or flag a problem with Reddit Answers.

Marketing

• Meta is creating a PG-13 system for Instagram to help protect children using the platform. All users under 18 will be automatically placed into the 13+ setting, but will be able to opt out with their parents’ permission. The setting is intended to tighten restrictions on content that is sexually suggestive, graphic, or contains adult products such as tobacco or alcohol.
• Amazon Web Services faced an outage, leaving dozens of websites and apps, including Duolingo and Canva, down for users internationally. It doesn’t appear to be caused by a cyber-attack. 
• Meta is testing skippable ads on Instagram reels.
• WhatsApp has banned general purpose chatbots. This means travel companies running a bot for customer service won’t be banned from the service but you won’t be able to distribute AI assistants or agents on the platform – which has its own Meta AI integrated.
• Meta released a guide to the festive season, revealing that 63% of shoppers say that meta technologies are likely to influence their purchases in the season and 80% of those following creators purchase a product that they discovered via personalised ads on social media.
• Google introduces collapsible ads on Google Search under a new button: ‘Hide sponsored results’. This is intended to make it easier for people to navigate to the top of the pager and allows users to focus on organic content if they wish.

Hospitality

• American Airlines have introduced a new gen AI tool to help customers with inspiration and planning for their next trip. The guest can just type in a trip idea and the tool will generate a list of recommended destinations with travel dates and fare including an interactive map or discovering attractions. It’ll be coming to the mobile app in the next few weeks. 
• Adding to their current AI tools such as Kayak Price Check and Ask Kayak, travel website Kayak have launched an AI mode in their website that will answer travel related questions. 
• The commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism for the European commission, Apostolos Tzitzikostas has shared their strategic goals: helping destinations transition to more sustainable models, promoting digital innovation, and deepening international partnerships.
• Buy Now, Pay Later company Upgrade have announced they’ve secured $165 million in funding, reflecting their success with major travel brands as consumers continue to turn to these payment options.
• UKinbound have related their latest Business Barometer results, suggesting that the UK’s inbound visitor economy is stable leading into Q4. 40% of respondents have said that visitor numbers for Q4 are expected to be the same as the previous year and 31% have said these bookings are expected to be higher than 2024. On average, businesses are forecasting revenue to grow by 14%.
• Priceline’s 2026 “Where to next?” travel trends report has revealed that on average, travellers are planning to spend 15 days on leisure travel in 2026, with budgets increasing by approximately $350. Nostalgia is driving bookings as well as adventure activities and escaping from digital routines. 
• Booking.com reveal their travel predictions for 2026 including ultra personalised travel experiences and the way the traditional road trip is being redefined among younger generations. 

• Skyscanner have also shared their Travel Trends 2026 report, highlighting culinary tourism, travellers looking at local beauty cultures and an increase in bookings in hotels with mountain views.
• Finally, Expedia Group has also related their annual Travel Trends overview. Alongside a continued interest in local culture and immersive experiences other companies have reported, they noted how hotel hopping was becoming more popular with travellers staying in multiple hotels in the same destination to experience different neighbourhoods or get a better deal.

Ready to start getting serious about attracting more guests in 2026 and beyond? Interested in learning more about the hospitality marketing trends that will be shaping the industry? Our team of hospitality experts and enthusiasts will be happy to talk to you about your commercial goals and the strategy you need to achieve them. Get in touch with Punch today.