Blog

How to get direct bookings for your vacation rental (and stop paying OTA fees every time)

The real cost of OTA commissions, five ways operators win guests back to direct booking, and how vacation rental companies are converting one-time Airbnb and Vrbo stays into repeat direct revenue.

Hotel guest experience: how to design every touchpoint to earn 5-star reviews and repeat stays

A practical guide to improving hotel guest experience, covering pre-arrival communication through post-stay follow-up, and how properties deliver consistent service without adding headcount.

Early Check-In and Late Checkout: when guests actually buy them

Across a year of upsell purchases on Akia, early check-in sells on arrival day (42%) and late checkout sells on departure day (49%), and the bigger the party, the more likely they are to buy and the more they spend.

AI for hotels: the tools operators are actually deploying in 2026 (and what each one does)

A practical guide to AI in hospitality — the specific workflows hotels and vacation rentals are automating, what each AI category does, and how to build a stack that actually frees your team to focus on guests.

Hotel marketing: a practical playbook for filling rooms and building direct-booking loyalty

A practical guide to hotel marketing: what it covers, which channels drive the best returns, and how properties build direct-booking loyalty without depending on OTAs.

Hotel front desk software: what the best properties use (and why a unified inbox changes everything)

A practical guide to hotel front desk software — the five categories operators actually use, what to look for in each, and why the communication layer matters more than the PMS for day-to-day staff productivity.

Hotel upsell software: how to choose a platform that turns check-in into a revenue moment

A practical guide to evaluating hotel upsell software — what to look for, what to avoid, and how properties are generating $1K–$20K/month in ancillary revenue on autopilot.

Guest messaging: a practical guide for hotels and short-term rentals

Guest messaging is how guests expect to reach you now. Here's what works across SMS, WhatsApp, OTA inboxes, and web chat — without burning out the front desk.

Ask Akia: the same AI handling your guests, now works for your team

For every shift manager who's been asked the same question 40 times and every new hire who's had to call a manager on day two.

The #1 reason guests leave a 1-star rating.

Akia looked at one- and two-star guest reviews and found 21.8% are about the room itself — six times more than any other complaint category. An in-stay survey catches complaints privately before they go public, an AI agent that picks up on complaints in guest messages spins up tasks for the right team, and patterns across stays show which units and issues keep coming up.

Two things that make Akia work: Knowledge Base and Skills

We've reorganized your AI Agent settings around the distinction that matters most: what Akia knows vs. how she behaves.

What 900,000 guest messages reveal about how properties actually run

Across a 30-day sample of 900,000 guest messages flowing through Akia, roughly 4 out of 5 are repetitive questions an AI agent handles on day one. A smaller middle tier requires an agent trained on the property's specific policies. A final tier are complaints, refunds, and safety issues that should always escalate to a human.

Akia UI Updates: April 2026

We made updates to the Mini Apps, Knowledge Base, and Orders interfaces. Here’s what changed and where to find things in the new layout.

Lost in translation: hotels are turning language barriers into 5-star reviews

The small operational fix that turns frustrated foreign-language guests into five-star reviewers.

Why 65-87% of hotels are chronically short-staffed at the front desk — and what automation is doing about it

The worker gap is widening. Properties that automate now will be structurally better off when it arrives in full.

40% of hotel bookings happen within a week.

Why booking windows are shrinking and how to capture last-minute demand without dropping rates

When our best employee leaves, does their knowledge go with them?

Add your SOPs to Akia’s knowledge base so your AI Agent helps keep the guest experience consistent across your team.

Train it once. Let it work forever.

AI Agents train themselves on your team’s knowledge such as policies, brand, and operations, then applies it across every guest interaction.

Hand it your property handbook. AI Agents replace months of onboarding.

When most people hear "AI training," they picture months of setup, technical teams, and complex configurations. In hospitality, it’s way easier. Akia's AI Agents learn from your website, your Property Management System, and your team to handle guest experiences on their own.

Your AI Agent isn’t just support. It’s a revenue engine.

How to use Akia’s AI Agent to drive direct bookings & upsell smarter.

Reduce guest inquiries with AI that reads your website.

Akia’s AI Agents read your website for context on FAQs, policies, amenities, and more to automatically respond to guests.

Akia customers featured in the MICHELIN Key list of top hotels

MICHELIN recognized these Akia-powered hotels for more than just great design; they deliver experiences that guests remember long after checkout.

Automate after-hours support for your team.

Schedule when AI Agents need to respond automatically and choose the tasks they’re allowed to handle.

AI Agents troubleshoot issues step by step to reduce maintenance calls.

Walk guests through simple fixes and give your team the context they need to avoid unnecessary dispatches and resolve real issues faster.

AI Agents reference your Guest Book to answer guest inquiries.

AI Agents pull policies, instructions, and offers from your Mini App to better respond to your guests, cutting time spent for staff to manually respond.

An AI Agent that keeps teaching itself.

Onboarding staff takes weeks. Akia’s AI skips the setup by cloning your best employee, shadowing staff, learning from real conversations, and building its own knowledge base for smarter, more consistent answers.

AI Agents respond to OTA messages

Hotels and vacation rentals can now manage OTA guest conversations directly in Akia, with self-training AI Agents that improve replies, reduce missed messages, and keep guests happy.

Booking.com & Expedia integrate with GPT-5: What it means for hospitality

GPT-5 is changing the way travelers plan trips. With the rollout of apps inside ChatGPT, platforms like Booking.com and Expedia are now built directly into the chat experience. Here’s what’s happening, and what it means for hotels and vacation rentals.

Hotel Revenue Management Tips for Outside Lands

Learn how San Francisco hotels can optimize revenue during Outside Lands with dynamic pricing, direct booking tactics, and guest-focused upsells.

Why Guests Remember the Room—and Write About It

In boutique hospitality, the hotel room is the most influential space for shaping guest impressions, driving reviews, and reinforcing brand identity through thoughtful design and operational detail.

The White Lotus Effect: How Pop Culture is Driving Hotel Bookings

Filming locations for The White Lotus have seen massive upticks in visits and reservations. Learn how your property can capitalize on trends, even without a major HBO series.

Take the chaos out of hotel operations: master task management

Learn how automated task management can help your team work more efficiently. Never let a task slip or get forgotten.

New Airbnb Rental Policy: How Akia Helps Your Property Stay Compliant

By partnering with Akia, vacation rental managers can navigate Airbnb's new policies with confidence.

Peak travel, peak stress: Handle July 4th like a pro

Make the most of the holiday rush with smart messaging and festive Upsells

How Akia’s AI Agent works (and why it’s so simple to use)

A step-by-step look at how Akia’s AI Agent is trained, supervised, and ready to help your guests.

Why did people beg for GPT-4 back

Inside the GPT-5 personality debate and OpenAI’s fix

6 properties that capture feedback before checkout.

What data from 6 top-performing properties reveals about stopping negative reviews before they go public.

ChatGPT prompts every hotelier should try in 2025

A guide to ChatGPT prompts every hotelier can use to simplify daily operations, train staff, and improve guest satisfaction.

Top Trends Shaping the Hotel Industry in 2025: Key Insights for General Managers

The hospitality industry is undergoing significant change as technology, guest expectations, and operational needs evolve. To remain competitive, general managers must stay ahead by embracing emerging trends. Here are the key takeaways:

Quick hacks that cut check-in costs in half

Discover how digital check-in helps boutique hotels cut costs, prevent fraud, capture guest data, and create smoother arrivals while boosting upsell opportunities.

Celebrating housekeepers week 2025: A guide for hotel leaders

Celebrating the heart of hospitality: creative ways hotels can honor their housekeeping teams.

Hotel vs Resort

Learn the key differences between hotels and resorts, from amenities and locations to guest expectations. This guide helps travelers choose the right stay and helps hospitality professionals position their property effectively.

How to keep hospitality human with digital check-in

Guests love the speed of digital check-in, but they remember the way you made them feel. The real magic happens when technology meets human warmth.

How to use ChatGPT to draft the perfect hotel welcome card

Learn how boutique hotels can use ChatGPT to create warm, personalized welcome messages that delight guests from the moment they arrive. This step-by-step guide shows how to combine AI efficiency with human hospitality to set the perfect tone for each stay.

Why rate beats occupancy

Discover how top hotel brands drive revenue by focusing on rate over occupancy—and how your property can do the same, no matter your size.

Hotel text messaging: How to keep guests happy

Automated hotel text messages can save time, boost satisfaction, and keep your service personal—here’s how.

Mapping a guest journey that wins loyalty

This guide walks boutique hotel operators through each stage of the guest journey, from booking to post-stay reviews, with practical tips for creating memorable experiences, building loyalty, and balancing technology with genuine hospitality.

Hotel marketing strategies that boost guest satisfaction

Discover 10 hotel marketing strategies that not only attract bookings but also boost guest satisfaction. From SEO to personalization, learn how boutique hotels can turn marketing into memorable guest experiences.”

Your Smartest 24/7 GPT Concierge

Why Agentic AI goes beyond chatbots. It makes decisions, triggers actions, and outperforms staff at the tasks that slow them down.

10 Traits Hotel Managers Should Look For in a Hotel Employee Candidate

As the hotel industry gradually recovers from the pandemic, hotels will begin hiring employees again. While hotels work on recovering this year, it’s especially important to have the best possible hotel employees that can enable great guest experiences and smooth operations. As a hotel manager, these are ten important traits or qualities that you should look for in a candidate for a hotel employee position.

What is RevPAR?

A practical guide to understanding RevPAR, how to calculate it, and what it reveals about hotel performance.

Occupancy Rate: A Strategy, Not Just a Statistic

Learn how events like concerts, festivals, and sports games can shape occupancy rate and what hospitality operators can do to forecast, plan, and capitalize on these demand spikes.

How Self Check-In Technology Drives Hotel Profitability

Discover how self check-in technology is transforming hotel operations and boosting profitability. This blog breaks down the key financial and experiential benefits of adopting self check-in systems—from cutting labor costs and increasing staff efficiency to enhancing guest satisfaction and unlocking new revenue streams. Whether you're managing a boutique property or scaling operations, this post reveals why self check-in is more than a tech upgrade—it's a strategic investment in your hotel’s future.

The Smart Lobby Hotel: Technology Is Transforming Guest Experience

The hotel lobby is transforming from a simple check-in area into a tech-enabled hub that enhances guest experience, streamlines operations, and boosts revenue. This blog explores how innovations like contactless arrivals, AI personalization, digital signage, real-time analytics, and immersive design are redefining the modern “smart lobby” to meet today’s hospitality demands.

What GPT‑5 Signals for Smarter Guest Journeys

OpenAI just released GPT‑5, its most advanced model to date. It’s faster, sharper, more honest, and notably better at understanding complex requests.

Beyond the OTA

Explore how boutique hotels and vacation rentals can harness the benefits of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) without becoming dependent on them. This post breaks down the hidden costs of third-party bookings and reveals how AI-powered guest engagement can turn one-time OTA stays into lasting brand relationships. With real-world examples and actionable strategies, it’s essential reading for operators looking to boost loyalty, direct bookings, and long-term revenue.

Three Hospitality Podcasts with Frequent Updates.

You wouldn’t believe how many podcasts there are that focus on the hospitality industry. Just when we think we’ve found them all, new ones sprout up. In this series, we highlight several podcasts and tell what they’re about, how often they post, and how many episodes are in their archives.

Improve guest experiences with text-messaging

Hotel managers are finding that a lot of good can come from texting guests. Texts are fast, and people read them. It’s as simple as that.

Akia Integrates With Cloudbeds, the Leading Hospitality Management Platform

Airbnb's rumored revenue drop and the battle between HITEC and The Hospitality Show

HIP is a newsletter highlighting hot topics, significant trends, and business initiatives within the hospitality industry.

A new flu is spreading. Should hoteliers be worried?

How to protect your staff and guests from spreading illnesses.

Best Practices to Improve Customer Service in Hotels

Best Practices to Improve Customer Service in Hotels

Why Hotels Need to Implement Text Message Marketing

How many times have you sent out an email newsletter and received little to no leads from it? Or you’ll look at your email’s analytics, and less than 20% of your recipients even opened it? We’re not denying that email marketing is a popular and effective marketing tool, but it’s understandable to be frustrated about putting work into something that doesn’t get seen.

Building Great Teams: Unicorns and Rockstars

"It's hard," he explained to me, "and probably one of the most important jobs you have." I was speaking to a fellow founder the other day about hiring. And to be honest, the sentiment holds whether I'm talking to startup founders, business leaders at major corporations, or the General Manager at a hotel. I hear a common mantra: "Hiring is tough. And good talent is hard to find."

Tips on enforcing mask mandates in your hotel

Even though COVID-19 is at an all-time high in the United States, time and time again some people just don’t wear masks in public. Or they wear them incorrectly. Blame it on anything from misinformation to denial, but it’s unfortunately a reality that must be dealt with as businesses are trying to reopen safely.

Three stars for the win

HIP is a newsletter highlighting hot topics, significant trends, and business initiatives within the industry.

Los Angeles Wildfires: How Hotels and Vacation Rentals are Stepping Up

Providing shelter and resources during a time of unprecedented need

How to create a guidebook for your vacation rental property

Give your guests exactly what they need in a digital guidebook for smoother stays and less repetitive inquiries.

Hotels get social media savvy

HIP is a newsletter highlighting hot topics, significant trends, and business initiatives within the industry.

Free registration form templates you can download.

Not yet ready to have your onboarding automated? We still want to be your source for all things regarding guest communication. So here are some registration form templates you can use as a sample or to modify.

Top 20 Secrets to Success in Hotel Marketing

If you don’t have a plan for marketing your hotel yet, you’re probably not getting the results you want. The hotel industry is very competitive, but your hotel can stand out to travelers by creating a comprehensive marketing plan. Whether you run a small bed and breakfast, a mid-sized independent hotel, or a larger hotel chain, you can drive more hotel bookings and increase revenue by using some or all of these hotel marketing strategies.

7 Ways to Get Guests to Skip the OTAs and Book Directly on Your Hotel Website

As a hotelier, one of your constant annoyances is probably OTAs. They charge huge commission fees, but unfortunately a lot of bookings are made through them. Of course, the goal is to get more people to book directly on your website, so you can pocket more of the money made. With that in mind, here are ten strategies you can use to get more potential customers to book directly on your website.

Join Us in Toronto for the 2023 HITEC Conference.

June 26-29th, we’ll Be at the world’s largest conference for tech in the hospitality industry.

5 Ways To Create Website Experiences to Complement OTAs

Whenever we talk to hoteliers about their pain points, almost all of them will mention OTAs. Booking Holdings and Expedia have created a duopoly where they have gobbled up the vast majority of the consumer demands.

What Travelers Are Expecting From Hotels Post-Pandemic

This past year has undoubtedly been difficult for everyone. In a time when there’s so much to be heavyhearted about, from COVID-19 deaths to job losses to the uprooting of everyday life, it can be difficult to stay optimistic for the future.

Did smartphones ruin everything?

Hospitality has always been about connection. But how we connect? That part’s changed.

Agentic AI: A Secret Weapon for Hospitality Leaders

How autonomous, intelligent systems could reshape hotel operations and help leaders make better-informed decisions.

Unlocking Growth: Enriching Your CRM with Valuable Guest Data

How to make the most of hospitality data, so you can increase direct bookings, revenue, and satisfaction.

How hotels can build a high-performing distribution strategy

Tactics and technology to boost occupancy & RevPAR.

Community-First Travel: How to Localize your Property

Proven tips for increasing RevPAR and becoming a lasting pillar in your community.

Akia Marketing Suite: A Direct Booking Superpower

How hotels and vacation rentals are driving revenue with the Akia Marketing Suite.

Introducing Mini Apps 3

New features make guest communication more consistent than ever, without the need for logins or downloads.

Top Hotel Growth Markets in 2025

Hotel growth is increasing over 45%. You might be surprised which city comes in second.

Introducing the new Akia Marketing Suite

Reach guests like never before with an Email and SMS Marketing Suite layered atop your PMS.

60% of small businesses close after cyber attacks - Are you next?

Protect your business now with email verification and two-factor authentication.

Climb 300+ ranks on TripAdvisor

HIP is a newsletter highlighting hot topics, significant trends, and business initiatives within the industry.

Top Hospitality Challenges in 2025

How hotels and vacation rentals can come out on top in the age of skeptical guests and staff uncertainty.

Crafting Impactful Hotel Welcome Messages: A Complete Guide

Who doesn’t love to feel special? Start every stay on the right foot by ushering in guests with personalized, helpful greetings.

How to win chargebacks and friendly fraud attempts.

Mitigate the risk of friendly fraud in hospitality.

Inauguration 2025: What a hotelier U.S. President could mean for the industry.

Analyzing Donald Trump’s past impact on the hospitality industry, and what to prepare for in his next term.

Mark Items out of stock in the Mini App.

Update your digital menu to indicate unavailable items, ensuring guests don’t accidentally place orders.

Key challenges for hospitality properties

Explore how to combat rising fraud with digital check-ins, ensure local ordinance compliance, and improve guest response times with automated solutions.

Manage transactions in Akia Pay.

View transaction in a detailed table and soon, manage payments with refunds and data export.

Payments with Akia

Pull your most relevant guest data together in a single view

See all your critical deports in a dashboard and monitor all guest data across properties in a single, unified screen.

Step into the 1950s at Hoshino Resorts’ 1955 Tokyo Bay.

Experience nostalgia and modern comfort at the newly opened hotel near Tokyo Disney Resort

Streamlined Operations for Better Service

If you’re on-the-go with various requests from guests, we know you don't want to waste any time. With our recent updates, our goal was to help you easily get organized and attend to requests while staying in clear communication. Check out the new ways you can use Akia to provide excellent service.

Valentine’s Day: Hospitality Survival Guide

How to prepare when love comes knocking on your property door.

The Art of Guest Profiling: 6 Essential Elements Every Hotelier Should Track

This data already exists across your tools – isn’t it time you start using it to your advantage?