Three words. A lot changed this week.
The biggest shock came from Europe. Spain’s Top Court just voided the national registry for short-term rentals. The system collapses.
The Experience Paradox
India’s doing something interesting, though. RARE India partnered with SAMHI Hotels.
It’s a careful move.
They are betting on a tricky problem: building commercial infrastructure around products that only have value because they resist structure. You want scale. You don’t want standardization. The money is in keeping it weird while selling more of it.
Data, Borders, and Borders Again
Meanwhile, the U.S. is messing with how it treats visitors. The new social media collection rules aren’t active yet, but the damage is done. The mere proposal made travelers rethink why they should come. Welcome mat withdrawn.
Then there’s the tech shift. No, not the robots taking your luggage. It’s the AI agents booking it.
They don’t care about your logo. Brand recognition? That’s a shortcut for tired humans. An AI agent reasons through every single option. Every time. No memory of yesterday’s ad. It changes everything marketing stands on. Or rather, it dismantles it.
The Local Problem
Airbnb is chasing its tail.
For years they couldn’t figure out how to get locals to host experiences in their own cities. Now? They are recruiting content creators.
Maybe influencers are the only people willing to show guests how to live.
We see where this is going, mostly.
Who really decides where you go?
