Booking.com vs Hilton

Residence Manager Startup Organizes Shared Vacation Homes

Austrian startup Residence Manager has launched a software platform to manage shared vacation properties, targeting families, inheritance communities, and private owner groups. The tool offers a shared usage calendar, guest management, stay compensation, and cleaning/service task organization. It also includes automatic guest communications, optional integration with Airbnb and Booking.com, and a transparent cost settlement system. The platform emphasizes owner control, allowing properties to remain private or be opened to external guests. Pricing starts at €8.99/month for the Basic package and €16.99/month for Plus, with a 10% transaction fee for external guest payments. The founders, Birgit and Clemens Gruber, aim to reduce organizational friction and increase transparency among co-owners.

• Residence Manager is a software platform for organizing shared vacation homes.
• The startup was founded by Birgit Gruber and Clemens Gruber in Lower Austria.
• The platform includes a shared usage calendar, guest management, and service task organization.

Booking.com renews partnership with UEFA national team competitions

The world's leading online travel booking platform will continue as the official accommodation and attractions partner, helping fans plan and experience their football journeys across UEFA ...

Google’s AI Mode Adds Flight Tracking and Hotel Booking

Google announced updates to AI Mode, its conversational search experience, enabling users to track flight prices, book hotels, and view flight and hotel costs in points or miles. AI Mode can now show options and latest prices from more than 300 airlines and travel sites, allow users to build itineraries or track prices with email alerts, and complete hotel bookings via a “Continue on Google” flow that uses partners and Google Pay. Flight price tracking is available in over 180 countries, and hotel booking has begun rolling out in the U.S. in English with multiple major hotel chains and travel sites as partners.

• Google updated AI Mode to let users track flight prices, book hotels, and see costs in points or miles.
• AI Mode displays prices from more than 300 airlines and travel sites and can build itineraries or track prices with email alerts.
• Flight price tracking in AI Mode is available in more than 180 countries.

Target launches 'Inside Out' design-focused brand campaign

Target launched a new national brand campaign called 'Inside Out' that places design at the center of its marketing, merchandising, and customer experience. The campaign includes 30- and 15-second spots airing across broadcast, streaming, radio, digital, and social media until Oct. 31, along with creator partnerships and experiential activations. It features the 'Red Bag Stories' creator content and 'Bagspotting' activations in Boston and Chicago. The effort is part of Target's turnaround plan and follows the hiring of Mark Weinstein as chief marketing and guest experience officer. Early results show comparable sales up 3.8% and traffic up 3.6% in Q2.

• Target launched a new national brand campaign 'Inside Out' focusing on design and its iconic red shopping bags.
• The campaign includes 30- and 15-second spots across broadcast, streaming, radio, digital, and social through Oct. 31.
• The campaign features creator partnerships and 'Bagspotting' experiential activations in Boston and Chicago.

CMO role shrinks, expands with extra letters

Mark Ritson analyzes the trend of expanding the CMO title to include roles like chief marketing and guest experience officer, chief marketing and customer growth officer, and chief customer officer. He cites recent appointments at Target, Wendy's, Kohl's, and Lowe's, noting that only 36% of Fortune 500 companies now use the CMO title, down from 55% two years ago. He argues that the marketing discipline has narrowed its focus to communications and digital, leading to the need for these 'chaperone' words to reassure the C-suite. Ritson suggests that marketing should reclaim its broader definition encompassing product, price, place, and promotion, as exemplified by Lowe's decision to keep the CMO title without extra qualifiers.

• Target hired Mark Weinstein as chief marketing and guest experience officer.
• Wendy's hired Tariq Hassan as chief marketing and customer growth officer.
• Kohl's dropped the CMO title, appointing Arianne Parisi as chief customer officer.

Mark Weinstein Named Target CMO and Guest Experience Officer

Target has appointed Mark Weinstein as its new Chief Marketing Officer and Guest Experience Officer, effective immediately. He will report directly to CEO Michael Fiddelke and will be responsible for enhancing how consumers experience and connect with Target across channels, culture, and community. Weinstein will also oversee the company's retail media network, Roundel, and its marketplace, Target+. He previously served as global chief marketing officer at Hilton for over 16 years, stepping down on September 10, 2026. This appointment fills a role vacant since Lisa Roath was reassigned to chief merchandising officer early last year. The move underscores Target's focus on elevating guest interactions and strengthening its marketing leadership, amid a 3.8% rise in comparable sales and 3.6% traffic growth in Q2.

• Target named Mark Weinstein chief marketing and guest experience officer, effective immediately, reporting to CEO Michael Fiddelke.
• Weinstein will oversee Target's retail media network, Roundel, and its marketplace, Target+.
• Weinstein previously was global chief marketing officer at Hilton for over 16 years, stepping down on September 10, 2026.