We have a great selection of reads for you this week!

The inventory arms race has started and Booking.com is in the lead with over 5 million listings on its website, while Airbnb trails closely behind with 4.85 million. Although Airbnb claims they will reach the 5 million mark by the end of June, keep in mind that Booking.com's statistics only include "nontraditional listings" of homes, apartments, and other unique rentals. When adding in their hotel listings, Booking.com has over 27 million listings on its platform. Read the first article to see why it's not just a numbers game and how Airbnb is planning to compete with the OTA giant. Marketing methods have evolved over the years and as digital marketing becomes more and more prevalent, its crucial for hospitality marketers to create relevant visual content. Our second article provides tips for marketers in the hospitality industry on how to directly reach its audience through various apps and social media channels. Property management systems are the backbone of a hotel's operations and Oracle Hospitality has been an industry leader, particularly for upscale hotels. However, now entering the competition is Sabre with its newly launched SynXis Property Hub, a cloud-based property management system. Read the third article to see how Sabre plans to shake up the property management system market.

Happy reading. 

Check out the great reads we put together for you this week! 

OTAs and hotel chains are at it again, and this time Marriott's CEO Arne Sorenson plans to lower the commissions it pays to online travel agencies - starting with Expedia Group Inc. Read how Marriott plans to renegotiate with OTAs in the upcoming negotiations, which will be the first ones since the company's merger with Starwood Hotels in late 2016. Digital travel sales are expected to reach $198 billion USD in 2018. Thanks to MDG Advertising, we can easily see the top five trends to look out for this year in the eye-catching infographic they created highlighting the digital trends for hospitality marketing in 2018. From the importance of smartphones, desktops, and search engines to creating valuable visual content and loyalty programs, check out the second read's infographic to learn more about what hoteliers need to be aware of in 2018. In early 2018, Airbnb announced their plan to launch "Airbnb Plus," which provides users with homes that have been verified by the company through a 100-point checklist for home inspection and professional photography session. With such a bold plan to essentially commercialize Airbnb's strategy, Skift analyzes the new program's details and outlines the many risks that potentially could arise for the company, which you can find in the third read.

Happy reading. 

We have some great reads for you this week!

It's no secret that hotels and Online Travel Agents have a tricky relationship when it comes to online bookings. With new market disruptors like Airbnb getting in on the action now too, you would think that there wouldn't be much room for a new type of competitor - then comes Amazon with the offer to cut costs for hotel owners by removing intermediaries. Read how Amazon could potentially shake up the industry once again in our first read. Given Airbnb's recent announcement to add hotel listings to its platform and create a loyalty program, it's more and more apparent that Airbnb is slowly moving over into OTA territory. Booking.com is welcoming the challenge and is business as usual. In fact, they're "in it to win it" when it comes to the homestay market too. Read number two to see how Booking.com plans to deal with the competition moving forward. We hear about the changes and growth in the hospitality market almost daily now, but did you know that the Travel & Tourism sector was responsible for the creation of one in five new jobs globally in 2017? That's 7 million new jobs worldwide! The statistical breakdown can be found in number three.

Happy reading.