Grow your business with the leading B2B travel marketplace

Creativity is no longer a niche interest in travel. It is fast becoming a core motivation. Travellers are not simply looking to observe culture, they want to participate in it, shape it, and take part of it home with them. For hoteliers, this represents a meaningful shift. Properties are evolving from places to stay into active cultural spaces, where art, design, and hands-on experiences are embedded into the guest journey. The opportunity is clear: those who embrace creativity can unlock deeper engagement, stronger brand identity, and new revenue streams. As explored in the 2026 Travel Trends report, the move from passive consumption to participation is accelerating, driven by changing traveller expectations and the growing demand for meaningful travel experiences. What's the 'Creativity Boom' travel trend?The 'Creativity Boom' refers to the rise of travel experiences centred around art, culture, design, and hands-on creative participation – where guests actively engage in making, learning, and expressing. In a hospitality context, this includes art hotels, creative workshops, design-led spaces, and cultural immersion travel that transforms a stay into an interactive experience rather than a passive one. From pottery classes and photography walks to gallery-style interiors and artist residencies, creativity is being woven directly into the hotel experience. Why is this trend becoming a key driver for travel demand?So why now? Why are creative and cultural travel experiences gaining such momentum? Firstly, traveller motivations have shifted. Guests are increasingly seeking emotional fulfilment, personal growth, and a deeper connection to the places they visit. Travel is no longer about ticking off landmarks, it is about feeling something. Secondly, social media has changed the way people discover and share travel. Creative experiences are inherently more shareable. A painting workshop, a design-led hotel room, or a calligraphy session offers far more storytelling value than a standard stay. Wellbeing also plays a role. Engaging in creative activities has been shown to reduce stress and improve mental health, making creative tourism a natural extension of the broader wellness trend. Finally, creativity supports the growing demand for cultural immersion travel. Travellers want authenticity, and participating in local creative practices offers a direct route to that connection. For hotels, this aligns closely with the broader shift towards experiential travel, where the experience itself becomes the primary reason for booking. Key types of creativity-driven hotel experiencesArt-led hotels and creative designArt hotels are perhaps the most visible expression of this trend. These properties go beyond décor. They function as living galleries, with curated exhibitions, installations, and design-led storytelling. A well-known example is the 21c Museum Hotel in the United States, which operates as both a hotel and a contemporary art museum, hosting exhibitions, film nights, and artist talks open to guests and locals alike. Why it matters:Art-led design creates a strong emotional connection and differentiates the property in a crowded market. Practical approach:Partner with local artists for rotating exhibitionsIncorporate storytelling into interiors and public spacesUse art as a core element of brand positioning Hands-on creative workshops and classesCreative participation sits at the heart of the 'Creativity Boom'. Guests want to do, not just see.Workshops can include pottery, painting, photography, cooking, calligraphy, or local crafts. These experiences allow guests to create something tangible, making the stay more memorable. Why it matters:Participation drives engagement, increases perceived value, and encourages social sharing. Practical approach:Offer paid, limited-capacity workshopCreate themed creative retreats or weekend programmesPartner with local experts to ensure authenticity These types of activities align strongly with demand for meaningful travel experiences and can easily be monetised as ancillary revenue. Cultural immersion and artistic neighbourhoodsLocation still plays a key role. Hotels positioned in creative districts or near cultural hubs have a natural advantage.Proximity to galleries, studios, and cultural institutions enhances the guest experience and supports cultural travel experiences that feel authentic and local. Why it matters:Travellers increasingly prioritise cultural immersion travel when choosing destinations. Practical approach:Curate neighbourhood guides and art trailsPartner with museums and cultural institutionsOffer guided tours or exclusive access experiences This also ties into the broader concept of hotels as destinations, where the property becomes a gateway to the surrounding cultural ecosystem. Creative spaces that build communityCreativity is inherently social. Hotels that create shared spaces for creative interaction can build stronger connections between guests and locals. This could include open studios, creative lounges, pop-up exhibitions, or artist residencies. Why it matters:Community-driven experiences enhance the sense of belonging and encourage repeat visits. Practical approach:Host talks, workshops, and creative eventsInvite local creatives to use the spaceEncourage guest participation and collaboration These environments transform hotels into cultural hubs, rather than isolated accommodation. Opportunities for hoteliers: how to capitalise on the Creativity BoomThe good news is that embracing creativity does not require a complete transformation or large capital investment. Many opportunities are accessible and scalable. Start with positioning. Creativity should be embedded into your brand story. Whether through design, partnerships, or programming, it needs to feel intentional and authentic. From there, consider how creativity can drive commercial outcomes: Monetisation:Paid workshops, ticketed events, and creative retreatsArt sales or limited-edition merchandiseFood and beverage tie-ins linked to creative themes Guest engagement:Experiences that encourage participation and sharingProgrammes that extend the length of stayActivities that create memorable moments Partnerships:Collaborate with local artists, schools, and cultural organisationsBuild mutually beneficial relationships that support the local community Marketing impact:Creative experiences naturally generate user-generated contentStrong visual storytelling enhances digital visibility Frequent Asked Questins about Cultural Travel ExperiencesWhat are creative travel experiences?Creative travel experiences involve active participation in artistic, cultural, or design-led activities, such as workshops, classes, or immersive cultural experiences. Why are creative and cultural experiences important for hotels?They help differentiate the property, increase guest engagement, and create opportunities for additional revenue through experiences and events. How can hotels monetise creative experiences?Hotels can charge for workshops, host ticketed events, sell art or merchandise, and create premium packages centred around creative activities. Are art and creativity only relevant for luxury hotels?No. Creativity can be scaled to suit any property, from boutique hotels to mid-market accommodations, through partnerships, programming, and design choices. Creativity is central nowadaysThe Creativity Boom is not a passing trend, it reflects a deeper shift in how and why people travel. Creativity, culture, and participation are now central to the guest experience. Hotels that embrace this shift can stand out in a competitive market, build stronger emotional connections, and unlock new revenue streams. From art-led design to hands-on workshops and community-driven spaces, the opportunities are both practical and commercially viable. As the hospitality landscape continues to evolve, the ability to translate trends into action will define success. HBX Group supports hotel partners in doing exactly that with solutions for hoteliers providing the insights, distribution, and tools needed to reach the right demand and maximise performance. HBX Group has a number of solutions to help you improve your distribution strategy on the back of trends such as the Creativity Boom. Now is the time to think beyond the room, and start designing experiences that guests will remember, share, and return for. Register your property

Selling rooms has become more complex: competition is constant, visibility is costly, and relying on a single route to market is rarely a resilient strategy. Commission pressure is also a reality - as noted by HospitalityNet, commissions that once sat around 15–20% can in some cases exceed 30%, which can erode hotelier earnings when a disproportionate share of bookings comes through higher-cost channels. That’s why understanding what a bedbank is (and where it fits in a modern distribution mix) remains important. But distribution alone doesn’t solve every growth challenge. Currently, hoteliers increasingly need a connected approach - one that links distribution, marketing, the direct channel, operations, and payments to drive scalable, profitable performance, all while maintaining an equitable share of earnings. This article explains what a bedbank is, how it works, and why going beyond bedbanks matters - including how a TravelTech ecosystem like HBX Group supports hotels with solutions that reach further than distribution. What is a bedbank?A bedbank is a B2B distribution channel that connects hotels with a network of travel sellers and buyers - such as wholesalers, tour operators, OTAs, retail travel agencies, loyalty programmes, airlines, and corporate travel partners - helping hotels sell inventory across multiple channels.  How a bedbank works (step by step)Although the exact mechanics vary by provider and integration type, the flow is typically consistent: Connection and integration: Hotels connect rates and inventory via API, Partner Portal, or channel managers, enabling centralised distribution management. Access to a global B2B network: Once integrated, a property becomes available to a broad network of travel distributors. HBX Group, for example, reach 60,000+ travel distributors across 135 markets through a single connection.  Lower-friction booking and distribution: Distributors book via connected booking flows and engines, reducing delays and manual processes and speeding up time-to-market.  Ongoing control and optimisation: Hotels adjust availability, rates, and distribution strategy more efficiently thanks to stable connectivity, near real-time updates, and single-platform oversight.  Key benefits of bedbanks for hoteliersBedbanks emerged to solve a classic problem: how to extend reach and shift inventory without depending on one channel. That value still holds, especially when hotels want to diversify demand and reach international markets without multiplying integrations and partner management. Typical benefits include: Multi-channel visibility via a single connection, reducing operational burden.  Access to international and domestic demand through wholesalers, tour operators, OTAs, and retail agencies.  Simplified distribution strategy managed centrally through API/portal/channel manager connectivity.  A more controlled B2B environment, designed to support margin protection and transparent distribution.  Bedbanks remain relevant - but they are not the whole growth story. Why going beyond bedbanks matters for hotels todayThe limits of ‘distribution-only’ growthA bedbank can help you sell rooms. But profitable growth increasingly depends on more levers than distribution alone: How you attract demand (and whether it’s the right demand) How you convert (especially through your direct channel) How efficiently you operate (where margins are often won or lost) How confidently you scale (payments, cash flow, risk, and resilience) When these areas sit in silos, hotels often see leakage: higher manual effort, weaker conversion, channel dependence, and limited visibility into what’s actually driving profitable performance. HBX Group’s TravelTech approach is built around a simple idea: growth comes from connected systems, not isolated tools. That’s why the ecosystem combines distribution, marketing, operations, and more - supporting hoteliers across different stages of the traveller journey.  B2B hotel distribution: Reach more markets with less complexityAt its core is B2B distribution - connecting your property to global demand through a single integration and enabling you to reach high-value guest segments and markets that would otherwise be more difficult to reach. Customer outcomes:For hotel groups: scale and governance - consistent connectivity, multi-property control, and faster route-to-market. Learn more about Megaworld Hotels & Resorts experience working with us.  For independent hotels: access global demand without building a large internal distribution team. Find out how the Hotel The Designers Cheongnyangni successfully reached long-haul travellers thanks to HBX Group.Direct channel performance: Optimise your B2C strategy with RoibackWhen margins are under pressure, strengthening the direct channel becomes a strategic control lever - over your guest relationship, brand narrative, and cost of acquisition. Industry research supports this direction: Oracle Hospitality and Skift found that 51.5% of hoteliers plan to use AI/analytics for personalised marketing and offers, reflecting how data-led personalisation is becoming a conversion advantage. Within the ecosystem, Roiback supports direct-channel growth through: Booking engine + website performance: reducing friction at the decision moment and lifting conversion (up to 20% in optimised scenarios).  Digital strategy and execution: multi-channel marketing support (SEO, social, email, paid) designed to improve direct-channel performance and conversion outcomes. Hotel operations: Digitise front desk processes with CivitfunHotels don’t only compete in distribution - they compete in execution. And execution is decided in operational moments: check-in, invoicing, reservation sync, and the daily workflows that consume staff time. Within the ecosystem, Civitfun supports digitisation of hotel operations (particularly front desk). Solutions reference reduced check-in times and up to 100 hours saved per year through automation and synchronisation. Why this matters:Less friction during peak arrivals (which shapes guest perception). More staff capacity for high-value service (and revenue-driving moments).  Better alignment with what hoteliers consistently prioritise in TravelTech partners: reliability and operational stability.  Full-funnel marketing: Turn visibility into bookings with Marketing SuiteIf your marketing strategy isn’t aligned with distribution, you can gain visibility but lose efficiency - through poorly timed campaigns, unfocused spend, or low-quality demand. HBX Group’s Marketing Suite is positioned to help hotels strengthen visibility and bookings in hard-to-reach B2B audiences, with activation designed to be straightforward and performance-led. Key components include: Display Advertising: native display placements across B2B booking platforms and channels, adaptable to budget and goals.  Sponsored Listings: premium positioning “where booking decisions take place”, with visibility in search results and exposure in front of 60,000+ travel distributors. Event Sponsorship: brand presence at relevant industry events and HBX Group MarketHub opportunities, connecting you with influential distributors.  Creative Services: bespoke video and image assets designed to be authentic and performance-driven. For hotels that want a more strategic approach, the suite also highlights bespoke campaign programmes combining creativity, insights, and reporting to link investment to outcomes.  Fintech & Insurtech: Scale with confidence (without adding friction)Growth is easier to plan (and easier to protect) when financial and risk foundations are strong. In practice, distribution and marketing gains can be undermined by less visible friction: complex B2B payments, time-heavy reconciliation, seasonal cash flow swings, or risk exposure (including cyber). That’s why Finance & Insurance sits in the ecosystem as an enabling layer: supporting financial agility and operational confidence so hotels can scale without adding avoidable friction. Learn more about the available finance and insurance solutions in HBX Group.  New revenue streams: Ecommerce, packages and cross-sell beyond the roomBeyond the room, hotels have significant headroom to increase revenue per traveller - particularly through experiences, mobility, and packaged travel. McKinsey describes the travel experiences market as a $1 trillion+ opportunity and notes that nearly half of the experience business is still transacted offline, signalling a major opportunity for digitisation, packaging and cross-sell. HBX Group’s eCommerce solutions are positioned to simplify the way partners sell travel products - including hotels, flights, mobility, experiences and holiday packages - through an end-to-end booking engine model, with dedicated customer service for the partner’s brand. Core approaches include:White Label: launch a full-service travel booking solution under your own brand with minimal technical resources.  API Integration: integrate travel distribution via Booking, Cache and Content APIs designed to make bookings faster and more intuitive.  Holiday Packages: bundle travel needs into a single package, improving traveller experience and enabling higher margins.  The model also highlights access to 1,400+ local experts worldwide who curate travel products and support operational delivery globally - an important enabler for scaling new travel revenue streams reliably. Why it’s important for hoteliers to know these options existThe competitive advantage isn’t simply “being on more channels”. It’s connecting the dots: distribution + marketing + operations + payments + new revenue streams. When those pieces work together, hotels typically gain: More control over their channel mix and growth strategy (reducing over-reliance on any single source of demand).  More efficiency, through integrated systems and automation that cut operational friction.  More profitable demand, by improving demand quality, conversion outcomes, and revenue per traveller.  In short: going beyond bedbanks doesn’t mean abandoning B2B distribution. It means elevating it within a connected growth strategy. Frequently Asked Questions about bedbanks and HBX GroupWhat Is a bedbank in hotel distribution?A bedbank is a B2B distribution channel that connects hotels to a network of travel distributors (wholesalers, tour operators, OTAs, travel agencies and more) via centralised commercial and technology relationships.  How can a bedbank help hotels increase bookings?Bedbanks can increase bookings by expanding a hotel’s visibility across B2B travel sellers worldwide, unlocking international demand while simplifying distribution management through a single integration (API/portal/channel manager).  What does it mean that HBX Group is a TravelTech partner?It means HBX Group offers a connected ecosystem spanning B2B distribution, marketing activation, direct-channel performance, operational tools, finance/insurance enablement, and eCommerce solutions - helping hotels grow with more control and efficiency.  Is HBX Group suitable for independent hotels and hotel chains?Yes. A connected ecosystem supports hotel chains with scalability and governance, while helping independent hotels access global demand and simplify execution through modular solutionsHow can a hotel join HBX Group?Getting started is simple - just fill in the form below. After you submit it, a member of our team will contact you to understand your property and objectives, and to help you choose the best solutions for your needs. Click the button below to register. Register your property

HBX Group: Delivering Smarter, More Scalable Performance Across the Travel EcosystemIn our previous edition, we shared how HBX Group was strengthening the foundations for a more connected and scalable travel ecosystem. Earlier this year, the focus shifted to delivery, with product improvements designed to support day-to-day performance across everyday operations.As the travel landscape continues to evolve, partners need solutions that are practical, reliable, and built to scale. The updates delivered this quarter focused on simplifying daily operations, improving clarity, and unlocking new value across the end-to-end journey. To set the context, in this short video, Daniel Nordholm, Chief Information Officer at HBX Group, shares the product ambition guiding our roadmap and how this quarter’s improvements connect to a broader vision for smarter, more connected travel technology. Click to watch the video below. (Note: products and solutions namings current as of May 2026. Subject to change.) Below, we explore the key enhancements delivered and their impact across the ecosystem.  1. Keep your sustainability certifications accurate and visible across B2B booking experiencesAs sustainability becomes a growing priority, hoteliers face increasing pressure to keep certifications accurate, consistent, and easy to find across all channels. The Sustainable Hotels Programme automates how certifications are collected, verified, and shared, ensuring your hotel is clearly identified and always up to date across the Partner Portal, booking platforms, and API connections. This makes your verified sustainability credentials visible and relevant throughout the entire B2B and B2C booking journey.Sustainable Hotels Programme automates how certifications are collected, verified, and shared, ensuring your hotel is clearly identified and always up to date across the Partner Portal, booking platforms, and API connections. This makes your verified sustainability credentials visible and relevant throughout the entire B2B and B2C booking journey.

How travel distributors are adopting AI – and what needs to happen nextArtificial intelligence is no longer on the fringes of travel distribution. It is already influencing how retail travel agents, wholesalers and intermediaries operate – from marketing and customer service to recommendations, pricing and planning.Yet despite growing momentum, adoption across the industry remains uneven.The HBX Group Intelligence Report: The State of AI in B2B Travel Distribution provides a clear, data‑led view of how AI is being used today across the global distribution ecosystem. Based on proprietary survey data gathered directly from HBX Group partners, the report captures the perspectives of professionals working at the sharp end of travel distribution – those balancing speed, accuracy and personalisation in an increasingly competitive environment.This report explores where AI is delivering value today, as well as the barriers slowing deeper adoption. It also examines regional differences across key markets, including the US, UK, Spain and Mexico.Whether you are benchmarking your current maturity or planning the next phase of investment, this report offers practical insight to help travel distributors move from experimentation to execution. Gain access to original research, expert analysis and actionable insight to guide your AI strategy - download the full report on The State of AI in B2B Travel Distribution.