For years, B2B media competed on who could publish the most. In the AI era, that’s no longer enough. As generative AI makes information faster and cheaper to produce, the real differentiator is becoming something machines can’t manufacture: trust.
That thinking sits behind Dubai-based In2 Consulting’s acquisition of a 50% stake in Hospitality Net, the world’s largest B2B media platform dedicated to the hospitality industry. The deal is designed to accelerate Hospitality Net’s AI ambitions while preserving the credibility and community that have defined the platform for more than three decades.
Following the announcement, Anne Bleeker, Managing Director of In2 Consulting, and Floor Bleeker, Chief Technology Officer, speak with Velina Nacheva about why trusted media matters more than ever, how AI should enhance rather than replace expertise, and why they believe Dubai is becoming a global centre for hospitality innovation.
For decades, Hospitality Net’s competitive advantage was its content and community. In an AI-first era, what becomes the real moat for a B2B media platform & how does this partnership help build it?
Over the past three decades, Hospitality Net’s strength has been the trust it has built within the global hospitality industry as the place to find and share independent B2B hospitality news and knowledge, and exchange ideas to drive innovation in the sector. Today, Hospitality Net connects 500,000 hospitality professionals across 200 countries every month. In an AI-first era, we believe that trust becomes even more valuable.
AI can generate content, summarise news and surface information almost instantly. What we look to do through the platform is to combine the ever-growing capabilities of AI in this space with Hospitality Net’s highly curated industry ecosystem, including the relationships the team has built, expert contributors, and a highly engaged community of industry decision-makers to add even more value to the global hospitality industry.
AI will be one of our key areas of focus with the goal to help advance the industry in its adoption and to srive innovation. This work has already started with the launch of Hospitality Net.AI and will soon be followed by the launch of Hospitality Net LABS, a dedicated place on the platform where we will pilot and try new initiatives for the sector.
A Dutch-founded media platform, a Dubai-based investor, and an AI-powered future: what does this deal say about where the opportunities are shifting in the global hospitality industry?
We think this says a lot about the nature of the industry itself, which is truly global, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Historically, many of the hospitality industry’s media, technology and investment centres were concentrated in Europe and North America. Today, some of the most exciting growth and innovation is happening in regions such as the Middle East, where hospitality, tourism, technology and capital are converging at an unprecedented pace.
Dubai in particular has become a global connector, and an important center where innovation is adopted quickly and where hospitality remains one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy with strong support and vision from the Government . For a platform with Hospitality Net’s global reach, having a stronger presence in the region creates opportunities to be closer to emerging markets, fast-growing hotel groups, and hospitality technology innovators.
At the same time, AI is reshaping how knowledge is created, distributed and consumed. We see a significant opportunity to position Hospitality Net at the intersection of trusted industry expertise and next-generation technology. The combination of a European heritage, a Middle Eastern growth mindset and an AI-driven roadmap is a reflection of where the industry itself is heading.
