Max Starkov

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Is the death of the third-party cookie actually a blessing for hoteliers?

This is the question Hospitality Net asked its World Panel of distribution experts this week.

For years, the industry has relied on third-party data to track travelers across the web. With Google finally moving forward with Privacy Sandbox and the deprecation of cookies in Chrome, many marketers are panicking. They claim that personalized advertising will become impossible and that guest acquisition costs will skyrocket.

However, I believe the rumors of a marketing apocalypse are highly exaggerated.

In my view, this shift will force the industry to return to what actually matters: First-Party Data.

The OTAs have known this for a decade. They have built massive 'walled gardens' by forcing users to log in to get 'Member Only' rates. In Q1 2026, Expedia and Booking reported that over 50% of their bookings came from loyal, logged-in users. They don't need cookies; they have the guest's email and purchase history.

invest in a robust Customer Data Platform (CDP) to centralize guest information from the PMS and CRS.

invest in 'loyalty-first' booking engines that offer instant benefits in exchange for an email address.

ask the property’s digital agency to shift budget from broad retargeting to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO.

In the same time, do not forget that the guest experience is your best marketing tool. A guest who has a great stay will return regardless of whether you have a cookie tracking them.

The question is: are you ready to own your data, or will you continue to rent it from the OTAs?

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