Forge Holiday Group Taps Guesty's AI to Reshape UK Travel Market

CHESTER, England – December 03, 2025 – In a move that signals a significant acceleration in the technological evolution of the UK’s hospitality sector, Forge Holiday Group has announced a strategic partnership with Guesty, a leading short-term rental (STR) management platform. This collaboration is more than a simple vendor agreement; it represents a fundamental shift in how one of the UK's largest holiday companies will manage its vast portfolio, reach new customers, and compete in an increasingly digital-first economy.

Forge, the parent company of household names like Sykes Holiday Cottages and Forest Holidays, manages an extensive portfolio of over 30,000 accommodation units across the UK and New Zealand. By integrating Guesty’s technology, Forge is set to unlock a network of over 60 new booking channels, dramatically expanding its distribution footprint. The partnership promises to synchronize calendars, pricing, and content in real-time across all platforms, a critical step in eliminating inefficiencies and maximizing visibility in the crowded online travel marketplace.

This alliance goes to the heart of a key trend shaping the new economy: the replacement of legacy systems with intelligent, integrated platforms. For an operator of Forge's scale, managing thousands of unique properties—from quaint cottages to modern lodges—across disparate booking sites is a monumental logistical challenge. The adoption of a centralized channel manager like Guesty is a strategic imperative to not only maintain but also grow market share.

The New Digital Engine for UK Holidays

At its core, the partnership equips Forge Holiday Group with a powerful new engine for growth. Channel management software is the invisible backbone of the modern short-term rental industry, allowing property managers to list and manage their accommodations on multiple Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com from a single dashboard. This prevents double-bookings, ensures pricing consistency, and saves countless hours of manual administrative work.

For Forge's property owners, the benefits are tangible. Wider distribution translates directly into higher potential occupancy rates. Guesty's platform automates the complex task of keeping listings up-to-date across a sprawling digital landscape, ensuring that a cottage in Cornwall or a lodge in a Scottish forest is visible to the widest possible audience of both domestic and international travelers. This expanded reach is crucial in a UK staycation market that, despite stabilizing, remains 71% above pre-pandemic levels, creating both immense opportunity and fierce competition.

James Shaw, Chief Commercial Officer at Forge Holiday Group, framed the decision as a forward-looking investment. "Our partnership with Guesty is about building for the future - giving our teams the tools to expand into new channels and market segments, connect with new customers, and continue delivering exceptional experiences at scale," he stated. His emphasis on working "smarter and faster" underscores the efficiency gains that underpin the strategic value of the deal.

Beyond Automation: The AI-Powered Future of Hospitality

What sets this partnership apart and firmly plants it in the 'Future Forward' landscape is the deep integration of Artificial Intelligence. Guesty is not just an automation tool; it is an AI-driven intelligence platform trained on a massive dataset from over 500,000 properties worldwide. This is where the true strategic advantage lies.

Industry data shows that over half of STR operators have already integrated AI into their daily operations, with those using AI-powered dynamic pricing seeing revenue increases between 12% and 18%. Guesty is at the forefront of this wave, embedding AI across its entire suite of tools. Its ReplyAI feature, for instance, automates guest communications with natural, context-aware responses, while its PriceOptimizer adjusts rates in real-time based on market demand, local events, and competitor pricing. This move from static, rules-based management to dynamic, AI-driven optimization represents a paradigm shift.

Robin Clifford, Sales Director at Guesty, highlighted this technological edge, noting, "At Guesty, we're leading the evolution of software for the STR sector, embedding AI across our platform to drive performance, efficiency, and exceptional guest experiences." For Forge, this means leveraging a system that doesn't just execute commands but actively provides insights to maximize revenue and enhance guest satisfaction. Guesty's recently announced AI Agent for Revenue Management promises to unify pricing, availability, and content performance into a single, actionable intelligence layer, moving beyond simple automation to proactive, strategic guidance.

A Strategic Blueprint for Growth and Scale

This technological upgrade is a cornerstone of Forge Holiday Group's ambitious growth strategy. The company has already committed to investing over £150 million in the next three years to expand its property portfolio, enhance its technology platform, and refine the customer experience. With a stated goal of taking five million people on holiday annually by 2026, operational efficiency and scalability are not just desirable—they are essential.

The partnership with Guesty provides the technological scaffolding necessary to support this rapid expansion. As Forge adds more properties and enters new market segments, the platform's ability to seamlessly integrate new listings and automate their distribution will be critical. It allows the company to scale its operations without a proportional increase in administrative overhead, a key factor in maintaining profitability. This aligns with Forge's proven track record of leveraging technology and efficient operations to fuel a 300% revenue increase in just three years.

By outsourcing the complex, ever-evolving challenge of multi-channel distribution and revenue optimization to a specialized tech partner, Forge can focus its resources on its core competencies: curating unique holiday experiences, maintaining property quality, and providing excellent service to its property owners and guests. It is a classic example of a strategic partnership where each company leverages its strengths to create a sum greater than its parts.

Reshaping the Experience for Owners and Travelers

The impact of this collaboration will ripple outwards, affecting not only the company's bottom line but also the experiences of its two most important stakeholders: property owners and holidaymakers. For the thousands of individual property owners partnered with Sykes Holiday Cottages, the promise of "stronger commercial returns" is a powerful incentive. In a market facing inventory saturation in some regions, maximizing revenue from every booking is paramount. The sophisticated pricing algorithms and expanded reach offered through Guesty are designed to deliver just that.

For travelers, the benefits may be more subtle but equally significant. A wider distribution network means Forge's diverse properties will be easier to find across a variety of familiar booking platforms. The real-time synchronization ensures that the availability and pricing information they see is accurate, reducing the friction and frustration that can mar the holiday planning process. Furthermore, AI-driven communication tools can lead to quicker responses to inquiries and a more seamless pre-arrival experience.

Ultimately, the Forge-Guesty partnership is a clear indicator of the direction of travel for the entire hospitality industry. It demonstrates that success in the modern economy is increasingly dependent on the intelligent application of technology. By embracing an AI-powered platform, Forge Holiday Group is not just optimizing its current operations; it is building a more resilient, scalable, and competitive business for the future, ensuring its brands remain at the forefront of the UK's dynamic holiday market.