Innovation

💰 In 2022, TakeUp was founded in San Francisco. It's tackling pricing issues for independent hotels using AI that adapts prices based on guest behavior. Their platform boosts revenue by an average of 20%-30% and saves owners 15 hours weekly. By July 2025, TakeUp raised $11 million in Series A funding to expand its offerings. The company aims to democratize AI for independents, offering transparency and human oversight in pricing decisions.

📚 Accor leads with 44 brands, followed by Marriott with 35 and Hyatt with 26. Out of 378 hotel brands, 69 are independent, with 25 of the 73 luxury brands being independent. The high end of the market—Luxury, Premium, Boutique, and Upscale—accounts for 66% of brands, overshadowing Midscale and Economy's 33%. A comprehensive hotel brand infographic required over 100 hours of manual research due to AI's limitations in accuracy.

📊 Last week, an MIT study found that 95% of corporate AI pilots lack ROI. Conducted between January and June 2025, it analyzed 52 executive interviews, 153 survey responses, and 300+ public case studies. Employees prefer general-purpose models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude over specialized AI tools. Researchers claim these models lack memory and learning capabilities, but developments like Google's Agentspace are closing these gaps rapidly. The issue lies in outdated perceptions, not in the technology itself.

📑 Ira Vouk, MBA, discusses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its impact on hotel distribution. MCP, an open standard developed by Anthropic, enhances API usability without being tied to specific models. It opens the door for “next-gen OTAs” with AI applications connecting to multiple MCP Servers. The discussion highlights the contrast between centralized platforms and direct bookings, while noting conversational AI's potential for personalized travel recommendations. Industry-wide initiatives face challenges against agile private competitors.

💳 Nearly 10% of under-34s abandon bookings when mobile wallet options aren't available, impacting sales and cash flow for small and medium-sized travel businesses. Reports suggest that unpredictable income complicates financial planning, while slow settlements further strain finances. Solutions include exploring better merchant terms, testing customer experiences, and balancing system costs against benefits. New systems can lead to faster cash flow and improved booking conversions, essential for SMEs where tight margins demand efficient cash flow management.

🍪 Chip City Cookies, founded in 2017, partnered with Square in 2020 to fuel its nationwide expansion from 5 to over 50 stores across nine states. Utilizing Square’s restaurant platform, Chip City optimizes from point-of-sale to loyalty programs, enhancing customer experiences and operational insights. This tech-driven growth strategy helped secure $17.5M in venture capital from Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality. The brand focuses on innovation with new flavors, social engagements, and rewards, driving significant repeat business.

📱 Hospitality marketers face challenges due to user-level signal loss and outdated tracking methods. Conversion APIs (CAPIs) offer solutions by sending conversion events directly to platforms like Meta or TikTok, bypassing browser limitations. CAPIs enable better targeting and attribution, improving return on ad spend (ROAS) by double digits for some brands. IT teams are crucial for implementing CAPIs through secure data pipelines, identity resolution, and privacy compliance. This approach enhances media performance and aligns advertising investments with business results.

🏨 In 2020, amid the pandemic, Obvlo emerged from a viral Google Sheet listing open restaurants. Founder Callum McPherson pivoted from a commercial property marketplace to an AI platform for personalized travel recommendations. Initially serving local takeaways, Obvlo now partners with hotels like Hilton and Marriott, offering updated, curated content. The AI-driven platform scans trusted sources and delivers guides through multiple channels, balancing 90% automation with a human touch to enhance hospitality experiences worldwide.

💸 Hotels still use outdated pricing systems akin to 1999, relying on spreadsheets and gut feelings. The issue isn't a lack of data, but an overload. AI and Revenue Management System tools are essential, not optional. Revenue management needs strategic evolution to drive profit, focusing on guest behavior and aligning with marketing. Current reliance on instinct over data-driven strategies risks financial losses. Are your pricing decisions based on instinct or informed strategy? #RevenueManagement #AIinHospitality

📰 Hotels must leverage reviews as the new "trust badge" to boost visibility in AI-driven searches. By 2025, AI-generated summaries represent 13% of search queries, with AI drawing only 25% of answers from hotel websites; the rest comes from reviews and online data. Key strategies include encouraging detailed reviews, aligning marketing with guest feedback, and utilizing Online Reputation Management systems. Authenticity and consistent guest reviews are critical to maintaining AI visibility and enhancing search rankings.