Innovation

🏖 Resorts face revenue challenges like seasonality, long booking lead times, and reliance on wholesalers. However, they can leverage opportunities through advanced forecasting, dynamic pricing models, and maximizing on-property spending. With technology, resorts can implement total revenue optimization and intelligent automation to enhance profitability. Embracing innovative strategies and data-driven insights allows resorts to transform challenges into opportunities and advance their revenue management strategies. Explore IDeaS' free guide for more insights.

🏨 RatiLanna Riverside Spa Resort in Chiang Mai, with 107 rooms, upgraded their booking management by adopting STAAH’s Channel Manager. Since implementing the solution, they have experienced smoother operations, reduced errors, and enhanced visibility. The real-time updates and centralized control streamline booking processes, allowing the resort to maintain its leading position and focus on future tech enhancements. This change addresses the complexities of managing multiple booking platforms and supports their growth in the hospitality industry.

💻 Hapi (Miami) bridges hotel systems with real-time data, consuming 20% of hotel development budgets for integration. Ireckonu (Amsterdam), aiding CitizenM since 2014, improves guest experiences by solving tech-stack issues. TigerTMS (Hampshire) deploys at 10,000 hotels, reducing costs with distributed middleware. Axing (Ramsen) enhances hotel tech experiences with IPTV middleware. DerbySoft (Dallas) connects 500+ channels, optimizing hotel sales opportunities. Middleware is essential for integrating numerous systems, ensuring smooth operations, and leveraging AI for future hotel innovations.

💻 SEO experts face challenges as AI changes analytics. Searches are now initiated with diverse inputs—paragraphs, images, videos—rather than keywords. Iterative chat searches complicate tracking as responses build on previous answers. No-click interactions mean fewer trackable links. Offline LLMs in devices offer web-equivalent functionalities without visibility. Increasingly, AI agents complete tasks autonomously using MCPs and APIs, often without human oversight. Companies should publish comprehensive data on their websites to remain accessible to AI-driven inquiries.

📹 Amsterdam, 27 June 2025: Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport, near Vantaa Airport, installed 800 Philips displays with PPDS, enhancing guest experiences and conferencing options. The 12-floor hotel, managed by Strawberry Hotels, features 505 rooms and a 1,050 capacity ballroom. 778 UHD TVs were integrated with Google Cast, offering extensive entertainment options. These efforts align with Strawberry's sustainability goals, utilizing energy-efficient technology. The project involved Speeron, Smart Media Solutions, and Audico Systems, completing on time and budget.

📈 Google’s 2025 I/O reveals search is now about answers, not discovery, with AI Overviews and AI Mode minimizing external site clicks. Organic click-through rates are dropping, shifting focus from traditional SEO to AI recognition. Google's business model pivots to advertising with AI-powered ad placements. Hoteliers need new digital strategies focusing on brand presence, first-party data, and AI optimization. AI illiteracy poses a threat, with systems like Operator potentially bypassing search and preferring OTAs over lesser-known brands.

💸 ATLANTA, Georgia & LISBON, Portugal—Revenue Analytics acquired Climber, a Revenue Management Software company, to expand globally. Climber's self-learning pricing platform and Climber Market Strategy tool are now part of Revenue Analytics. The acquisition adds Climber’s team and serves over 10,000 hotels worldwide. A new office will open in Portugal, enhancing Revenue Analytics’ presence in Europe and Latin America. Bill Brewster and Mario Mouraz emphasize the alignment of their missions to empower hoteliers with pricing tools.

📦 Peter Tziahanas, EVP of Hotel Equities, highlights the shift from manual procurement to digital, predictive analytics in the hospitality industry. Labor shortages and fluctuating costs challenge operators, necessitating creative sourcing and ‘just-in-case’ inventory planning. Amazon Business improves efficiency with solutions that integrate shopping, shipping, and analysis. Tools like Business Prime and Spend Visibility facilitate fast, cost-effective purchasing, optimizing time and inventory. These strategies aim to maintain guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.

📈 Traffic to travel sites from AI sources is up 1,700% YoY. 50% of searches are now conversational, driven by large language models. Cloudbeds released the first industry report on AI-driven visibility. They studied hotel recommendations in 6 cities using 800+ prompts. Cloudbeds optimizes websites for AI and traditional search, enhancing reviews with AI. Structured data signals and AI integrations like ChatGPT are coming soon. Read the full report to future-proof your hotel’s digital presence.

🏨 Shamim Ehsani, co-founder of Tribe Hotel in Nairobi, explains how belonging and generosity are key competitive advantages in hospitality amid AI advancements. Hosted by Danica Smith, founder of MorningStar GX, this episode emphasizes the importance of genuine guest engagement, cultural connections, and radical generosity. Music for the show is by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound.