Innovation

📱 Google I/O 2025 announced numerous AI advancements, signaling a shift in search technology. Personalization in hospitality is impeded by a lack of recognition, not emotional intelligence. Tom Goodwin critiques digital advertising's decline in creativity. Retail media requires significant management but offers qualified audiences. Booking.com's short-term rentals may soon surpass Airbnb. The Media Mix Navigator aids in media planning. AI adoption in hospitality is essential for improved efficiency, despite skepticism about potential risks.

💻 May 22, 2025, Kevin Kelleher, a former hotel leader now an account manager at Actabl, discusses the role of technology in enhancing hotel operations. His insights are featured in a sponsored episode of the Hospitality Daily Podcast. Kelleher emphasizes how tech can be a force multiplier in the hospitality industry, streamlining processes and improving overall efficiency.

🏨 Five hotels revolutionize the guest experience with Mews hospitality cloud. At The Gate Cornwall, online check-in boosts staff efficiency, achieving a five-star Google rating. Bush Hotel Farnham sees a 13% ADR boost, outperforming with a 13.3% booking conversion rate. Leven Manchester saves an hour daily with 33% online check-ins. Cornwall Hotel Collection enjoys a 39% RevPAR rise, with 42% direct bookings. The Regent in Cambridge achieves a 26% occupancy increase alongside a 21% RevPAR growth.

📊 2025 Trends report by Qlik highlights data's growing value. Qlik identifies three themes: authenticity, applied value, and agents. MIT study shows 57% of online content is AI-generated. 25% of quality data sources removed from major platforms. Data quality becomes strategic. AI Trust Score proposed for data evaluation. Dr. Rumman Chowdhury stresses building trust and traceability. Dan Sommer from Qlik discusses AI's societal and business impact, amid ongoing debates over its benefits and risks.

📱 Cendyn and Loyalty Juggernaut integrated their CRM and GRAVTY systems to transform hotel loyalty programs. In 2025, this partnership aims to enhance guest engagement, maximize efficiency, and manage costs amid global inflation. By leveraging unified guest profiles, hotels can personalize rewards and communication, fostering deeper brand loyalty and sustainable growth. This collaboration marks a shift from traditional loyalty systems, with a focus on guest interaction rather than static point-based rewards.

🚀 Corporate travel agency, Platinum, partners with AI leader Acai Travel to enhance operations. By 2030, Platinum aims to multiply revenue by 10 times. COO Ryan Potts emphasizes sustainable growth and personal client value. Acai's AI reduces agents’ repetitive tasks by up to 70% and speeds up responses by 50%. Targeting Australia’s AU$8 billion SME market, the partnership boosts efficiency and personalisation, preparing Platinum to expand services beyond travel bookings.

📈 Mews, a hospitality cloud company, launched an industry advisory board to advance hospitality technology. Founded in 2012, Mews aims to transform guest and staff experiences. The board includes leaders such as Charlie MacGregor of The Social Hub and Bashar Wali of Practice Hospitality. Mews CEO Matt Welle emphasizes technology's role in hospitality evolution. The board will explore trends, challenges, and innovations to create systemic change and positive social impacts in the industry.

📅 Dida launched its inaugural ‘Engage’ events in Chengdu and Shenzhen, China, bringing together over 50 top hotel brands from destinations like Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Participants included Marriott, Wyndham, and Las Vegas Sands, focusing on various travel market segments. With over 400 travel agency attendees, the events showcased Dida's advanced AI capabilities for online booking and marketing. The company aims to replicate this format across Asia to boost hotel brand positioning in growing markets.

💳 Advantage Travel Partnership teams up with Mastercard to enhance payment solutions for its members, aiming to streamline the travel ecosystem, which is valued at $2.2 trillion annually. Over the next 18 months, they will offer products such as Virtual Card Solution and Buy Now, Pay Later. 50% of corporate travelers are dissatisfied with current systems. This partnership focuses on efficiency, cost reduction, and global scalability, supporting expansive operations and offering advanced risk mitigation.

📅 May 22, 2025, a survey of 200 corporate travel managers across the U.S. and Canada shows growing dissatisfaction with traditional TMCs. 41% report inconsistent service; 36% cite poor tech functionality. 28% consider switching due to high costs (89%) and booking friction (57%). 66% of meetings occur outside managed programs, with 80% reporting poor integration. Travel managers seek AI-powered tools, with Direct Travel’s Avenir platform offering solutions. Steve Singh acquired Direct Travel in April 2024.