Innovation

💳 UATP, a global payment network, partnered with HRS, a corporate lodging and payment platform, becoming a UATP Merchant to accept payments for business travelers. This partnership allows access to HRS' business-travel ready hotels and provides invoice automation and financial reporting. Announced on the eve of UATP's Airline Distribution 2025 conference in Budapest, it marks UATP's entry into hotel acceptance. HRS' AI-infused platform and UATP's payment expertise aim to streamline corporate travel and payments, expanding options for travel suppliers.

🏨 Hotels struggle with managing online bookings via multiple OTAs, risking overbookings and inconsistent rates. STAAH Channel Manager acts as a central hub for real-time syncing of availability and pricing, preventing errors and operational inefficiencies. It offers real-time updates, automation, rate parity, user-friendly dashboard, and seamless integration with hotel systems, improving efficiency and guest satisfaction.

💻 At MURTEC 2025, Brandon Barton, CEO of Bite, and Harry Yu, Director of IT at Ono Hawaiian BBQ, discussed strategic tech investments. Yu, with 26 years of tech experience including roles at Dine Brands, Jollibee, and Johnny Rockets, stressed the importance of foundational tech before AI and robotics. Ono Hawaiian BBQ, with 117 locations, focuses on scalable, rapid deployment tech solutions, emphasizing data hygiene and infrastructure as key to effective AI adoption. Robotics are considered but not yet implemented to ensure guest experience remains a priority.

📈 Mews CEO Matt Welle and Chief Product and Technology Officer Josef Starýchfojtů discussed the Mews product roadmap for 2025 on episode 21 of Matt Talks. Mews focuses on innovating hospitality with a commitment to research and development and sharing their roadmap with hoteliers. They acquired Atomize, a revenue optimization platform, and Quotelo, an event management platform, for a holistic approach to revenue and guest experience. New features like Trusted Browser and Trusted Device enhance cybersecurity. The integration details will be released at Unfold 2025, the annual hotel tech forum.

📈 Advanced AI is reshaping marketing into a profitable and growth-centric engine. The current CDP model is criticized for being an incomplete, non-transformative solution, often adding complexity. These platforms fail to offer integrated intelligence and real agility for driving business outcomes. True customer intelligence platforms, such as Zeta's with proprietary data on 245 million US consumers, enable marketers to understand the "why" behind customer behaviors and act with precision, integrating data, intelligence, and activation across the customer journey. This evolution aims to reduce acquisition costs and increase revenue without marketers needing to be data engineers.

🎬 GTC recap highlights AI innovation in content creation, offering strategies for brands to monetize media archives and utilize AI and 5G for efficient production. Key discussions include the potential of agentic AI to revolutionize creativity and generate revenue streams.

📈 In 2025, hotels face a growing gap between data-savvy operations and outdated methods, impacting revenue, profitability, and market share. Old strategies based on experience are outmatched by data-driven competitors using tools that forecast future demand. Traditional tools like spreadsheets and generic business intelligence (BI) are inefficient and error-prone, failing to grasp hotel-specific nuances such as seasonality and booking patterns. Hotel-Specific Business Intelligence (BI) platforms like Demand Calendar offer integrated, forward-looking insights, end siloed data, enhance decision-making, and improve agility and profitability. These platforms automate data collection from PMS, RMS, CRM, and more, allowing for proactive strategies and competitive advantage in an ever-evolving market. Demand Calendar exemplifies how hotel-specific BI can transform commercial teams from reactive to strategic growth engines.

🍪 Jamba CBO Nathan Louer introduces the Hello Sunshine prototype to enhance takeout convenience with grab-and-go cold wells for product freshness. The design adapts to various store formats including inline stores, freestanding locations, drive-thrus, mall kiosks, and co-branded spaces with Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, and Cinnabon. Jamba’s loyalty program now integrates across GoTo family brands for seamless rewards use. Upcoming co-branded Jamba and Auntie Anne’s store to open in San Diego with further openings in Hawaii and Minnesota. Jamba, founded in 1990, is a leading lifestyle brand offering fresh smoothies, bowls, juices, and more.