Innovation

🏖️ Hyatt acquired Apple Leisure Group in 2021 to expand into all-inclusive resorts, launching new lifestyle brands. Club Med targets luxury and family-friendly markets, with a beach resort plus safari in South Africa. Hotel 101, a new player, offers a standardized 21 square meter room globally, with localized amenities. Hyatt's World of Hyatt loyalty program aims to retain customers. In 2021, Hotel 101's Manila property reached 96% occupancy. Companies are adapting to localized experiences, sustainability, with a goal of zero emissions by 2050, and targeting long-term partnerships that align with their values. Join the Hospitality Operator Forum on June 12 for more insights.

🏠 Asimov Management, a hypothetical property management firm with zero employees, uses AI and automation for marketing, leasing, price optimization, tours, screening, customer service, maintenance coordination, renewals, and reporting. AI leasing assistants, self-guided tours, third-party gig maintenance, and automated renewals are already feasible. Human touch is still needed for physical maintenance and preferred by some residents. Blending automation with human elements is seen as giving property managers "superpowers." Founder of Common (2015) suggests scaling issues over 250 units and potential for AI preference over humans, citing Waymo's user retention over Uber and Lyft.

✈ Bolt, a mobility app, introduced a flight tracking feature, allowing travelers' taxis to be ready upon landing at the airport. Users enter their flight number to sync the ride with the flight's real-time status, adjusting pickup times automatically, and offering free cancellation if the flight is canceled. This aims to eliminate rescheduling, extra costs, and unexpected wait times.

💰 Global investment firm Permira sold a 5.8% stake (7.4 million shares) in European OTA eDreams Odigeo at €7.55 per share. The sale, marking a shift toward broader investor participation and enhanced liquidity, was supported by eDreams Odigeo's share buyback program, which reacquired 2.6 million of the offered shares. Committed to delivering value, eDreams praised Permira's 15-year role in its growth, notably its transition to a subscription-based model.

🛫 Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) introduces an agency service charge feature allowing travel advisors to add up to 30% of the total booking value as a discretionary charge on lodging bookings. The feature is available in multiple markets: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. The rollout caters to the demand from agents for better compensation without extra transactions.

🏖 Smartvel, a content solutions provider, received funding from the Spanish government to enhance tourism through advanced digitalisation. Their long tail technology aims to include comprehensive, updated content for travellers, covering everything from restaurants to weather and entry conditions. CEO Iñigo Valenzuela announced the initiative, which will allow tourists to discover all aspects of destinations across Spain with interactive maps and detailed information. The technology will empower content curators to generate multiple versions of content.

📈 TPConnects Technologies integrates LIFT onto Iris platform to enhance the South African travel market. Flight Centre Travel Group now offers LIFT content to customers, providing access to diverse content sources such as LCC, NDC, and EDIFACT. This move expands TPConnects' footprint in Africa, with a strategic focus on global expansion across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The integration improves booking experiences and increases travel choices for corporate and leisure sectors in South Africa.

🏨 RoomRaccoon, a hotel management software, has partnered with Great Stay App to enhance guest experiences for independent hotels. This collaboration introduces a two-way integration between RoomRaccoon's Hotel Management System and Great Stay App's digital concierge, aiming to improve guest communication and operations while driving revenue through smart upselling. With over 150 mutual users, the integration facilitates automated messages, contactless check-ins, local recommendations, exclusive offers, and personalized guest experiences, as stated by Tymen van Dyl, CEO of RoomRaccoon, and David Claessen, founder of Great Stay App.

🍴 A survey of over 3,000 British adults indicates 50% of hotel guests prefer dining out or ordering food delivery instead of hotel restaurants or room service. Satisfaction rates for the last hotel stay stand at 86%, yet only 71% were happy with F&B quality and 68% with variety. Room service complaints include high costs (35%), limited options (26%), cold food (25%), and dirty plates (23%). Discounts (46%), online menus (43%), and positive reviews (38%) can sway guests to dine in-house. Top hotel visit reasons are weekend breaks (45%), holidays (36%), visiting friends and family (29%), and celebrations (18%).

🏠 WITT (Wellness in Travel & Tourism) expanded to the UK, following success in the US and Canada. Phil Salcedo, with over 20 years in travel and former VP roles at Travelzoo and HolidayPirates, appointed as director of wellness certification. WITT has certified properties like Fairmont, JW Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton, and now looks to certify UK properties for authentic wellness experiences across five pillars. The UK launch marks WITT’s continued global expansion in the wellness travel sector.