Innovation

📈 AI Mode, designed to help users discover web content, leverages deep information retrieval for nuanced search results. Testing received positive feedback for its response speed, quality, and freshness. Now, it enters a limited, opt-in testing phase in Google Labs. AI Mode, built on Google's core quality and ranking systems, aims to present AI-powered responses but will default to web search results when confidence is low. Initial testers include Google One AI Premium subscribers, who are invited to try the new feature and provide feedback to inform further improvements and capabilities.

🛌 Sesame Voice AI for hotels, currently English-only, has the potential to replace call centers with its capabilities to handle bookings, answer FAQs, and operate without breaks. Multilingual support is imminent. A future where the best front desk agent is an AI is approaching.

🐶 In 2024, dogs became a rising trend, which is expected to grow in 2025 with hotels pampering pets. Two weeks prior, Sophie Amoruso highlighted that traveling with K9 Airlines from LA to London can be cheaper considering extra costs for standard airlines. Beverage trends are noteworthy for 2025, with Taco Bell emphasizing it at their "Live Más Live" keynote. Speakeasies may see a resurgence due to tariffs, inciting ideas like "SpeakCheesy" for smuggled cheeses. Wine AI raises concerns over cultural homogenization in vineyards. The Rockefeller Center's 2021 Christmas tree was transformed into houses, an extreme Airbnb experience.

💳 Upgrading hotel payment systems involves digital wallets, buy now-pay later options, and cryptocurrency. These solutions aim to be fast, secure, and guest-friendly, enhancing the overall payment experience in the hospitality industry. The information is scant on specific numbers or stats, and no further factual data like dates or locations are provided.

🏨 Eva Klausner, Director of Guest Experience at Numa, shares insights on blending bots and humans to enhance guest experiences on March 11, 2025. Numa utilizes chatbots to increase guest satisfaction, as detailed in an episode hosted by Danica Smith, founder of MorningStar GX. The episode also features a promotion for Sojern, a hotel marketing platform offering a performance-based email solution. Music by Clay Bassford from Bespoke Sound is mentioned, and listeners are encouraged to share the episode to implement ideas within their teams.

🏢 Hotel developers face financing challenges with traditional lenders scaling back and offering lower loan-to-value (LTV) ratios amidst higher interest rates. To counteract this, many are turning to alternative financing, such as private credit lenders and combining bridge loans with Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) financing to maximize leverage. CPACE, once a niche option for sustainability, now provides competitive fixed-rate terms. Despite financial hurdles, hotel fundamentals remain strong, with constrained supply and robust travel demand driving occupancy and rates. Extended-stay and dual-branded hotels are particularly attractive due to operational efficiencies and viability. Private credit lenders have become vital, providing flexibility and understanding of complex capital structures. Creative financing solutions are in high demand for those seeking to lead in hotel development.

🍕 Christopher Thomas-Moore (CTM), senior vice president and chief digital officer at Domino’s Pizza, presented at MURTEC 2025, highlighting a decade of innovations such as the Pizza Tracker, a pizza delivery car, AnyWare ordering by emoji, a 2017 partnership with Ford for autonomous delivery, Pinpoint Delivery, and in-vehicle ordering via Apple CarPlay. The Emergency Pizza promotion launched in 2023 responded to economic pressures like high inflation, offering creative value to customers with less disposable income. In 2024, the campaign evolved with gaming and Netflix collaborations, demonstrating Domino's seven tenets guiding innovation.

🏨 STAAH partnered with Espire Hospitality to optimize operations, tackle rate management issues, and improve reporting insights. Espire's Head of Revenue, Mohd Aamir, praised the user-friendly interface and innovative products offered by STAAH for enhancing distribution and revenue management strategies. STAAH's Max Channel Manager, Booking Engine, WatchMyRate widget, and Get Google feature play crucial roles in increasing visibility, driving direct bookings, and providing dynamic rate intelligence for smarter pricing strategies. Shoaib Ali, National Sales Head of STAAH India, highlights the collaboration's support for seamless operations and sustainable growth in the hospitality industry.