Innovation

📈 Clermont Hotel Group (CHG) in London's Zone 1 has launched Clermont Meetings & Events, boasting a combined capacity of 7,000 guests, 16 hotels, 4,000 bedrooms, and 101 event spaces in prime locations like Marble Arch and Tower Bridge. The platform is mobile-optimized, enhances event booking with Cvent technology, and serves both UK and international markets. Notable venues include The Royal Horseguards Hotel with 14 spaces, The Tower Hotel with 19 spaces, and Thistle London Marble Arch's Hyde Park Suite with a 500-guest capacity.

✈ Passenger air travel numbers are expected to double by 2040. Airports face the challenge of optimizing parking space capacity for various services like self-driving customers, ride-shares, and rentals. Accurate capacity planning is crucial for maximizing revenue, enhancing customer satisfaction, and maintaining operational efficiency. IDeaS offers advanced analytics and expert strategies to aid airport management in making data-driven decisions. Their services include forecasting both unconstrained and constrained demand, analyzing overflow demand dynamics, and providing occupancy insights, all aimed at aligning decisions with strategic goals and maximizing value from airport parking facilities.

🏡 IHG Hotels & Resorts acquired Ruby, a "premium urban lifestyle brand," for an initial $116 million with a potential future payment of $190 million contingent on room growth. Ruby, founded by Michael Struck in 2013, operates 20 hotels in Europe, with 10 more expected by end of 2027. IHG aims for Ruby's growth to over 120 hotels in 10 years and over 250 in 20 years globally. The acquisition includes franchise fees anticipated to be approximately $8 million in 2028 and in excess of $15 million by 2030. Integration of Ruby hotels into IHG's system will start in 2025 and be complete by March 31, 2026, incurring integration costs of about $10 million.

📝 Frits van Paasschen, at age 46, joined Starwood as CEO, bringing a diverse background from consulting, Disney, and Nike. His first hospitality experience was at age 9 in Innsbruck at a B&B, which he recalls as the epitome of genuine hospitality. Van Paasschen values hospitality's spectrum, encompassing creativity, real estate analytics, technology, and human aspects. He emphasizes the importance of mentorship, having learned from various leaders such as Bob Dvorak's analytical communication, Bo Boyd's congenial style, and Tom Clark's brand and marketing intuition. Frits now focuses on mentoring, being a conscientious board member, and contributing to social and environmental responsibility. He advises approaching career opportunities for growth and capability expansion, leading him from strategic planning at Nike to CEO of Coors and fostering potential in others at Starwood.

🥓 Saladplate, part of Informa Markets, serves as the official content and engagement hub for the Hospitality, Food and Beverage sector. It offers weekly news updates, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-monthly e-magazine. The platform features over 10,000 brands, companies, and products, along with event registration and updates for over 35 international trade events.

📈 Noida, February 18, 2025: RateGain Travel Technologies Limited, a global AI-powered SaaS provider for travel and hospitality, was recognized as an Expedia Group Elite Connectivity Partner for the third consecutive year, indicating its top-tier status among the top 2% of Expedia's global partners. Expedia Group connects to 200+ websites, apps, and 90,000 travel agencies. RateGain connects 191,000+ properties to 400+ demand partners, handling 200 billion+ ARI updates annually. RateGain is also celebrated as a leading hotel distribution technology provider after being acknowledged at the 2025 Hotel Tech Awards.

✈ Air France-KLM partners with Amadeus to adopt Nevio, a retailing solution supporting IATA ONE Order standard. This move, part of the MOON programme, aims to modernize system infrastructure, providing customers a unified travel record for easier modifications and personalized offers. The multi-year transformation seeks to enhance user experience and simplify IT systems by phasing out legacy applications. No specific dates or financial details were provided regarding the deal or timeline for the transformation.

✈ SITA launched a new global messaging solution for ATC communications; it enables secure, quick sharing of flight information worldwide. The platform integrates seamlessly, transitioning from AFTN to AMHS systems. SITA ATC Connect offers interoperability, large file sharing, and direct access to ICAO AMHS ATC for flight plans and meteorological data. It features a back-up connection, automated traffic rerouting, and supports ICAO and IATA protocols. Martin Smillie, SVP for SITA CDE, highlights the efficiency and reliability enhancements for the industry.

💸 Alex Platts, former Expedia executive and CMO at Lokalise, joins travel platform journaway as Chief Commercial Officer. With experience in brand growth and digital marketing, Platts is set to drive innovation and development for journaway. CEO Marco Behrends emphasizes Platts' valuable global travel, marketing, and finance expertise for the company's growth targets.

💸 RoomPriceGenie, an RMS provider for independent hotels and groups, secured a $75 million investment from Five Elms Capital to accelerate international expansion and enhance its platform. Technology executive Chas Scarantino is appointed CEO, bringing experience in global expansion and operational excellence. RoomPriceGenie, founded in 2017, aims to make automated pricing accessible for independent properties and now services over 3,000 hotel clients in 65 countries. The company is profitable with over 100 employees and introduces an OpenAPI PMS integration. Co-founder Ari Andricopoulos transitions to CSO, focusing on product innovation and strategic partnerships.