Innovation

🏨 STAAH, a tech firm, analyzed hotel booking revenue in Oceania revealing the top distribution channels. Booking.com ranked first in New Zealand and Australia. Direct bookings via STAAH SwiftBook were second in New Zealand and third in Australia. STAAH's channel manager integrates with 500+ systems globally. OTA dominance is noted, though diverse strategies using OTAs, GDS, websites, and wholesalers are evident. New entrants like Trip.com and Hotelbeds appeared on the lists, with STAAH GDS being a significant gainer in both countries.

📃 Brand USA, a destination marketing organization, aims to drive international travel into the US, benefiting American citizens, businesses, and travelers. The organization embraces travel as a tool for diplomacy and empathy. Janette, serving as SVP Innovation and Chief AI Officer, focuses on preparing the industry to leverage new technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and AI, including predictive and generative AI. She discusses the transformative potential of AI in content creation and decision-making, emphasizing the importance of staying competitive by being "smart" rather than outspending other destinations. Janette's background in theater and tourism, along with her experience at Broadway.com and NYC Tourism, provides her with a diverse perspective on the use of AI. She became particularly interested in AI following the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Her role at Brand USA involves ensuring the industry is AI-ready by 2030, recognizing that knowledge work is continually evolving. The discussion touches on the significance of AI for efficiency and ethical business practices and the need for a framework to guide AI adoption within organizations, encouraging a balance of top-down and bottom-up approaches for successful integration. Janette stresses the importance of leading with wonder and embracing the fun aspects of AI to inspire innovation in the workplace.

🛒 Relentless.com, originally registered by Jeff Bezos, redirects to Amazon, the world's most-trafficked retail website with over 2.5 billion monthly visitors. Founded in 1994, Amazon started as a book seller before search engines like Google existed. In a 1997 letter to shareholders, Bezos emphasized Amazon's customer-focused approach. Lodging giants like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG are now expanding their offerings beyond traditional lodging, following Amazon's example of offering everything to everyone. Marriott began as a root beer stand, showcasing the necessity of adaptation. As of 2025, the top five hotel companies aim to be more agile in their ventures, echoing Bezos' strategy.

🏨 On January 3, 2025, Martin Soler, a former hotel GM turned marketing strategist, discussed in a podcast episode how AI technology is transforming hotel operations, emphasizing experimentation, specificity in applications, and AI's role in streamlining work, improving communication, and maintaining competitiveness. Topics included AI adoption camps, benefits of AI dictation, AI for hotel GMs, marketing, documentation, stigma, confidentiality, security, corporate tool caution, and AI in RFP processes for meetings and events. Additionally, resources and a music credit for Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound were mentioned.

🏨 In 2025, the hospitality industry sees the integration of 5 major hotel technology trends aimed at enhancing guest satisfaction. These include Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. The article does not provide specific statistics, dates, or locations related to these trends.

🛌 In the hospitality industry, chatbots reduce front desk staff's cognitive load by handling simple guest inquiries, allowing staff to focus on complex questions. A 2024 report shows 70% of hotel guests find chatbots helpful for basic questions but prefer humans for nuanced interactions. Integration issues arise when hotels adopt AI tools without unified structures, risking guest and employee frustration. Successful AI implementation requires employee involvement, training, and feedback. AI can also mine guest data for personalized experiences and operations improvement. Hotels should prioritize ease of AI adoption, employee benefits, and continual re-evaluation to enhance both customer and employee experiences. Author Bob Vergidis is the founder of pointofsale.cloud.

🏨 Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, under CEO John Murray since April 2022, executed 30 franchise agreements in Q3 2024. The Newton, Massachusetts-based company, established in 1937, now boasts nearly 1,100 hotels across 13 brands. Sonesta began franchising in 2021 and plans long-term franchise agreements for 114 hotels post-2025. The company has seen franchise growth double in 2024 compared to 2023, with a pipeline including over 60 hotels. Sonesta recently launched Sonesta Essential Hotels in January 2023, growing to over 20 properties. The MOD Collection by Sonesta opened its first U.S. location in Houston with 120 rooms, while the loyalty program Sonesta TravelPass has nearly seven million members post-relaunch in 2024.

📈 Hanson Li, managing partner at Salt Partners, will share insights on back-of-house technology at MURTEC 2025. Salt Partners, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, develops and invests in the F&B industry and tech ventures. The company oversees various ventures, including Michelin-starred Saison and casual dining like Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream and Lazy Susan. Learn more about MURTEC 2025 at MURTEC.com.