Innovation

🏨 The Hotels Network (THN), serving over 20,000 hotels, launched Loyalty Lite, a platform for enhancing guest loyalty and streamlining login processes. Loyalty Lite enables hotels to offer exclusive rewards and competitive member rates, potentially increasing profitability by 20%. The solution works with or without a hotel's CRM, catering to all hotel types. Juanjo Rodriguez, CEO of THN, emphasizes that Loyalty Lite makes guest personalization accessible, offering an edge against larger chains and supporting direct bookings.

🌍 Custom Travel Solutions (CTS) has observed a growth in international transactions, now constituting 63% compared to 40% last year. Germany leads with 27%, followed by Italy at 7%, and Switzerland at 5%. In 2024, the US still holds a 37% share of total transactions. CEO Mike Putman aims for 75% of sales from outside the US by 2025, focusing on European and Asian markets, tapping into the global trend of subscription models for travel.

📱 Club Med integrates WhatsApp as a new communication channel, enabling customers and travel agents to access support and services easily. Leveraging an AI chatbot, available 24/7, users can inquire about resort details, book or modify reservations, and receive immediate assistance. Travel Experience Designers provide live chat services Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:30, Saturdays 9:00 to 16:30, and on bank holidays from 10:00 to 15:30. Conversations are securely recorded with WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption.

💻 RoomRaccoon, the US-based hotel management software company, has acquired Belgium's Lobbi PMS, expanding its user base by 300 properties in the Benelux region. The acquisition includes the integration of the Lobbi team and Ghent headquarters. Lobbi founders and CTO will assist with the transition, aiming to make RoomRaccoon the market leader in Benelux and enhance the offerings for independent hoteliers. This marks RoomRaccoon's second acquisition by its internal M&A department.

📈 The MURTEC Executive Summit 2024 is slated for October 21-23 in San Diego, featuring sessions on experiential loyalty, brand innovation, dynamic pricing, and robotics. Qualified restaurant technology executives can register for free with a $500 value using the code COMP500. The summit targets full-service, QSR, fast-casual restaurants, foodservice operators, and related hospitality sectors, excluding technology providers unless via sponsorship. Registrations undergo review for approval.

📌 Marriott International, Inc. expands the City Express brand into the United States and Canada, targeting the affordable midscale transient segment. Acquired City Express in May 2023, adding over 17,000 rooms in the CALA region, boosting Marriott's presence by 45%. With successful growth in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Chile, the brand eyes Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Brazil for further expansion. City Express by Marriott aims for a light operational model, conversion-friendly designs, and anticipates signed agreements and hotel openings in the coming months. Properties will integrate into the Marriott Bonvoy program for booking and loyalty rewards.

📌 More than 85% of customers want proactive communication from businesses. Hotels should send pre-arrival information one week before the guest's arrival or upselling messages 3-4 days prior. Utilizing a hotel CRM can personalize and automate the process, allowing staff to focus on face-to-face interactions. Pre-arrival communication is crucial for setting expectations, upselling services, easing check-in, and managing OTA guest data. It's important to choose the right communication channel and not overwhelm guests with messages.

📍 Noida, October 8, 2024: FlyArystan, Kazakhstan's leading low-cost airline, extends its partnership with AirGain, part of RateGain Travel Technologies Limited. Utilizing AirGain’s platform, FlyArystan accesses real-time pricing data from 300+ airlines and 50+ OTAs, with a 98% data sufficiency rate. This reinforces their commitment to affordable fares and seamless booking in Central Asia. Yerkin Tursynbek, FlyArystan’s Manager of Revenue Management, emphasizes the platform's role in optimizing pricing and maintaining a competitive edge.

📍 Turkey-based Pegasus Airlines introduces AI-generated multilingual flight announcements in Spanish, Arabic, and Russian. The technology was developed by the Pegasus Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley, established last year. First trial on a Seville, Spain route was on September 24. AI system clones voices of Pegasus captains, providing updated flight information, weather, destination, captain's name, and flight duration before take-off.

📍 Travel House, Wales’ largest independent travel agency, has partnered with ITV to launch a GenAI advertising campaign on ITV1 and ITVX, targeting the ITV Wales region. This marks the agency's first TV advertisement, designed to boost the success of its 16 South Wales shops. Leveraging GenAI technology allowed for high-quality production while remaining within budget. ITV Business Development Director Jason Spencer highlighted the cost-effective nature of GenAI in TV advertising.