TOP NEWS

🏨 Mews, a leader in cloud hotel tech, announced its Hospitality Industry Advisory Board, a strategic committee formed to innovate hotel experiences. Since 2012, Mews has engaged hoteliers for insights. Key members include Charlie MacGregor, CEO of The Social Hub, and Bashar Wali, CEO of Practice Hospitality. The board aims to reinvent hotel models, focusing on both technology and human elements, while providing innovation space to meet evolving customer and professional needs.

✈️ Sabre, the tech company, has signed a global distribution agreement with Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's national carrier. This partnership enhances Riyadh Air's retailing and distribution strategy by integrating NDC and traditional fares. Riyadh Air aims to be the first digitally native airline, offering personalized travel solutions. Sabre's technology supports the airline's growth strategy, with tools like SabreMosaic™ for optimized offers. This collaboration marks a significant step in Riyadh Air's global expansion plans.

💻 "2001: A Space Odyssey," a film 57 years old, features HAL, an AI controlling spacecraft systems. Property Management Systems (PMS) centralize hotel operations similar to HAL. Remington Hospitality prefers PMSs with connectivity and data access. Charlestowne Hotels seeks scalability and flexibility. Sage Hospitality values vendor partnership quality. Mews, founded in 2012, now has over 5,000 customers and integrates with 1,000+ tech partners. Stayntouch's PMS offers comprehensive automation, training in two days, and a built-in upselling tool. Oracle Hospitality's OPERA Cloud PMS serves major brands like Marriott and Wyndham. Cloudbeds, with 650+ employees in 40+ countries, prioritizes user experience and workflow automation. Maestro's PMS focuses on customer support and property-specific customization. OTA Sync, an emerging PMS, emphasizes simplicity, strength, and leveraging AI for future enhancements.

🚢 Thomas Penny, president of Donohoe Hospitality, named his boat "Brother’s Keeper" in Annapolis, MD. He started his career at 17 as a dishwasher making $4.25/hour and became the food and beverage director at 18. Penny joined Donohoe in Bethesda, MD, at 21 and became its president in 2017. The company manages 16 hotels, primarily in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, and is expanding in Las Vegas with a dual-brand Hyatt partnership. In Reston, VA, Donohoe opened a dual-branded AC Hotel and Residence Inn, part of a 4.8-million-square-foot project. D.C. average daily rates have exceeded $200 in March 2025. Penny carries on his great grandfather's legacy, who worked on the Twin Bridges Marriott, opened in 1957. Donohoe is committed to diversity, with inclusive senior leadership representing various backgrounds.

🏨 By 2025, the hospitality industry is shifting towards emotionally engaging design that integrates cultural heritage, sustainability, and technology. Hotels are evolving to offer authentic, immersive experiences. A key trend involves reviving historical legacies with modern luxury, as seen in North America where resorts merge heritage with contemporary amenities. WATG and Wimberly Interiors highlight the importance of preserving a building's essence while updating it with vibrant, fresh design elements for modern travelers who seek storytelling destinations.

📝 Nearly 1,000 hospitality professionals attended the AHLA Foundation's ForWard Conference in Atlanta, at Hyatt Regency, to empower women in leadership. The event featured speakers like Jennifer Hyman, Lamiaa Laurene Daif, and Makeba Riddick, offering sessions on negotiation, AI, guest expectations, and more. The ForWard initiative seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in hospitality leadership through professional development and networking.

💸 Successful B2B tech companies allocate 44% of their budget to Sales and Marketing, and 31% to R&D on average, with median investment figures of 46% and 28% respectively. These companies understand that equal investment in marketing and product development is crucial, suggesting a dollar-for-dollar match is the rule of thumb. For instance, a $1 million spend on engineering should be matched by another $1 million on marketing and sales. This approach is observed in companies that have successfully exited, indicating its efficacy for visibility and revenue generation.