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Automatic

2824 posts

The role of PMS in enhancing guest experience

📌 On Dec 10, 2024, the evolution of Property Management Systems (PMS) is highlighted for revolutionizing hotel operations, ensuring efficient management and a smooth guest experience from check-in to check-out. Modern PMS provides seamless integration, flexibility, and personalization, meeting guest expectations and increasing satisfaction and loyalty. Future trends in hotel front office management will focus on further personalization, digital communication, and adaptable PMS solutions. More insights available at Shiji.
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The future of hotel PMS

🏨 Hospitality Show in San Antonio on Dec 10, 2024, highlighted hoteliers' shift towards advanced property management systems. Key benefits include: streamlined operations, elimination of data silos, reduced maintenance costs through cloud-based platforms, time savings from automation and guest-facing tools for tasks like kiosk check-ins, and the transformation of guest data into actionable insights for personalization and revenue enhancement.
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STR: Second-highest Thanksgiving week demand on record

📈 On Dec 10, 2024, a report highlighted the impact of Thanksgiving's shift from the third to fourth week of November, with an 8.8% RevPAR increase over the two weeks. Thanksgiving week saw the second highest demand since 2021, with 50% occupancy, surpassing last year's 49.4%, and a 2.8% year-on-year room demand hike. Record-breaking nominal ADR and RevPAR were noted for the holiday. Upscale hotels had the highest occupancy at 58.9%, with upper midscale following at 57.6%, resulting in a 4.3% and 5% RevPAR growth for these categories, respectively.
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When pricing gets personal

💸 On Dec 10, 2024, surveillance pricing was detailed as setting personalized flight costs using data like browsing habits, location, and income. For instance, using a MacBook might result in higher flight prices than a cheaper PC. Expedia and other platforms use AI, such as PROS WTP, to predict and optimize for the highest price a customer is willing to pay. Key factors affecting prices include repeated searches, indicative of urgency; income-based pricing, with higher fares for those in wealthier postcodes; and preference-based offers, where searching for luxury hotels could prompt pricier travel package offers.
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How digital experience shoppers are shaping retail

🛒 On Dec 10, 2024, PwC's 2024 Holiday Outlook Survey highlighted Digital Experience (DX) Enthusiasts in the US who mix physical and digital retail, influencing stores to adopt technologies like smart fitting rooms and virtual try-ons. These shoppers seek personalized, technology-driven shopping experiences and favor digital/mobile payments for speed, while also valuing brand reputation and image for loyalty and purchases.
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Booking.com says typos exposing trip details aren’t a bug

🛅 On December 9, 2024, a Booking.com user identified a significant privacy issue when a typo in an email address led to sharing private travel information with strangers, sometimes allowing unauthorized account access and control over bookings. This incident, resulting from Booking.com linking bookings to accounts with matching email addresses, was not considered a system error or security breach by the company, despite user concerns. The user received no immediate resolution from Booking.com and had to delete the trip manually from their account.
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European travel trends to watch in 2025

🌎 On Dec 9, 2024, despite efforts to divert tourists to less crowded cities, overtourism persists in Europe. Rail Europe reports a rise in rail travel, favored by Gen Z and Millennials for sustainability. Tourists prefer day trips from major cities, while events such as Rome's upcoming Jubilee are significant tourist attractions, indicating that the "swap & dupe" trend sees travelers adding destinations rather than substituting them.
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OTAs vs. AI Agents: The evolution of travel booking

📈 Online travel agencies (OTAs), utilizing economies of scale and network effects, currently dominate the travel industry. On December 9, 2024, a shift is predicted as AI agents, especially those driven by large language models (LLMs), are expected to challenge this dominance by autonomously searching, comparing, and booking travel without the need for OTAs' scale, contracts, and branding. This technological advancement enables highly personalized travel options, presenting a significant challenge for OTAs and platforms like Google to innovate or pivot to remain relevant in the face of AI disruption.
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GDS helps smaller hotels succeed in corporate travel

💲 By connecting to a Global Distribution System (GDS) on Dec 9, 2024, smaller hotels gain visibility to compete with major brands for corporate bookings. The GDS network links hotels to thousands of travel agents and managers globally, allows dynamic pricing, real-time availability, and efficient management of corporate rates. This results in higher occupancy, longer stays from premium business travelers, and an increase in revenue per available room.
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Traction for sustainable lodging?

🌱 On Dec 9, 2024, the HRS Green Stay initiative, an ISO-certified program, influences business travel trends by promoting environmental and economic benefits. Average trip durations post-pandemic are longer, increasing hotel emissions. European travelers are favoring rail over air travel, which is shifting the emissions focus to hotels. Companies are prioritizing sustainability, especially in Europe with stricter regulations, leading to more bookings and RFP success for Green Stay-labeled hotels.
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