Innovation

☕ The exclusive collaboration introduces a new coffee shop concept and branded suites, launching later this month.

💻 Minor Hotels plans to launch a global data and AI platform by 2026 in partnership with Google Cloud, Salesforce, OneTrust, and Deloitte. This platform aims to unify guest data across brands and regions, enhancing personalized communications and operational efficiency. Built on Google Cloud’s AI-optimized stack, it will integrate Salesforce’s marketing automation and OneTrust’s privacy tools. Deloitte leads strategy and integration, ensuring AI capabilities are embedded into core processes, supporting guest engagement and operational improvements.

💻 Minor Hotels plans to develop a global data and AI platform by 2026, partnering with Google Cloud, Salesforce, OneTrust, and Deloitte. The platform, built independently of legacy systems on Google Cloud's AI technology stack, will unify guest data across brands, enhance personalized experiences, and ensure privacy compliance. Salesforce will automate marketing and communications, while OneTrust will manage data governance. Deloitte is responsible for integrating these innovations into Minor Hotels' operations.

📈 Amit Saberwal, CEO of RedDoorz, at Skift Asia Forum 2026, highlights RedDoorz's 25% YoY growth despite economic challenges. Their multi-brand strategy includes premium brands growing 40-50% annually. Over 100 company-operated hotels aim to double in 12-18 months. In Indonesia, with a 280M+ population, improved infrastructure aids business expansion. Travelers prefer 3-4 days trips, authenticity, and AI-driven personalization. Internet penetration hit 75% in 2021, with 75% using AI-assisted search, reducing costs by 20-40%.

💻 Minor Hotels is innovating a global data and AI platform to enhance guest experiences, aiming for improved marketing and service. Unlike other hotel groups, Minor, with over 640 hotels across 12 brands, is constructing its system from scratch, avoiding outdated technology constraints. Chief Commercial Officer Ian Di Tullio emphasizes their approach as a "fundamental difference" since most competitors add AI to legacy systems, limiting speed and impact.

💻 Who? Shiji, a company in the hospitality industry. When? Present and future development. Where? Hospitality sector worldwide. What? Transition to an AI-first organization to streamline hotel operations. How? By embedding agentic AI across platforms to simplify onboarding and training, allowing staff to focus on guests. Why? To reduce complexity, improve service quality, and make hospitality careers more appealing. The goal is to enhance talent in the industry and increase service efficiency for guests.

💻 Shiji is transitioning to an AI‑first organization, embedding AI across its hospitality platform to reduce complexity. The Shiji AI•R framework supports this shift, enhancing areas like property management and guest engagement. AI is integrated as a horizontal layer, focusing on reducing operational burden and maintaining data sovereignty within legal jurisdictions. The approach prioritizes responsible data ownership and aims to increase productivity, keeping hospitality a people-centric industry, ensuring AI assists rather than replaces human interaction.

🤝 In August 2025, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in Durham, North Carolina, announced Folio as the official technology platform for the AAHOA Marketplace. Folio will launch an updated platform later this year, improving purchasing and bill payment for members. Key features include mobile optimization, rewards, and smarter accounting. AAHOA leaders, including Chairman Kamalesh Patel, emphasized the collaboration's benefits for members, offering them tools typically reserved for larger hotel groups. The Marketplace will remain free for members.

💵 Hotels can lose £150+ per offline room per night, amounting to £7,000+ weekly when 5 rooms are affected. SYMBIoT helps UK hotels of 100-150 rooms reduce guestroom energy costs by up to 20% and lowers reactive maintenance. It offers real-time room monitoring, reducing downtime and comfort issues. A free operational audit is available for the first 10 UK hotels, revealing hidden revenue and energy losses.