Innovation

💻 Shiji and PC Hospitality, Asia's largest hospitality conglomerate, announced a strategic partnership in Dubai, UAE. PC Hospitality will implement Shiji's cloud-based solutions, including Daylight PMS, Horizon Distribution, and Infrasys POS, to enhance operations and support growth. With over 60 hotels, PC Hospitality aims to centralize data and improve distribution. Shiji, with 91,000 hotel clients globally, will aid in building a digital infrastructure to boost revenue and operational performance for PC Hospitality's expanding portfolio.

💻 Nearly 72% of hospitality leaders plan to adopt AI within the next year, according to a CGA by NIQ and Sona survey involving 13,000 venues. Only 26% feel prepared for large-scale AI implementation. Financial constraints led 53% to cancel investments in 2023, and optimism is low at 26%. AI is mainly used for data (49%) and marketing (47%), with lower adoption in HR and scheduling (27%). Rising costs and education gaps challenge AI expansion.

🤖 Moderators on Reddit, which has 110 million daily active users, are addressing AI-generated content by enacting rules to maintain authenticity. Concerns include content quality, social dynamics, and governance difficulties. Research by Travis Lloyd, presented at ACM SIGCHI in Bergen, Norway (Oct 18-22, 2025), involved 15 moderators overseeing over 100 subreddits. Despite AI challenges, there is a continued desire for genuine human interaction on the platform.

📈 AI x Commerce in 2025: Explore nine key stories about AI's role in commerce. Discover the reality of AI adoption, understand agentic commerce, learn from past failures, and see why this time is different. Uncover what's missing in customer experiences and how AI integrates into shopping today. Identify the players (three agent types), find out who controls the access point, question the sustainability of ad-funded models, and understand why AI selling tools are revolutionary.

💻 PC Hospitality partners with Shiji to implement cloud-based solutions, announced on December 18, 2025, in Dubai. This collaboration aims to enhance efficiency, unify property data, and expand PC Hospitality's portfolio. Shiji's technology, including Daylight PMS, Horizon Distribution, and Infrasys POS, will enable streamlined operations and improved decision-making. Shiji serves over 91,000 hotels globally. PC Hospitality, part of Hashoo Group, operates over 60 hotels in Asia, including luxury and midscale brands, and manages the PC Connoisseur Collection of dining destinations.

📈 Lafayette Hotels, US: Since adopting RMS's property management system, direct online bookings have more than doubled over four years, with 70% of reservations now direct across 26 properties. Server and IT maintenance costs decreased by $100,000 annually, and automated accounting saves over 60 hours weekly. The onboarding of new properties takes a minimum of nine days. The transition from six management systems and three channel managers to RMS has streamlined operations and enhanced efficiency.

💻 Matt Welle and Maurits Bots discuss modern hotel operations with tech, emphasizing WestCord Hotels' approach. WestCord uses tech to reduce cognitive load, employing WhatsApp-based AI for FAQs and task automation via Zapier. This enhances guest and employee experiences by removing repetitive tasks. Mews, a hospitality platform, supports over 12,500 customers in 85+ countries and has raised $410 million. It was named Best PMS in 2024, 2025, and is recognized as a top workplace in hotel tech.

💰 Since 2011, GCSTIMES has evolved into a global platform for sustainable solutions with operational centers in China, US, UAE, France, and Australia, and 14 subsidiaries worldwide. They support 100,000+ hospitality groups in 140+ countries in achieving sustainable goals. Their innovations include sustainable smart cards and creative key cards, emphasizing cultural heritage and low-carbon development. GCSTIMES integrates technology and sustainability, offering products like the doll key card that enhances guest experiences in hospitality.

📰 2025 December, HOTELS Magazine launched its Suppliers Guide, a key resource for the hospitality industry. It includes a cover story on Brad Brewer of Agentic Hospitality, highlighting efforts to aid hotel independence against digital giants using AI. Check it out for insights and strategies crucial for hoteliers.

📰 In 2026, a report by NYU Tisch Center, Stayntouch, and IDeaS found hotels gravitating towards Best-in-Class technology systems, with 68% of independent hotels (101-250+ rooms) adopting them. Smaller hotels (54% with 100 rooms or less) prefer All-in-One platforms for simplicity. Only 34% satisfied with All-in-One training/support plan to switch. Best-in-Class systems offer flexibility, reducing booking errors and delays. IDeaS introduced "Spotlight," providing marketers with ROI insights through scientific revenue management data.