Innovation

💻 Germany, March 2023: Homelike, a rental platform with over 70,000 furnished properties, ceased operations after 10 years. Now acquired by Roomless Srl, its assets, including the domain and branding, redirect to Spacest.com. This move ensures continuity for users and expands Spacest.com's presence in markets like Germany, Italy, Spain, and more. Spacest.com aims to become Europe's leading flexible rental platform, leveraging Homelike's legacy.

💻 Reconfirm.ai, launched in 2023, offers a 15-day free trial for its AI-powered booking and renewal confirmation tool, targeting travel and membership businesses. It automates tasks like hotel bookings and membership renewals using voice AI, reducing human errors, and operational costs. The system operates 24/7, enabling faster workflows. CEO Mike Putman emphasizes the trial helps businesses experience the benefits without commitment. The platform supports various customer operations, transforming manual processes into efficient, auditable workflows.

📰 Sojern and PubMatic are collaborating to enhance programmatic advertising for the travel industry. By integrating Sojern’s real-time travel data with PubMatic’s inventory, advertisers can create personalized, targeted campaigns. This partnership allows precise audience targeting while ensuring privacy compliance. Josh Beckwith from Sojern and Mark Williams from PubMatic emphasize the benefits of curation for advertisers, publishers, and audiences, leading to improved transparency, control, and performance.

🛫 UK-based 15below acquired Airport AI, an AI platform used by over 80 airports, for an undisclosed sum. This strategic move aims to enhance passenger experiences by integrating airline and airport systems. The solution will improve service through self-service options, reduce costs, and provide more responsive customer support via digital channels like WhatsApp and WeChat. The collaboration is set to expand Airport AI's global reach and foster seamless communication, improving efficiency across the air travel industry.

📈 Duetto and The Hotels Network, based in San Francisco, California, announced a strategic partnership to boost direct bookings for hotels using real-time occupancy data. This integration connects Duetto’s Dynamic Rate Engine API with THN’s segmentation capabilities. Key benefits include increased direct booking conversion, improved customer experience, and optimized marketing spend. Industry leaders, including Victoria Fisher at Penta Hotels, contributed to shaping this innovative solution that maximizes revenue and enhances marketing efficacy.

📈 Duetto and The Hotels Network announced a partnership to boost direct bookings and optimize marketing in the hospitality industry. By integrating Duetto’s Dynamic Rate Engine with THN’s platform, hotels can use real-time occupancy data for targeted offers. The initiative, supported by Victoria Fisher at Penta Hotels, aims to enhance conversion rates, customer experience, and marketing efficiency. Duetto operates in over 6,800 hotels globally and has won HotelTechAwards from 2022 to 2025.

🏨 The 28-room hotel will operate as-is until November 2025 when it will be refurbished. Located in Paris, it will fully join the Korner universe, featuring 'Korner Hosts', who take on multiple roles, fostering dynamic management. The hotel will provide top-tier bedding, a central Espace Korner with dining, coworking, and relaxation services, and tech enhancements like contactless check-in. Korner plans expansion in France, with a new hotel opening in Lyon, boosting its strategic growth.

🍽 Saladplate, part of Informa Markets, serves as a key hub for the Hospitality, Food, and Beverage industry, offering insights into trends and innovations. It features weekly news, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-monthly e-magazine. The platform provides access to 10,000+ brands and companies, alongside updates from over 35 international trade events.

📈 Neil Patel’s team analyzed 500,000 ChatGPT prompts, revealing Wikipedia as the top answer source, followed by blog posts. Boostly, with over 1,000 blogs, benefits from AI recognition, especially through integrations with 27+ PMSs like Uplisting, Zeevou, and Hostfully. The company’s digital presence is bolstered by 100+ podcast features. A full LLM search audit on Boostly was conducted last week, highlighting the importance of SEO in AI for brand building in 2025.

🌎 Jul 9, 2025: PwC Middle East and Mabrian Technologies launch the “Stay, Play, Shop” model to transform Gulf tourism by integrating emotional engagement and visitor experiences. The model addresses new visitor types like Culture Seekers and Wellness Weekenders, emphasizing emotional connections over infrastructure. Success stories include Downtown Dubai, Diriyah, and Msheireb. This approach promises longer stays, repeat visits, and brand loyalty through coordinated public-private efforts and experience mapping, enhancing satisfaction and commercial outcomes.