Innovation

🍳 Megumi Robinson, Vice President at Belle Communication, highlights the benefits of partnerships between celebrity chefs and onsite foodservice operations, noting that such collaborations can accelerate innovation and introduce global flavors. Over the past decade, these partnerships have become more intentional and impactful. Google searches for "chef partnership" have surged by 1,400%, indicating a significant trend. Robinson emphasizes the value of deep collaborations where chefs serve as advisors, enhancing corporate culinary teams.

🛩 Travel Unlocked conference, 12/11/25, Paris. Agentic Hospitality views it as a pivotal moment for travel infrastructure, focusing on API-driven, seamless experiences. After launching in New York, it now unifies airlines, mobility, accommodations, and more. APIs are key, aiming to reduce integration costs and enhance global travel connectivity. Supported by Booking.com and OpenTravel Alliance, the event fosters collaboration and technical progress. Agentic's platform integrates conversion intelligence and other tools for improved hotel performance.

📲 MCP, or "Middleware Control Platform," is a new hotel tech innovation that could revolutionize revenue generation by simplifying data integration. It acts as a switchboard, connecting AI agents and chatbots to hotel systems like booking engines, PMS, and CRM. MCP doesn't store data, eliminating sync and GDPR concerns, and offers a unified language for requests. Although early in development, MCP could streamline access to fragmented hotel data, potentially creating new direct revenue streams without relying on OTAs.

📰 Google dominates the metasearch sector as Kayak and others lag behind. For hotels, focusing on Google Hotel Ads, rate parity, and retargeting is key. Banks like Capital One could reshape travel transactions through "paymentification," but innovation remains slow. MCP (Model Context Protocol) could revolutionize hotel tech by serving as a data switchboard, enhancing integration and direct revenue streams. LinkedIn's shift away from AI-written content suggests a return to human engagement. The hospitality tech landscape is evolving with new standards and strategies.

🏨 Ennismore generates over 60% of revenue from sources outside accommodation, like F&B and coworking spaces. Staypineapple’s Boston property’s Trophy Room bar highlights community integration, enhancing reputation without room bookings. RevPAG measures guest interactions beyond room stays, requiring integrated tech systems. Swiss Hotel Apartments and Strawberry use connected systems for personalized experiences. Paradise Resort Gold Coast increased revenue by selling additional experiences. Emphasizing guest value, not just rooms, fosters long-term loyalty and diversified income.

💰 1 Hotels launched the Mission Membership program—an eco-focused loyalty plan—in 2025. Each stay donates 1% of the qualifying spend to NRDC, Oceanic Global, or Green Our Planet, and 1 Hotels plants a tree per new member with Arbor Day Foundation, aiming for 100,000 trees in California. Members enjoy perks from brands like Everlane and Alo Wellness Club, with unique experiences at locations like Copenhagen, Seattle, and Toronto. Members can track impact via the app and earn Audi discounts.

🏠 In San Francisco on December 11, 2025, 34.3% of short-term rental (STR) hosts reported lost bookings due to staffing issues, according to Hospitable's research. Over 14% face external pressures from labor shortages, with nearly 40% struggling to find reliable cleaners. For larger portfolios, 35.5% find recruiting challenging, targeting reduced costs and staffing pressures in 2026. Hospitable's Cleaner Marketplace, launched in September, features over 150,000 vetted cleaners to improve property care consistency.

🏨 Skift and Mews report reveals that modern hotels are shifting focus from rooms to guest-centric strategies to boost profits. Ennismore earns over 60% of revenue from non-room sources, while Staypineapple exemplifies digital transformation. Metrics like RevPAG (Revenue Per Available Guest) and integrated tech systems are crucial. Staypineapple’s VP notes streamlined operations due to data integration. Mews, with 12,500+ clients in 85+ countries, has raised $410M. The hospitality industry is evolving towards guest-first experiences.

📈 AI is reshaping hotel bookings, enabling direct guest interaction via AI assistants for instant room details and bookings. Yet, AI struggles to interface with diverse Property Management Systems (PMS) or Central Reservation Systems (CRS). The Model Context Protocol (MCP) resolves this by acting as a translator, facilitating seamless AI communication with existing hotel systems without storing data. This approach offers a unified interface, simplifying integrations and benefiting hotel groups with multiple brands and systems.