Innovation

🌎 In Athens, Greece, RateGain Travel Technologies hosted the second annual European Destinations Advisory Board. The meeting attracted senior marketing leaders from across Europe, focusing on trends in European tourism. Record heatwaves and Middle East conflicts shifted travel demand, pushing interest toward northern Europe. New board members joined from Madrid, Costa Brava, and Scotland. Discussions targeted Sojern's collaboration with Adara post-acquisition, and the evolving role of AI in destination marketing, emphasizing economic impact measurement.

💻 Mews, an Amsterdam-based hotel technology company founded in 2012, has evolved from property-management software to a comprehensive operating system for hotels. It now includes payments, point of sale, revenue management, and more, achieving a valuation of $2.5 billion. Mews' rapid growth in the Netherlands, UK, and Czech Republic is fueled by innovative expansions into AI and financial services, positioning it as a leader in the hotel tech industry.

📱 At QT Sydney and Leura Gardens Resort, digital wallet keys have been adopted by 25% of guests for room access, with 30% opting for digital check-in. This tech, launched one month ago, is part of Liverton Group's SmartStay platform. Liverton plans to expand to 20–30 more properties globally. The digital key system allows seamless check-in and room access, enhancing guest experience and operational efficiency in the hospitality industry.

📰 Mulberry Media, founded in 1997, is a B2B media and events company specializing in delivering digital news. With a focus on fast and insightful journalism, they cater to specialist business audiences using data-driven platforms. Their modern approach aims to engage and inform professionals across various industries. For more information, visit their website: www.mulberrymedia.co.uk.

💻 Duetto acquires FLYR Hospitality, augmenting its Revenue & Profit Operating System with advanced AI and business intelligence capabilities. This acquisition strengthens Duetto's tools, including HotStats data (acquired in 2025), enhancing revenue management and profit benchmarking. FLYR's real-time pricing engine and plain-language BI tool offer hoteliers more choice between automation and control. The expanded suite supports all hotel scales, aiming to improve commercial performance with innovative technology and talent.

📃 In a 2026 survey of 450 hotel operators, 91% stated their PMS supports revenue growth, and 88% noted cost savings. Changing a PMS impacts guest data, payments, CRM, and employee routines. Nikki Singh advises focusing on business goals, cleaning data, and reevaluating workflows. Engage stakeholders from finance, operations, and technology for effective change management. Evaluate new systems for guest recognition, employee efficiency, and business productivity, aligning them with long-term goals and vendor partnerships.

🔌 On October 8, 2026, a McKinsey webinar highlighted that global energy demand grew by 2.7% in 2025 and is expected to rise by 20% by 2040. AI infrastructure spending will hit $758 billion in 2026, and data center capacity could grow 6.5× by 2035. EU electricity costs 120% more than in the US. Airlines face a 70% fuel cost increase in 2026, with ticket prices likely rising. Grid investment needs $443B to $970B annually until 2050.

💻 Users of Emperador and Moderno hotels in Madrid, Porcel Hoteles in Granada, and Gloria Thalasso & Hotels in the Canary Islands can now book directly via ChatGPT. Mirai's AI infrastructure and MCP layer power this plugin integration, unlike traditional interfaces. The rollout is experimental, focusing on direct hotel sales through natural language processing. As OpenAI shifts to plugins, Mirai aims to prepare hotels for AI operability in booking systems. Initial deployments are strategically limited for learning and insights.

📚 AI adoption in hotels increased from 78% to 91% in a year, but only 13% reported measurable returns. Aven Hospitality is introducing Hopper’s "Cancel for Any Reason" for increased booking flexibility. Google collaborates with major companies on a Universal Commerce Protocol for lodging to standardize AI systems' interactions. Meanwhile, AI's role in hotel distribution is expanding, as discussed by Amazon Web Services and Hilton at the Destination AI Summit.

🏨 In 2023, hotel owners face pressure to modernize amid financial constraints, balancing systems aged 50 to 100+ years. Many hotels operate 10-20 systems simultaneously, causing data bottlenecks. Hapi suggests maintaining functional systems while enhancing data flow, normalization, and real-time availability to leverage modern applications, analytics, automation, and AI. The focus is on renovation, not demolition, avoiding unnecessary digital transformation.