Innovation

🍵 Monoware launched the Barista collection after a two-year development process. The line includes the Cafe Cup and Savour Cup, both complemented by matching saucers sold separately. It features an Espresso Cup, Flat White Cup, Cappuccino Cup, and Filter Cup, each designed for optimal size and drinkability. Crafted from premium stoneware instead of porcelain, the collection offers heat retention and durability. The range is available in Chalk, Pebble and Slate glazes, designed with UK baristas. Monoware also has a Core ceramics line, Dinner sets, Bundles, Japanese-made Glassware, Small batch essentials, and Made-to-order limited editions. Their products are made using energy-saving single firing systems and recyclable, biodegradable packaging.

📢 Jordan Cohen appointed as Head of Growth for SuiteOp in New York on 23 April 2025, after their recent $3 million seed funding. Cohen previously grew annual recurring revenue from $1 million to $10 million at Radix/redIQ. SuiteOp, founded in 2023, is the first Guest Operations Platform unifying hospitality teams and guests, aiming to streamline property management and enhance operational efficiency across thousands of units globally.

🏨 Smart hotels integrate technologies like IoT, AI, and mobile apps to enhance guest experiences and operational efficiency. Embracing mobile integration, guests use apps for digital check-ins, room keys, and in-room settings control. AI-driven services offer real-time assistance and personalized experiences. IoT-enabled automation and voice-activated controls provide seamless interactions. Security advancements include biometric technology for access and transactions. Education in smart hospitality, such as at Les Roches, focuses on the intersection of innovation, service, and leadership, empowering students through hands-on experience with smart technologies and partnerships with industry leaders.

🏨 Mak Abdelkafi, Senior Sales Manager at Mews, details how AI can enhance the hotel industry by improving customer experience, environmental practices, and data security. AI enables personalization and intelligent regulation of hotel operations, such as energy use, and contributes to environmental efforts like the Hotels for Trees initiative, where a tree is planted for each guest who reuses towels. Mews also ensures cybersecurity by adhering to the RGPD and PCI Compliance standards, safeguarding personal and credit card data. AI further secures transactions by verifying customer details.

🖥 Abstrakt uses real-time call transcription and sentiment evaluation via Vertex AI to improve contact center experiences. ADT is creating a customer agent for millions to choose and set up home security systems. AUI's Apollo AI agent helps businesses deliver multi-step conversational experiences. BMC enhanced BMC Helix with Vertex AI and Llama 3.1, boosting conversational AI accuracy. Character.ai manages terabytes of daily conversations with Google Cloud AI services. Flockx uses collaborative AI technology to connect people to events and communities. Gojek's "Dira by GoTo AI" is a Bahasa Indonesia AI voice assistant for GoPay services. Hand Talk translates Portuguese to Brazilian sign language with a virtual character. Moveo.AI employs Vertex AI to train custom AI models, enhancing customer experience. Personal AI introduces a personal language model for individuals or brands. Quora developed Poe, a generative AI platform hosting bots on Google Cloud AI infrastructure. Reddit launched Reddit Answers and improved its homepage with Vertex AI Search. Snap's "My AI" chatbot in the US saw over 2.5-times engagement using Gemini. Twilio offers a customer engagement platform with AI tools. 2bots provides intelligent chatbots and virtual agents with Google Cloud AI solutions. Augment is creating an AI personal assistant for enhanced note-taking. Box integrates Vertex AI for features like malware detection and content classification. Causal built a generative AI setup wizard for financial modeling. Clodura

🔎️ A Bain & Company survey of 1,100+ US consumers reveals 80% depend on "zero-click" AI search results for 40%+ of searches. HubSpot notes a traffic drop of up to 30% to company sites, while Scrunch AI finds AI referral traffic grows 40% monthly. Adobe Analytics highlights a 1,200% increase in AI-driven traffic to retailer sites (Feb 2025 vs. July 2024). AI-powered search conversions are rising, with some outperforming standard Google search by 2x. AI is reshaping the customer discovery funnel, enabling single-step journeys from vague interest to specific recommendations, sidelining traditional touchpoints and necessitating new marketing strategies focused on AI-generated content and referrals.

📍 Accor launched the 14th edition of the Take Off! Student Challenge, reimagined for 2025, to focus on local involvement and inclusivity, offering challenges in local languages across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Mexico, and more. The initiative seeks to improve accessibility and inclusion, with over 400 Accor hotels certified 'Tourisme & Handicap' for accessibility. The competition aligns with Accor's support for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and emphasizes talent development for an inclusive hospitality future.

🍕 Pizza Hut India, part of Yum! Brands, Inc., is integrating MoEngage to centralize customer engagement. This global pizza leader aims to enhance customer experiences through new channels. MoEngage provides an advanced analytics suite and AI-enabled offerings for targeted consumer programs. Pizza Hut values the platform for its capability, scale, and support, citing unmatched market customer success and implementation teams. MoEngage serves 1,350+ global brands and helps automate customer data reporting, minimizing manual efforts for Pizza Hut.

📅 ATPI Group launches ATPI EventsHub, a guest management platform integrating travel booking for events management. The innovative technology offers 24/7 support, a customizable white-labeled experience, and streamlines booking flights, hotels, and transfers on one platform. Helen van Berkel, the global head of Events at ATPI, emphasizes personalization, innovation, and human touch for exceptional guest experiences. The platform, tested last year, will be used by a UEFA partner for the Champions League Finals in Munich.

🛫 Intuitive reports that 60% of companies fail to complete reservation system upgrades due to complexity. Intuitive's buyer’s guide and over 20 years of experience aim to streamline this process for tour operators and OTAs. The guide offers a methodology, an RFP template, and evaluates technology providers beyond just functionality. Intuitive also provides reverse RFPs and 30-minute expert calls to assist businesses in the upgrade process. A webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, 7 May to further aid in planning, evaluating, and selecting technology providers.