Innovation

📍 Influence Society, a creative agency, opened a new office in Paris at 28 Cours Albert 1er in the 8th Arrondissement. Eve-Marie Steenman, with experience from Aman Hotels, leads the Paris office, focusing on high-touch digital storytelling for hotel brands. The Paris location was chosen for strategic growth and cultural alignment, highlighting Influence Society's design-centric approach in the hospitality industry since 2016. The agency services include performance marketing, custom websites, branding, and content creation, catering to hotels across Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Visit their website at www.influence-society.com.

🏥 Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express and Group Chief Strategy Officer at Accor, discusses technology and innovation in hospitality on April 22, 2025. She provides insights into the future of luxury travel on the "Hospitality Daily Podcast.

📈 Group bookings drive significant revenue for hotels, but forecasting occupancy and pricing is complex due to "group wash"—unused reserved room blocks. Gerhard Wasem, Director of Product Management, Group Business, remarks on the difficulty of predicting group occupancy. US hoteliers anticipate higher group sales by 2025. In June, an investment was made in BlockBuster, a solution that optimizes revenue and introduces group wash forecasting. This feature uses historical data to predict unbooked rooms within group blocks, helping hotels avoid overestimation, manage availability more efficiently, and enhance rate strategies. Four use cases demonstrate how group wash forecasting allows hotels to adjust pricing and inventory proactively, thereby maximizing revenue and occupancy. Best practices include data accuracy, consistency, and utilizing BlockBuster for real-time adjustments.

🏨 Octant Hotels, a Portuguese hotel chain, launched Latitude—a new platform featuring over 200 curated experiences near its hotels. Latitude focuses on local authenticity through gastronomy, arts, and crafts, aiming to reveal hidden treasures and traditions beyond conventional tourist guides. Months of research and local exploration preceded the launch. Marketing Director Filipe Bonina emphasizes Latitude as a tool for purposeful travel and deep cultural immersion.

🏡 Lighthouse acquired The Hotels Network, enhancing its travel and hospitality industry platform with AI-driven marketing technology. The Hotels Network, founded in 2015, operates in over 100 countries, serving more than 20,000 hotels and delivering an average 32% uplift in direct bookings. The integration will offer hoteliers personalized booking experiences and advanced AI capabilities, aiming to maximize direct channel revenue. The Hotels Network is unique in combining pricing data, personalization, and cross-channel marketing in one solution.

🏡 Lighthouse acquired The Hotels Network, a leader in hotel marketing personalization technology, to enhance its commercial intelligence platform for the travel and hospitality industry. The Hotels Network, founded in 2015, serves over 20,000 hotels in more than 100 countries, including brands like Minor Hotels and One&Only Resorts, and has increased direct bookings by an average of 32%. The acquisition merges AI-driven marketing tech with Lighthouse's data, aiming to personalize the guest experience and boost direct revenue for hotels.

🏨 Sabre Hospitality, part of Sabre Corporation, renewed its strategic partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, adding SynXis Retailing and gift card & vouchers to their agreement. This expansion includes SynXis Booking Engine, GDS Distribution, Call Center Services, Digital Marketing, and SynXis Voice Agent solutions to support Preferred Hotels & Resorts' goals, such as boosting the I Prefer Hotel Rewards program and broadening hotel distribution. Sabre's Frank Trampert and Preferred's Michelle Woodley emphasize mutual trust, shared vision, and commitment to innovation in the hospitality industry.

🏨 Sabre Hospitality, part of Sabre Corporation, renewed its strategic partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, now including SynXis Retailing and gift card & voucher services. This expansion aims to boost revenue and attract new guests for Preferred Hotels & Resorts' member hotels. The partnership continues to provide Preferred Hotels & Resorts with a full suite of hospitality solutions, supporting the I Prefer Hotel Rewards program and member hotel distribution. The agreement includes SynXis Booking Engine, GDS Distribution, Call Center Services, Digital Marketing, and SynXis Voice Agent solutions. Sabre and Preferred Hotels & Resorts' relationship is based on mutual trust, shared vision, and co-innovation, with a focus on enhancing guest experiences and driving industry impact.

📅 The Travolution European Summit will take place on May 13 at Events at No 6 in Aldgate, London. New speakers announced include David Norris from Holiday Extras, Mik Ruberl from Chain4Travel, and Beatriz Oficialdegui from Destinia. The event focuses on travel and technology with discussions on AI, multi-channel search, web3, and crypto. Last year's key speakers were from companies like easyJet holidays and Amazon Web Services. Sponsors for this year's summit include Belvera Partners and Stripe among others. Tickets are available online.

🏡 Caesars Republic Scottsdale Hotel by Hilton opened in March 2024 in Scottsdale, AZ, boasting 11 stories, 20,000 sq. ft. of event space, two pools, bars, two signature restaurants, and technologically advanced services. It equipped over 700 PoE automated roller shades from PowerShades across 265 guest rooms and common areas. These shades are integrated with the Hotel’s BMS for energy conservation, adjusting to room occupancy and seasonal conditions. True PoE shades offer up to 6Nm torque, fitting windows up to 171” wide x 117” deep, introduced in 2024.