Innovation

💰 Duetto, a San Francisco-based revenue management software provider for the hospitality industry, acquires HotStats to create the definitive revenue and profit operating system for hotels. The partnership aims to unify revenue streams and offer comprehensive profit optimization by combining Duetto's existing solutions with HotStats’ financial benchmarking data. This move follows Duetto's acquisition by GrowthCurve Capital last year. HotStats team will join Duetto, with Houlihan Lokey and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe advising Duetto, while Gately Plc advised HotStats. Financial terms remain undisclosed.

💸 SuiteOp, a Guest Operations Platform, secured its first external financing with a $3 million seed funding round. ScOp led the investment, with contributions from Dream Capital, Kunal Shah, Sudeep Singh, Song Pak, and a private European fund. Founded by Jean-Emmanuel Losi and Simon Seroussi, SuiteOp evolved from Sosuite, a short-term rental brand in Philadelphia. The platform, which caters to various lodging businesses, aims to streamline operations by integrating IoT, automation, and analytics. Featuring a fivefold annual run rate increase, 15% monthly growth, and zero percent customer churn, SuiteOp plans to further develop automation tools and expand into new markets.

💾 SuiteOp, a Guest Operations Platform, raised $3 million in seed funding to accelerate development, roll out automation tools, and expand markets. ScOp led the investment alongside Dream Capital, Kunal Shah, Sudeep Singh, Song Pak, and a private European fund. Founded by Jean-Emmanuel Losi and Simon Seroussi from their experiences with Sosuite, SuiteOp caters to a range of lodging businesses. It boasts a fivefold increase in run rate, 15% month-over-month growth, and zero percent customer churn. The fresh capital aims to enhance automation and efficiency in the hospitality sector, responding to high costs and labor constraints.

🔔 AI is transforming hotel hospitality, offering virtual concierge services for assistance with dining, transportation, and tourism through guestroom TVs. This may lead to reduced staffing levels at concierge desks and in-room dining call centers. AI-driven predictive analytics will manage inventory reordering recommendations, minimizing manual monthly inventories but still requiring periodic checks for internal shrinkage or theft. Additionally, AI software will optimize employee scheduling within the housekeeping department, avoiding under or overscheduling and advising on preventative maintenance schedules. Dr. William D. Frye, a hospitality educator and former hotel general manager, highlights these advancements in the context of the housekeeping domain.

🏨 In a strategic partnership, BWH Hotels Scandinavia teamed up with The Hotels Network, 2025's #1 Direct Booking Tool, to enhance direct bookings using THN's Price Comparison and Price Match tools. Top Nordic brands Strawberry and Elite Hotels of Sweden already trust THN. An A/B test from October 30 to December 1 revealed a 7.1% conversion rate increase among Swedish desktop users. The group's 191 hotels across Scandinavia aim for transparency and guest confidence in direct booking. BWH Hotels Scandinavia, with over 4,300 hotels globally in 100+ countries, is Scandinavia's largest independent hotel group offering 17 different brands.

🏡 Rentyl Resorts, part of NDM Hospitality, partnered with Avendra International to boost operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve guest experiences. CEO Nicholas Falcone highlighted the value Avendra's expertise will add to their resorts. Avendra will implement its procurement technology across all Rentyl Resorts properties, aiming for consistent quality and superior guest satisfaction. This partnership will focus on sustainable solutions and enhance service quality through optimized procurement workflows.

📊 CRM technology is crucial for restaurant growth and customer engagement—experts Dave Harris (CTO, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants) and Aaron Abramoff (CFO, The Restaurant People) shared insights in a panel discussion. They emphasized: actionable insights from CRM systems are key; a balance of instinct and data in decision-making is necessary; personalization improves guest loyalty but is complex to implement; ROI on CRM is hard to measure but essential; tech integration needs to be seamless; and AI is becoming vital in CRM strategy, enhancing human decision-making. CRM is a must-have for competitive restaurants.

💾 Mak Abdelkafi, with over 20 years of experience in hotel distribution, traces the evolution of hotel tech from the '90s internet debut to AI in 2020. He predicts a significant AI impact in 2023-2024 on hoteliers' challenges, customer experiences, and dynamic pricing. Abdelkafi emphasizes AI's role in automating administrative tasks to enhance guest interaction and managing energy costs. Mews, where Abdelkafi is Senior Sales Director, advocates for seamless, technology-driven user experiences.

📍 Early 2025, U.S. hotel industry faces opportunity and uncertainty amid geopolitical changes, influencing international and domestic travel. U.S.-China relations, Middle East conflict, immigration policies, election-year volatility, and dollar strength affect tourism. Hoteliers advised to adapt marketing, invest in automation, cater to Millennials/Gen X, offer value and flexible policies, and plan strategically. Domestic travel surges; labor availability and guest expectations shift. Success lies in staying informed, agile, and guest-focused.

🏨 STAAH, a channel management platform, interfaces with over 500 OTAs and integrates with more than 100 property management systems. It provides a dashboard for data-driven decisions and features for revenue optimization like promo codes, dynamic pricing, and pooled inventory. The platform also has automations for rate and inventory rules, aiming to boost direct bookings through the hotel's website and improve operational efficiencies by reducing manual tasks. Key questions to consider when selecting a channel manager include the number of connected channels, room types managed, availability management, reporting, implementation time, and support for multiple users.