Innovation

📆 Choice Hotels International, Inc. opened its 69th Annual Convention in Las Vegas, featuring a keynote by CEO Patrick Pacious. The upscale brand portfolio grew its rooms by 44% last year. Loyalty members surpassed 70 million, driving a 30% redemption increase and a 13% longer average stay. Direct bookings grew over 6% year-over-year, with an online upscale booking surge of 14% in Q1 of 2025. Owners saved $25 million in operational costs and 9% on food costs since July 2024. ChoiceROCS generated $81 million in added revenue. Group and transient business revenues jumped 45% and 20%, respectively, in Q4 of 2024. AARP members booked 1.1 million room nights in 2024, and AAA appointments yielded a $50,000 average return. The company plans to enhance franchisee rate management, business travel platforms, AI-powered marketing, and group travel systems over the next two years. Comfort and Country Inn & Suites introduced new prototypes, and the Quality Inn brand marked its 85th anniversary. In the extended stay sector, Choice celebrated the opening of its 500th property in 2024, with over half of economy and midscale extended stay hotels in the pipeline. The upscale room count exceeded 110,000 in 2024, with Choice Privileges offering access to 180,000 upscale rooms.

📲 Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas aims to compete with Google by building a browser named Comet for data collection to sell premium ads, targeting a May launch. Perplexity's partnership with Motorola introduces its app on Razr phones, accessible via Moto AI with "Ask Perplexity". The company also negotiates with Samsung for integration. Google’s market cap is around $2 trillion; it's in court over monopolistic allegations by the DOJ, which may lead to divestment of Chrome. OpenAI and Perplexity show interest in buying Chrome if sold.

🛒 OpenAI announced an update to ChatGPT search on Monday, enhancing online shopping with recommendations, images, reviews, and direct purchase links. This feature, part of GPT-4o, is available to all ChatGPT users globally, including Pro, Plus, Free, and logged-out users. OpenAI, competing with Google, recorded over a billion searches in ChatGPT last week. The shopping results are ad-free and use structured metadata from third parties. CEO Sam Altman considers "tasteful" ads with affiliate fees but rejects priority placement selling. Future updates will include a memory feature for personalized recommendations, except in the EU and some countries due to privacy restrictions. ChatGPT search is also now available on WhatsApp and displays trending searches similar to Google autocomplete.

💰 Independent hotels using Pricing Manager across six continents – mainly in Europe, Asia, and Oceania – reported a 19.25% RevPAR increase, translating to over 50x ROI on the monthly subscription. A 20-room hotel with €100 ADR and 80% occupancy achieved a monthly RevPAR boost of €9,146.51, a 54x ROI. Autopilot users experienced ADR lifts 10 times greater than those not using Autopilot. Results were based on a five-month average study in stable economies, though individual ROI varies due to hotel strategy and external factors. Pricing Manager also offers time savings, enabling hoteliers to focus on service and strategy.

```html ✈ ``` Airlines could unlock up to $45 billion USD in potential revenue over the next five years through modern retailing, with New Offers representing more than $13 billion. Carriers currently using outdated systems can see a revenue uplift of 2% to 3% or up to 15% of EBITDA by leveraging Shopping Data—real-time data from flight searches and corresponding pricing. Approximately 260 carriers, about 80% of IATA members, use dynamic pricing, a 20% increase in two years. In 2024, only one-quarter of ticket offers were dynamically generated. Advanced dynamic pricing includes variables like weather, economic trends, and competitor pricing. Shopping Data provides real-time demand insights and nuanced competitor pricing insights. OAG's dedicated Data Governance department ensures compliance and privacy. Airlines can achieve a 3% revenue uplift with established dynamic offers, potentially increasing to 10% with Shopping Data.

🏨 At FHT Paris 2025, hospitality experts discussed digital transformation in the industry, emphasizing back-office efficiency and guest experience enhancement. Digital tools streamline inventory and operations, with France set to eliminate paper invoices by September 2026. Real-time apps and sensors improve service quality, while data analytics from tools like Reviewpro’s GRI™ inform customer satisfaction and revenue strategies—a 1-point GRI increase correlates with a 0.89% rise in ADR and 0.54% in occupancy. Sustainability initiatives, like Groupe Madeho's Clé Verte certification, also benefit from digital advancements. The industry is urged to embrace continuous improvement and digital culture.

🏨 Choice Hotels International, Inc. opened its 69th Annual Convention in Las Vegas, with President and CEO Patrick Pacious emphasizing "Powering the Future" for hotel owners. The event hosts thousands and features nearly 100 educational sessions and a trade show. Choice Hotels, with over 7,500 hotels globally, reported a 40% business traveler customer base, a 44% growth in upscale room numbers, and a loyalty membership surpassing 70 million. Direct bookers increased by over 6%, with food costs savings averaging 9% since July 2024. Group business revenue surged 45% in Q4 of 2024, and the company continues to invest in AI, with plans to roll out new capabilities over two years. Extended stay brands like Everhome Suites are expanding, with 25 hotels expected by end of 2025, while WoodSpring Suites maintains over 55% gross operating profits.