Innovation

🏨 Ennismore generates over 60% of revenue from sources outside accommodation, like F&B and coworking spaces. Staypineapple’s Boston property’s Trophy Room bar highlights community integration, enhancing reputation without room bookings. RevPAG measures guest interactions beyond room stays, requiring integrated tech systems. Swiss Hotel Apartments and Strawberry use connected systems for personalized experiences. Paradise Resort Gold Coast increased revenue by selling additional experiences. Emphasizing guest value, not just rooms, fosters long-term loyalty and diversified income.

SAN FRANCISCO, 11 DECEMBER 2025 – New research from property management software Hospitable reveals the scale of operational strain facing the short-term rental (STR) sector, with over a third (34.3%) of hosts and property…

🌐 Selectour, France's top independent travel agency network, is deploying Kleio's conversational AI across 300 branches and online platforms to enhance customer interaction. With 4,000 advisors, the AI aids efficiency and recommendation relevance. Integrated with OpenAI, Gemini, and others, it handles 80,000 products in real-time. AI agents Lisa and Alex focus on customer and sales team engagement. This initiative is part of a strategy to optimize sales conversion and meet customer expectations.

💻 Dubai, December 2025: A new contactless hotel check-in system allows guests to bypass front desk procedures after a one-time ID and biometric upload. Data remains valid until the ID expires, enabling quick re-authentication on future visits using facial recognition. This innovation, developed by Visit Dubai, aims to enhance guest experiences and is already integrable by hotels and holiday homes across Dubai. The technology may extend to other tourism areas, such as car rentals, further advancing smart tourism.

💳 HBX Group and Mastercard launch a virtual payment program leveraging Mastercard's 10-year-old Wholesale Programme. This initiative targets travel payments across the EU, UK, and US, offering enhanced transaction processing, fraud protection, and cash-flow visibility. The program aims to address the travel industry's payment challenges by replacing manual processes with secure, automated virtual card payments. Expansion into APAC is expected in early 2026, with LATAM to follow.

🛳 Omio partners with Direct Ferries, integrating over 2,000 routes from 150 carriers, effective December 2025. Expanding services in Northern Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America, Omio enters new markets like Australasia and Central America. Popular Southeast Asia routes include Phuket – Koh Phi Phi and Koh Samui – Koh Tao. The partnership, announced in July 2025, aims to unify global travel modes. Omio offers ease and flexibility, while Direct Ferries simplifies ferry access through its Connect API.

✈ Travelsoft, a global travel technology group, acquired proQuest Computersysteme GmbH, creators of airQuest, a flight fulfillment solution popular in Europe, enhancing its German market presence. Travelsoft now supports over €45 billion in annual bookings and integrates airQuest into its comprehensive suite, including NDC connectivity and ticketing automation. CEO Ulrich Sambeth will continue leading airQuest’s operations. This strategic expansion strengthens Travelsoft’s air technology capabilities in Germany, a key European travel market.

📰 Eventiz Group, which acquired the Travolution brand in October, plans to merge it with TOM.travel to create a French-language version. Frédéric Vanhoutte, the president of Eventiz, emphasizes the global need for innovation and technology in travel. The collaboration with Jacobs Media will intensify in the coming months, enhancing the European voice in travel tech and tourism. The merger aims to provide solutions that transcend specific markets.

✈️ Airbus, along with Air France, Delta Air Lines, French bee, and Virgin Atlantic, completed eight North Atlantic flights in September and October 2025 for the fello'fly project. This initiative, inspired by geese formation flying, aims to enable fuel savings through wake energy recovery by coordinating aircraft positions. A four-step process was validated, potentially saving 5% fuel on long-haul flights. However, commercial application remains untested, requiring further validation.