Innovation

🌲 GCSTIMES introduces wooden key cards featuring six types of wood: Sapele, Black Walnut, Cherry, Beech, Birch, and Bamboo. Each option offers a unique aesthetic, from the rich hues of Sapele to the light, renewable charm of Bamboo. Responsibly sourced and FSC-certified, these cards combine eco-friendliness with luxury. Customization options include gold-stamped logos, precision engraving, and unique shapes. These cards enhance the guest experience, reflecting both property style and environmental consideration.

📈 Hotels using AI to manage operations are seeing tangible revenue benefits. AI optimizes the handling of client inquiries, confirming availability instantly, and maintaining response workflows, even during high-demand periods. This shifts the focus from predictive to operational efficiency, ensuring experienced staff can concentrate on securing high-value bookings. By reducing delays in response times and improving consistency, venues maintain client relationships and prevent revenue loss. AI supports teams in delivering consistent, high-quality service amidst growing pressure.

💻 Shiji is transitioning to an AI‑first organization, embedding AI across its hospitality platform to reduce complexity. The Shiji AI•R framework supports this shift, enhancing areas like property management and guest engagement. AI is integrated as a horizontal layer, focusing on reducing operational burden and maintaining data sovereignty within legal jurisdictions. The approach prioritizes responsible data ownership and aims to increase productivity, keeping hospitality a people-centric industry, ensuring AI assists rather than replaces human interaction.

💻 April 8, 2026, San Diego, CA – Hostelling International USA (HI USA), the largest US hostel network, partners with Cloudbeds to modernize operations. This digital shift aims to streamline workflows and enhance guest experiences. HI USA, hosting 600,000 annual stays, transitions to Cloudbeds' unified cloud platform, reducing IT reliance and administrative tasks. This update supports HI USA's mission of cultural understanding and enables staff to focus on guest interactions, operational efficiency, and consistent service across properties.

📈 Hotels rapidly adopt cloud systems, with Stayntouch reporting a 75% revenue increase in Q1 2026 and 106% more contracted hotel rooms. Dynamic pricing faces backlash, posing a legitimacy crisis despite its economic success. Operational coherence is identified as a key challenge due to fragmented tech systems. Notable developments: Domes Resorts acquires Casa Collective, Hilton expands in India, Minor Hotels plans 50 Indian properties. Vincent Poulingue and Mark Wouters take on new GM roles. Paradisus Cancun, Leonardo Hotel Köln, and Hutton Hotel undergo renovations.

🤝 In August 2025, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in Durham, North Carolina, announced Folio as the official technology platform for the AAHOA Marketplace. Folio will launch an updated platform later this year, improving purchasing and bill payment for members. Key features include mobile optimization, rewards, and smarter accounting. AAHOA leaders, including Chairman Kamalesh Patel, emphasized the collaboration's benefits for members, offering them tools typically reserved for larger hotel groups. The Marketplace will remain free for members.

💻 March 13, 2025: Virtual "Destination AI Forum" hosts sessions on "AI & The Next Booking Shift." Panelists include Harriet Brown, Michael Mahar, Brad Brewer, and Jason Cincotta for session one, moderated by Michael J. Goldrich. Session two features Andrew Beckmann, Sanjay Vakil, Greg Duff, Tyrone Millard, and Ira Vouk, who also moderates. Organized by Naz Aydin of Destination AI.

📈 Bethesda, MD — In Q1 2026, Stayntouch reported a 75% year-over-year revenue increase and a 106% rise in hotel rooms under contract, marking its strongest quarter ever. New customer acquisition rose by 33%, driven by independent hotel groups in the U.S. and Europe. An AI-powered guest messaging tool saved hotel teams 375 hours monthly. The growth reflects a shift towards specialized PMS technology, addressing challenges faced by 65% of hoteliers as per AHLA's 2026 report.