Innovation

🍹 Francesco Braun, an expert in spirits, collaborates with KAY Sake, a brand that is redefining sake for a global audience. KAY Sake stands out due to its versatility and appeal in the luxury bar scene, catering to the demand for lower-alcohol, gluten-free options. The Junmai Daiginjo type sake is uniquely rich, making it suitable for cocktails and low ABV drinks. Its bottle, designed by Marcel Wanders, effectively communicates the brand's quality and heritage. With three signature serves—KAY on the rocks, KAY Japanese Spritz, and KAY Japanese Martini—KAY Sake targets health-conscious consumers. Braun has showcased KAY Sake at events such as London Cocktail Week, receiving positive feedback. KAY Sake is part of a trend towards fusing Eastern and Western cultures in hospitality, available at top London cocktail bars like Kwãnt Mayfair and Tayēr + Elementary.

🏖️ NaviSavi appointed Sam Lindner as head of growth and product, leveraging his 20+ years of leadership experience across travel and digital media industries. Lindner specializes in AI and Web3, aiming to scale the platform globally. NaviSavi is expanding its content pipeline in 2025 for better monetization and to become a travel content marketplace. CEO Sally Bunnell emphasizes the importance of Lindner's expertise to accelerate growth and expand services.

📍 HBX Group and Minor Hotels expand their B2B distribution partnership globally, adding 181 properties across Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Middle East. Minor Hotels plans to include nearly 300 additional properties in the next three years. The partnership strengthens following success in Europe and the Americas, streamlining strategies and reaching high-value markets. Minor Hotels hosted MarketHub Europe 2023 and will host the 2025 edition at the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura Algarve Resort from April 1-4. MarketHub discusses trends such as AI-driven personalisation and sustainable travel.

🚢 Traveltek partners with Aurora Expeditions, enhancing agent access to expedition cruises, a sector with a 71% passenger increase from 2019 to 2023 according to CLIA. The new collaboration allows for integration of pricing, itineraries, and ship content on Traveltek's platform, catering to the growing demand for educational and sustainable travel adventures. This partnership expands Traveltek's comprehensive cruise supplier network, which already includes various travel options.

🏖️ In 2024, global tourism recovered by 98% according to the UN's World Tourism barometer. Virtual card transactions are projected to reach a volume of 175 billion, amounting to $13.8 trillion by 2028. Online travel agents (OTAs) have benefited from virtual cards through instant payments and reduced fraud. However, 91% of European OTAs and travel intermediaries don't see improvements with current payment methods. The future of virtual cards in travel may involve more flexible fee structures and deeper integration with payment platforms for enhanced efficiency.

📍 TPConnects, majority-owned by Flight Centre Travel Group, integrates FlySafair's low-cost content on Iris platform, enhancing travel options for agencies. Kirby Gordon, CMO of FlySafair, and Eric Dumas, CEO of TPConnects, emphasize expanded reach and distribution, particularly in the South African market, facilitating seamless access for corporate and leisure travel sectors. Sue Garrett of Flight Centre highlights the strengthened travel solutions offering.

📌 Shaun Shirazian, former chief product officer of Pipedrive and experienced leader in SaaS and technology, has been appointed CEO of Lodgify, aiming to expand the market presence and enhance product offerings for hosts worldwide. Lechá, with a background in scaling SaaS companies, joins as chairman of the board. They target empowering small to mid-sized vacation rental hosts with advanced property management tools, fostering growth and innovation in the evolving short-term rental industry.

🛈 Boomerang, an AI-powered lost & found platform launched in 2022 by Co-founder & CEO Skyler Logsdon, is revolutionizing item recovery in hospitality and other industries. It integrates with systems like PMS and CRM, boosting recovery rates by 300%, reducing operational costs, and enhancing guest experience. Boomerang enhances customer loyalty and satisfaction by streamlining item return, and helps hotel staff focus on personalized services. The platform's success demonstrates the potential for AI to improve efficiency and personalization across hotel operations.

💸 Sparkfly saw a 30% revenue increase in 2024, with 98.6% client and 99.4% revenue retention rates. The company onboarded 12 new enterprise customers, reaching over 100 brands across 18,000+ locations, and more than two-thirds adopted Sparkfly Rewards. Enhancements were made to integrations with Olo, Klaviyo, Bikky, mParticle, Sageflo, SmarterSends, and POS systems like Qu and NCR Cloud. Platform improvements included a self-service portal upgrade and extended loyalty features. Sparkfly kept a 100% employee retention since September 2022 and plans further team expansion.

🏨 Dorint, a German hotel company with over 6,000 rooms, collaborates with IDeaS to enhance revenue management across 60+ properties in DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The German hospitality market is expected to grow at a 7.7% CAGR. IDeaS, a SAS company, offers revenue management software and services. The integration of IDeaS’ G3 RMS and Optix solutions aims to improve Dorint's operational efficiency and market responsiveness. Manuel Schmidgen, VP at Dorint, anticipates leveraging these tools for growth in the DACH region. Michael McCartan from IDeaS looks forward to redefining revenue management for Dorint with AI and data-driven insights.