Innovation

🧠 RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) enhances AI response accuracy by grounding it in specific business data. Traditional computers fail to understand nuanced language, while AI translates semantic proximity into spatial vectors, even in thousands of dimensions. Large Language Models (LLMs) need guidance to avoid inaccuracies. By feeding LLMs with actual documents like HR policies or hotel information, RAG creates a personalized AI knowledge base, improving customer service and maintaining natural language understanding. The next episode will discuss Transformers in AI. The article also mentions the use of Perplexity.ai as a superior alternative to traditional search engines for complex queries.

🏨 In Prague, on 11 Feb 2025, RobosizeME launched the AI-Powered No-Show Catcher to address hotel no-shows and reservation frauds. This AI system assigns risk scores to bookings, which can prevent up to €150,000 in losses from ten no-shows weekly. The No-Show Catcher analyzes various factors like stay duration, booking channel, and guest profile. Stephen Burke, CEO of RobosizeME, claims that preventing two no-shows monthly offsets the tool's cost. Renowned groups like Kempinski and Radisson trust RobosizeME for hospitality automation solutions.

📱 Rich communication services (RCS) is emerging as the next major platform for marketing communication, potentially surpassing SMS. Apple's latest iOS update featuring RCS support augments adoption, especially in the U.S. RCS enhances brand communication with features like read receipts, typing indicators, quick-reply buttons, and a unified digital experience without additional app downloads. RCS enables in-message browsing, ordering, and payments, fostering a seamless customer journey. By the end of 2025, RCS is expected to become the mobile messaging standard. Brands embracing RCS early can lead in engagement and conversion metrics, shifting focus from clicks and downloads to response rates and media interaction.

🏢 Group and MICE business demand surged in 2023, revealing a need for a dynamic, data-driven revenue management strategy in the hospitality sector. Key strategies include analyzing displacement, understanding demand patterns, conversion rates, and forecasting real attendance. Utilizing technology, hotels can improve accuracy and efficiency. Expanding dynamic pricing to event spaces and services, like catering and equipment rentals, offers untapped revenue potential. Collaboration across departments is essential for a data-driven culture. As 2025 approaches, integrating these revenue management principles can significantly boost profitability in MICE and group segments.

🖥 CEOs at DMO/CVBs require AI guidance specific to their executive roles. AI integration is a leadership task, not to be delegated. Conor Grennan, AI architect at NYU Stern, consults for JPMorgan and NASA on AI strategy. AI is considered a "horizontal enabling layer," as described by Jeff Bezos at The New York Times DealBook Summit; it will soon be embedded in every device and digital application. North American DMO CEOs seek both broad strategic overviews and actionable AI solutions. Personalized data via conversational AI is becoming crucial, with in-destination AI chat conversations reaching 25% and click-through conversions in some regions approaching 20%. Canada and Germany have invested millions in data infrastructure to improve AI search rankings and revenue. AI adoption is critical, as 79% of leaders believe their companies need to adopt AI to maintain competitiveness, and 66% won’t hire someone without AI skills, according to the Linkedin/Microsoft 2024 Work Trend Index. Matador Network is transitioning to AI-first, leveraging an AI task force for company-wide integration. CEOs need to engage with staff about AI, addressing fears and promoting adoption.

🏨 Beatriz Heras from Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH) discussed hospitality's digital evolution on Shiji’s Insights Podcast. ITH, under the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations, champions tech integration, energy efficiency, and sustainability in the sector. The TechYRoom project in the Valencian Community showcases accessible voice control systems, robotic assistance, and smart energy solutions. Post-pandemic, hotels rapidly adopted AI, data integration, and automation to enhance guest experiences and operational efficiency. Future ITH projects will expand TechYRoom, incorporate robotics in tourism training, and deliver personalized travel experiences.

📌 Hospitable launched iCal Imports to sync bookings from various OTAs and niche platforms, complementing integrations with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Agoda, and Google Vacation Rentals. iCal Imports automates syncing for Expedia, Furnished Finder, Tripadvisor, and more, updating reservations hourly to prevent double bookings and leveraging Hospitable’s automation and AI tools for messages and guest inquiries. Hospitable, founded in 2016, helps hosts avoid excess work and scale their business by automating 90% of guest communication and managing bookings across channels. CEO Pierre-Camille Hamana emphasizes the ease of expanding reach without added stress.

📱 Hospitable, a vacation rental management platform, has launched iCal Imports, enabling hosts to sync bookings from various online travel agencies and niche platforms, including Expedia, Tripadvisor, and regional marketplaces. The new feature, extending past integrations with Airbnb, Vrbo, and others, aims to ease the management of listings across multiple channels. Automatic hourly imports into Hospitable's platform reduce double booking risks and streamline operations. CEO Pierre-Camille Hamana highlights the benefit of expanding reach without added stress. Since 2016, Hospitable has helped hosts automate messaging and operations, handling 90% of guest interactions with AI.

🏨 Hospitable, a vacation rental management platform, launched iCal Imports, allowing hosts to sync bookings from various OTAs and niche platforms. This feature complements existing integrations with major platforms such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and others. It supports automatic hourly syncing, aiming to prevent double bookings and help hosts manage multiple listings easily. The platform, founded in 2016, uses AI to automate messaging and manage reservations, aiming to handle 90% of guest interactions and streamline operations for hosts.

🏠 Hospitable's new iCal Imports feature allows hosts to sync bookings from multiple online travel agencies and niche platforms, expanding beyond direct integrations with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Agoda, and Google Vacation Rentals. This tool automates syncing with OTAs like Expedia and regional marketplaces, centralizes operations, and helps maximize occupancy by importing reservations every hour. Founded in 2016, Hospitable automates 90% of guest messages with AI and ensures a synchronized calendar to prevent double bookings. CEO Pierre-Camille Hamana emphasizes the ease of scaling business without added stress.