Innovation

💻 Vanessa Osbourne founded Smart Hotel Manager, launching the Live Safety platform in 2023. The app, designed for hotel teams, offers real-time emergency guidance, compliance tracking, and multilingual training. A pilot with Remington Hospitality at nine properties improved response times and staff engagement. The company has 14 team members and plans international expansion. Additionally, Smart Hotel Manager's nonprofit, Lanterns for Light, built a solar-powered digital library in Sega, Kenya, promoting digital education and safety training.

💻 McKinsey and Harvard Business Review report ranks the hospitality sector at 1.875 on a digitalization index, below the 3.025 cross-industry average. Over 80% of hotels spend up to two workdays weekly on manual reporting (State of Distribution 2025). AI is increasingly used, with 71% of U.S. adults open to using it for travel planning, though hotels risk outdated info if not integrated. MCP aids real-time hotel data access. AI boosts efficiency, notably in sales prospecting.

🍴 American Express and Toast, in 2024, enhance hospitality across U.S. restaurants utilizing Resy and Tock. They integrate Toast’s technology like Digital Chits, improving guest experiences and visibility via Local by Toast app. In 2024, American Express purchased Rooam and Tock, expanding to 27,000 restaurants globally. Toast features, such as Digital Chits and ToastIQ, aid restaurant operations. American Express Card Members spent over $87 billion on U.S. dining in 2024. New features launch in 2026.

📱 Gen Z and millennials demand instant, mobile-based training aligned with their learning style. Studies reveal that 85% of participants prefer microlearning, improving retention rates by 20-60%. AI tools personalize and track training, transforming it into a strategic asset. Hotels enhancing guest experiences with tech like keyless entry should equally invest in modern training to reduce turnover. Eran Heffetz, co-founder of Bites, emphasizes adapting learning to mobile platforms for longer employee retention and improved service.

🍴 American Express and Toast are collaborating to enhance personalized dining experiences in the U.S. In 2024, American Express acquired Rooam and Tock, expanding their dining network to 27,000 venues. American Express Card Members spent over $87 billion on dining in 2024. The partnership plans to integrate Resy, Tock, and Toast’s technologies, with new features starting in 2026. This aims to boost restaurant visibility and efficiency, driving loyalty and growth through smarter services.

🍴 American Express and Toast are collaborating to enhance dining experiences at restaurants in the U.S. In 2024, American Express acquired Rooam and Tock, adding 27,000 venues to its Global Dining network. U.S. Card Members spent over $87 billion on dining in 2024. The partnership will integrate Toast’s technology with Resy and Tock services. New features will begin rolling out in 2026 to provide more personalized hospitality.

💻 Amadria Park, a leading Croatian hotel group, has adopted Shiji’s Daylight PMS and Infrasys POS to enhance operations across its 12 hotels in Opatija, Zagreb, and Šibenik. The implementation, announced on August 6, 2025, covers 200 workstations and three legal entities, aiming to streamline processes and improve guest experience. This move is part of a digital transformation to modernize Amadria Park's operations while maintaining its tradition-driven service.

💻 Profitroom's AI Agent, launched to support over 3,500 global hotel and pub operators, enhances direct bookings with real-time, multilingual guest support via websites, Messenger, and WhatsApp. This AI tool, integrated with Profitroom's booking engine, automatically manages guest queries, offers personalized packages, and improves booking conversion. Operators face rising costs and high guest expectations; AI Agent helps maintain high service standards and reduces staff workloads. Patryk Luszcz emphasizes its operator-focused design and practical usability.

🏨 Hotels in 2025 must leverage connected technologies for success. Seamless integration of booking engines, PMS, OTAs, and payment systems eliminates manual errors and optimizes operations. Key tools include STAAH SwiftBook for mobile bookings, a channel manager for real-time rate updates, and RateStalk for pricing intelligence. Integration ensures smoother guest experiences and efficient rate management, reducing booking errors and enhancing guest satisfaction. Hoteliers must ensure tech tools communicate effectively to save time, money, and maintain guest trust.

💻 SoundHound AI Inc. and Acrelec are rolling out advanced voice-enabled drive-thru systems worldwide. With over 25,000 installations and support for 80,000 global tech deployments, including McDonald's and Dunkin', these systems integrate with SoundHound's AI to streamline ordering via automated assistants. This boosts convenience and operational efficiency, aiding restaurants facing labor shortages. SoundHound’s tech, now in over 10,000 restaurant locations, is driven by billions of voice queries annually.