Innovation

💻 Qanooni, a legal AI platform, secured $2M in pre-seed funding from Village Global, Salica Investments' Oryx Fund, TA Ventures, and strategic angels to enhance product development, team expansion, and growth in the UAE and UK. Founded by Anuscha Iqbal, Ziyaad Ahmed, and Karim Shiyab, it integrates with Outlook and Word to assist legal teams in drafting, reviewing, researching, and managing matters efficiently. The platform emphasizes data security and customization.

🏨 Nevaya has partnered with Apple to bring AirPlay to Sea Containers London. Guests can stream content from their iPhone or iPad to LG hotel TVs by scanning a unique QR code. This tech ensures a secure, private connection without sharing credentials, and the link is erased upon checkout. James Richmond, CEO of Nevaya, highlights its appeal to Apple users, predicting high demand, particularly in luxury hotels. Gavin Allison of Lore Group emphasizes enhancing guest experiences.

🏨 Nominations for the 20th Annual Hotel Visionary Awards are open until July 18, 2025. The awards, celebrating technology leadership across hotel departments like marketing and finance, will be presented during the Hotel Technology Forum at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas from November 12-14. Categories include Lifetime Achievement, Rising Star, Partnership, and Solution Awards. Winners will be announced at the event, marking two decades of recognizing 75 trailblazing individuals and companies.

🍽 Majewski and Taffer at this year's restaurant industry show emphasize that while AI and robotics, crucial due to labor challenges, should enhance—not replace—hospitality. Taffer’s Tavern incorporates technology in the back of the house to maintain customer connection. Now part of Craveworthy Brands, with 17 brands including Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken, Taffer’s Tavern aims to expand nationally through a franchise program focused on hospitality, culinary innovation, and efficient operations.

📶 AI and automation are transforming hospitality, with AI in the industry projected to surpass $1.4 billion globally by 2029. The shift calls for robust, modern networks to support real-time data and diverse traffic. SD-WAN technology prioritizes and secures traffic efficiently, offering performance and control. Edge computing enhances real-time processing, while hybrid networks provide redundancy and flexibility using fiber, broadband, 4G LTE/5G, and satellite. Hotels investing in these technologies can redefine guest experiences, ensuring seamless, reliable service.

📈 Quore completed a fully-customized Preventive Maintenance (PM) template for LBA Hospitality, a Dothan, Ala.-based hotel management company. Since 2017, LBA uses Quore across more than 100 properties from brands like Hilton, IHG, and Marriott. This standardization enhances maintenance management, guest satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Quore’s intuitive platform allows for electronic tracking of inspections and facilitates proactive issue resolution, directly impacting guest experience. LBA collaborates with Quore on brand integration projects, including one with Marriott’s GXP platform.

📝 Booking.com updated its guest review score system at the end of January. Scores are now weighted more towards recent reviews. About 50% of properties saw no change, while 4-5% experienced significant shifts. Feedback from partners prompted this change to make scores more dynamic, reflecting real-time guest satisfaction. Hoteliers should prioritize guest experience, prevent negative reviews, and use in-stay surveys. Responding to reviews is essential, even if it doesn't yet affect scores. Online reviews are increasingly integral to revenue and operational strategies.

🍽 At the 2025 National Restaurant Association Show, Ian Livesay from Epson America highlighted the importance of integrating digital transformation with physical infrastructure. With labor shortages and rising costs, automation is crucial. Effective labeling can cut errors and boost efficiency, saving time and money. Long-lasting, adaptable hardware is essential for future tech integration. Flexible upgrades, not system overhauls, help manage evolving tech needs, balancing legacy and innovation for sustained performance.

🌐 Accenture’s 2025 Consumer Pulse survey of 18,214 consumers across 14 countries found 73% faced "information overload" when booking travel. Gen AI now leads travel discovery, with 80% of travelers using it. 93% of active Gen AI users value shaping experiences, while 78% want AI shopping assistants. 57% seek AI solving across brands. Travelers are 1.3x more engaged and 1.7x likelier to accept higher prices for emotional connections. 81% seek immersive research experiences, with 42% ready to switch brands for real-time solutions.

💻 Fabian received the 2025 Rising Star in Restaurant Technology Award. Presented at MURTEC on March 11 and sponsored by Milagro, the award recognized her career shaped by mentorship and passion for tech implementation. Her path began with a computer from her software engineer father and led to a major in computer information systems. The 2026 nominations open on December 1. Fabian’s experience emphasizes the value of recognition and mentorship in career development.