Innovation

🏆 FinMont partners with Protect Group to provide travel merchants access to refundable ticket and booking technology. FinMont, co-founded by Hahn Air creators, aims to enhance payment technology in the travel industry. Protect Group specializes in booking protection services. Suby Valluri, CEO of FinMont, and Jason Walsh, chief product and marketing officer of Protect Group, emphasize the integration's benefits: optimized payments and unrivaled traveler protection. This collaboration is considered a significant advancement for the travel sector.

💰 The Advantage Travel Partnership teams up with Sabre to revamp its technology partner portfolio, aiming for a unified hub. This collaboration allows Sabre to refine multi-source content management and workflow for TMCs, boosting productivity and economic benefits. Andrea Caulfield-Smith highlights the partnership as integral to providing members with diverse tech solutions to optimize operations and client services.

💾 SH Hotels & Resorts, recently rebranded to Starwood Hotels, won a 2024 Hotel Visionary Award for overhauling its CRM in Sales & Marketing. The company unified guest data management by partnering with Salesforce/Hapi, reducing duplicate CRM profiles, and synchronizing guest profiles in real-time across departments. This led to increased data accuracy, greater email collection from guests, operational efficiency, and higher staff satisfaction. The initiative has set a new standard in hospitality for personalization and guest-centric experiences.

🏨 On March 4, 2025, in Berlin, Germany, Shiji, a global technology provider for the hospitality industry, announced a company-wide rebrand, consolidating its products into a unified brand. Kevin King, CEO of Shiji International, highlighted the transformation focused on 24/7 support and a simplified portfolio for hoteliers. Over 25 years, Shiji grew through strategic acquisitions, creating a complex brand landscape. The rebrand introduces solutions like Daylight PMS, Infrasys POS, Reviewpro Reputation, and others, all designed for integration and efficiency. Shiji has operations in major hospitality markets, with a commitment to innovation and localized expertise, serving over 91,000 hotels globally and employing more than 5,000 people.

💸 Mews secured a $75 million funding round led by Tiger Global, with Kinnevik, Battery Ventures, and Goldman Sachs Alternatives' Growth Equity participating. In 2024, Mews experienced over 50% growth, with $10 billion in payment volumes and sales over $200 million. The company, which has a 20% market penetration in the DACH region, aims to expand in North America and has invested $50 million there in two years. Mews acquired Atomize and partnered with BWH Hotels, doubling its U.S. turnover annually and managed spaces. The funding will boost R&D for AI-driven hotel management solutions.

🏦 Park Hall Resort & Spa in Lancashire, UK, is the first UK hotel to employ an AI Concierge from Inntelo AI, offering phone and WhatsApp interaction for guests 24/7 in multiple languages. The resort, a historic site dating to 669 AD, recently underwent a multi-million-pound refurbishment and is part of the Brilliant Hotels Collection. Inntelo AI has received backing from Antler and has implemented its AI solutions in hotels across the UK, Netherlands, and Portugal, collaborating with top hospitality schools like EHL in Switzerland. The focus is on enhancing guest experiences and operational efficiency without replacing the human element.

💸 MINNEAPOLIS — IDeaS, a SAS company, launched an API data integration developer portal on 4 March 2025, aiming to simplify data integration for hospitality technology partners. The portal offers a modern JSON RESTful API, 24/7 self-service tools, centralized communication, enhanced security with secret key management, performance monitoring, and resources for scalability, encouraging innovation and efficient delivery of services. Bijal Shah, IDeaS VP of Product Development, highlighted the portal's transformative effect on hospitality technology collaboration. More at https://ideas.com/about/partners/api.

🏨 Shiji International, led by CEO Kevin King, revealed its new brand identity "Day and Night" at ITB Berlin 2025, signifying a unified 24/7 technology platform for the hospitality industry. Over 25 years, Shiji evolved into a global hospitality technology leader, now simplifying its diverse solutions under a single brand to eliminate confusion and boost efficiency for hoteliers. The rebrand includes products like Daylight PMS, Infrasys POS, Reviewpro Reputation, Horizon Distribution, Iceportal Content, Meridian Experiences, Astral Payments, Stellaris Digital, and Twilight Data + Analytics, all designed to integrate into the "Day and Night" system, enhancing the guest journey and hotel operations. Shiji's commitment extends globally, continually adapting to the dynamic needs of the hospitality sector.

🚀 WTTC and Trip.com Group released a report at ITB Berlin detailing 16 technologies set to revolutionize travel and tourism. Key areas include digital, financial technologies, mobility, and breakthrough innovations. With 91% of travel businesses increasing tech investments, significant industry transformation is anticipated. AI could equal human intelligence in various tasks by decade's end. Supersonic flight to return within four years through Boom Technology and United. 94% of industry leaders view AI as mission-critical, with Trip.com's TripGenie usage rising 200% in 2024. A survey of 8,000 travelers found 97% desire an integrated travel platform. Virgin Atlantic completed first 100% sustainable fuel transatlantic flight. Space tourism nears reality with growing infrastructure and demand.

🏨 Holiday Extras, a UK market leader in travel add-ons for over 40 years, partners with the Business Travel Association (BTA) to support corporate travelers both domestically and internationally. BTA CEO Clive Wratten emphasizes the partnership's aim to drive excellence and innovation in the sector, enhancing the traveller experience.