Innovation

🏨 With a projected 9.35% CAGR from 2025-2030, the extended-stay hotel market is expanding, with room construction up 8% in 2024. Natural disasters like the North Carolina flood affecting over 200,000 people and the California fire that destroyed 11,000 homes have surged temporary housing demand. To maintain affordability and maximize profitability, operators turn to prop-tech for efficient service. Energy management solutions, virtual concierge services, robust Wi-Fi, and remote management are key prop-tech investments for cost-saving and quality service without increasing staff.

📊 POS software vendors are innovating with AI-driven tools for predictive analytics, inventory, staffing, and personalization. CBS NorthStar, Tray, Clover, Qu, Toshiba, and GK Software highlight the importance of flexibility, cloud-based solutions, data security, and system integration for 2025. 26% of guests want personalized loyalty communications according to HT's 2024 study, while Toshiba and Tray focus on real-time personalization for revenue and satisfaction. Voice AI is set to simplify drive-thru operations, says HungerRush.

🏡 The Sukhothai integrated D-EDGE’s platform with their website and external booking engine, improving direct reservation ease for guests. Real-time rates became automatically synced with Google Hotel Ads, enhancing visibility and direct bookings, while advanced tracking allowed for precise campaign performance insights and ongoing optimization.

🛆 Victoria + Albert to preview their new soaking bath at Clerkenwell Design Week, 20-22 May, in the London Charterhouse courtyard. The Kerid bath, launching in September, is 135cm long, 83cm high, and made from a blend of Volcanic Limestone™ and resin, suitable for both indoor and outdoor installation. It targets a growing market seeking the health benefits of soaking. The House of Rohl exhibit will also feature a kitchen island by Luxe Projects, with Shaws and Perrin & Rowe brands, and traditional bathroom displays with Artisans of Devizes. Cold and warm water immersion benefits include reduced stress, improved sleep, mood, circulation, and mental well-being. The Charterhouse venue will host various design concepts and Conversations at Clerkenwell.

🏨 Matthias Huettebraeuker interviews Stijn Oyen, Managing Director of Design Hotels, on April 26, 2025, discussing the world's most innovative hotels. Discover the unique properties at DesignHotels.com and explore how music by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound enhances the hospitality brand identity.

💾 MaxiRoom is Hotelbeds' extranet designed to help hotels maximize revenue through promotions, setup, and integrations. The guide offers a step-by-step approach, detailed on Hotelogix's blog. Authored by Vanshikha Dhar, the article includes images and is accessible in web and AMP versions. It features links to resources like fonts and stylesheets, and it's part of the Hotelogix Blog, which focuses on hospitality tips and trends. The content is dated April 25, 2025, and shared via Hotelogix's Facebook page.

💸 Golden Corral, with over 50 years of history, is expanding its buffet restaurants and increasing off-premise sales through a national rollout of the Qu’s unified commerce platform and Decision Logic suite on the AT&T retail network. The upgrade required an overnight transition, with HonorBuilt ensuring on-time, on-budget completion. The new "Cloud Corral" platform has reduced training time from several shifts to approximately 30 minutes and allows franchisees to adjust pricing. The full brand rollout was completed in 2024 within seven months.

💾 Golden Corral, a 50+ year-old buffet restaurant chain, rolled out the Qu's unified commerce platform/POS nationally, leveraging the AT&T retail network and Decision Logic suite. The technology shift, managed by HonorBuilt, included overnight hardware installations to minimize disruptions. The new system, "Cloud Corral," centralizes menu management and reduces training time from several shifts to about 30 minutes. The complete rollout, enhanced by HonorBuilt's end-to-end solution, was executed in seven months and completed in 2024.

📈 Golden Corral, with a history spanning over 50 years, has implemented an expansion strategy by enhancing its buffet restaurants, increasing off-premise sales, and improving digital ordering. They've rolled out the Qu’s unified commerce platform / POS, leveraging AT&T’s retail network for standardization. HonorBuilt played a crucial role in the tech upgrade, ensuring a smooth nationwide hardware installation in all locations. The new "Cloud Corral" system has notably reduced employee training time from several shifts to approximately 30 minutes. In 2024, the full brand transition to Qu’s platform was completed within seven months, with HonorBuilt overseeing the end-to-end deployment.

📝 Digital Sardine sponsors a newsletter edition, suggesting PPC strategies for Q2 to boost travel businesses. Most-clicked link in last issue was about applying timing patterns to travel tech. AI's role in creating "balanced" products is discussed, with examples of Hubspot's blog-focused strategy, Costco's limited inventory, and Five Guys' handmade burgers. EasyJet's premium-priced front-row passengers get guaranteed overhead bin space, a simple innovation without tech. US software dev job postings have dropped since the 2022 peak, potentially due to AI, global hiring, and lean remote teams. A GetYourGuide report on 3.1 million verified reviews reveals that reviews significantly impact conversion rates and search rankings in the travel industry. Booking.com leads monthly web traffic among the top 30 travel websites with 517M visits. Turkey is highlighted for its growth in medical tourism, particularly hair transplants.