Innovation

🏨 Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced openings of Everhome Suites in Fayetteville, NC, and Cheyenne, WY, with a groundbreaking in Clarksville, TN, addressing high demand for extended stay accommodations. Currently, seven Everhome Suites are open, over 20 under construction, nearly 30 expected by 2025, and over 65 in the pipeline. Developed with Highside Companies, which has four open and 13 under construction with Choice Hotels. Each hotel has 114-115 rooms, located near strategic hubs for defense, healthcare, and industry, with amenities like fully equipped kitchens, spa-style bathrooms, and 24/7 markets and fitness centers. Choice supports owners with tools like Choice Maps for market analysis and cloud-based management systems.

🍕 In McLean, Virginia, Hilton and Grubhub Onsite are expanding their partnership to over 2,600 hotels including Hampton, Tru, and Spark brands. Guests at these hotels can now access Grubhub’s Marketplace with 375,000+ merchants via QR code. This follows the 2023 launch at Homewood and Home2 Suites by Hilton, where orders have more than doubled. The service includes one free month of Grubhub+ with benefits like $0 delivery fees and 5% back on pickup orders.

📌 STAAH team members reveal their essential travel gadgets: Garmin GPS Watch for fitness tracking; AirPods for entertainment; Mini Luggage Digital Weighing Scale to avoid check-in surprises; Hong Thai Inhaler for energy; extension cord for device charging; flashdisc for data transfer; Dyson Airwrap for hair care; Anker 334 Magnetic Power Bank, Portable Wi-Fi Modem, Connector (Type C Pin > USB + HDMI), Bluetooth speaker, headset for connectivity; UV Care Pocket Sterilizer for sanitization; Apple AirTag for item tracking. Also recommended are Universal Travel Adapter, Aircraft Bluetooth Connector, Tripod/Selfie Stick, and GoPro for ease and convenience in any travel scenario.

📆 Almatar Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Conventions & Exhibitions General Authority (SCEGA) at the International MICE Summit 2024 (IMS24), becoming an official travel solutions provider for Saudi Arabia's MICE sector. Almatar, an Alliance Partner to IMS24, aims to support the Kingdom's vision to be a global hub for business and cultural events. CEO Faisal Al Rajhi sees this as a step towards enhancing the nation's MICE industry. The company offers comprehensive travel solutions for events like LEAP and the World Defense Show.

📖 **Eric Jafari**, founder of **AENDRE Group**, emphasized the value of new experiences in sparking hospitality innovation on **Dec. 14, 2024**. The discussion included blending ancient traditions with modernity, cultural immersion, and combining Scandinavian saunas with music and breathwork. Mentioned were Apple, Da Vinci, Elon Musk, Othership, Onsens, Aman, and Six Senses. A related survey and music by **Bespoke Sound** were also highlighted.

📦 Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced Gemini 2.0, an advanced AI model focused on multimodality with capabilities like native image and audio output. Introduced in December, Gemini versions have empowered millions of developers. Products like NotebookLM utilize these models and the new Deep Research feature in Gemini Advanced acts as a research assistant. Gemini 2.0's AI Overviews, reaching 1 billion users, will get enhanced reasoning for complex queries. Built on Google's sixth-generation TPUs, Trillium, the model is now available to trusted testers and developers, with broader rollouts planned.

📈 CEO Ben Jost of TrustYou discussed the impact of AI on the hospitality industry, emphasizing its role in enhancing guest experiences and streamlining operations. AI will mainly improve communication and data platforms, becoming the dominant interface for guest interactions through AI-driven chat and voice. TrustYou focuses on developing an AI-first Customer Data Platform (CDP) to manage guest data and communications, ensuring GDPR and CCPA compliance for data security. Experience TrustYou's AI advancements at ITB Berlin 2025, from March 4 to 6, Hall 8.1 booth 122.

🚬 World Travel Protection reported a 17% increase in emergency evacuations and repatriations over the last year. Severe weather incidents affecting their travelers rose by nearly 50% compared to 2023. Cyberattacks on mobile devices tripled in Q1 of 2024, yet 45% of mobile users lack security solutions. Assistance calls increased by 18% from last year. Predictions suggest 2024 could be the hottest year on record, following 2023. Misinformation and evolving scams pose additional risks, while kidnapping remains a threat in unstable regions.