Innovation

🏨 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.

🍷 EuroCave launches Harmonie, a wine cellar that doubles as furniture with a horizontal design and shallow depth. It features two independent temperature compartments, available in light oak, pure white, and smoked brown finishes, with customizable lighting, shelf finishes, and an optional engraved plaque. The connected cellar can be managed via the EuroCave Connect app, providing real-time temperature monitoring and advice for wine preservation. EuroCave, established nearly 50 years ago, continues to lead in wine preservation innovation.

📊 Google released a list of 601 AI use-cases highlighting travel industry innovation. The Q1 2025 Guest Experience Benchmark report revealed a guest satisfaction level of 86.7%, the highest in four years. The cruise industry stands out for significant R&D investment, outpacing airlines in innovation. BAIN's study suggests AI as the emerging middleman in marketing, challenging OTAs' traditional roles and potential commissions. The concept of branding is emphasized as a key to business independence and long-term value, transcending mere aesthetics to encompass customer experience and reputation.

🎉 Mews Community has reached 3,000 members, including hoteliers and hospitality professionals, since its launch in 2023. With over 9,000 posts, 7,300 replies, and 1,700 topics started, the platform fosters collaboration and innovation within the hospitality industry. Members enjoy exclusive benefits such as early access to new features, like the beta program for Multicurrency, and invitations to exclusive events like the 2025 product roadmap webinar. In-person gatherings, like Mews Unwind, are hosted to foster real-life connections, with the next event scheduled for April 29 in Amsterdam. Members praise the direct interaction with the Mews team and the sharing of best practices and insights.

📈 D-EDGE specializes in hotel SEO, offering a balance between search volume and competition to improve rankings. Their team, comprised of SEO specialists, designers, and content strategists, provides fully customized strategies tailored to hotel marketing needs such as launching a brand, repositioning, or increasing direct bookings. Services include keyword planning, website audits, and SEO-friendly content creation to enhance digital visibility and performance.