Innovation

🍕 Pizza Hut India, a Yum! Brands, Inc. subsidiary, has partnered with MoEngage to revamp its customer engagement. MoEngage, serving 1,350+ global brands, will provide advanced analytics and AI to Pizza Hut for creating tailored consumer programs. The collaboration aims to streamline operations, offer quality support, and introduce innovative communication methods, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction. Manish Gupta, Chief Digital & Technology Officer of Pizza Hut India, highlights MoEngage's capability, scale, and support as decisive factors for the partnership.

💳 ROH secured a $9.2 million investment led by Highgate Technology Ventures and Acrew Capital for platform expansion and enhanced data processing. Over 80% of the hotel industry's $4 trillion annual payments involve manual work. ROH's board now includes Raja Goel, Kurien Jacob, and John Gardner. Hotels using ROH have seen improved sales conversions, operational efficiency, compliance adherence, and receivables management. Highgate piloted ROH over two years, noting immediate value and efficiency gains. In 2024, ROH handled nearly $250 million in invoices and saw a 523% increase in AI-generated bookings.

New solution fuels marketing effectiveness by tapping into advanced demand forecasting power LONDON — 22 April 2025 — IDeaS, a SAS company and the world’s leading provider of hospitality revenue management…

💰 ROH, a hospitality industry payments platform, finished a $9.2 million finance round led by Highgate Technology Ventures and Acrew Capital. The investment will support ROH's platform expansion and improve data processing from contracts, invoices, and payments. Highgate's Raja Goel and Kurien Jacob, along with Acrew's John Gardner, are joining ROH's Board. ROH aims to modernize hotel payment processes, addressing the 80% of the $4 trillion in hotel payments requiring manual intervention. In 2024, ROH managed nearly $250 million in invoices and saw a 523% increase in bookings from its AI application. Highgate's properties piloted ROH, leading to the investment and further commercial use due to improved operational efficiency and profitability.

🍽 Arizona Biltmore (LXR Hotels & Resorts) is debuting Le Petit Chef on May 1, 2025, featuring an immersive 3D dining experience. This will be the only Southwest venue among its 89 global and eight U.S. locations. The resort, a Frank Lloyd Wright-style landmark since 1929, adds to its luxury offerings with this intimate, 18-seat show running Thursdays to Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Tickets are priced at $195 per adult and $79 for the junior menu. Reservations are now open.

A creative hub in the heart of Paris to support visionary hotel brands seeking elevated digital storytelling Influence Society, the creative agency at the crossroads of design, hospitality, and innovation,…

🏥 Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express and Group Chief Strategy Officer at Accor, discusses technology and innovation in hospitality on April 22, 2025. She provides insights into the future of luxury travel on the "Hospitality Daily Podcast.

📈 Group bookings drive significant revenue for hotels, but forecasting occupancy and pricing is complex due to "group wash"—unused reserved room blocks. Gerhard Wasem, Director of Product Management, Group Business, remarks on the difficulty of predicting group occupancy. US hoteliers anticipate higher group sales by 2025. In June, an investment was made in BlockBuster, a solution that optimizes revenue and introduces group wash forecasting. This feature uses historical data to predict unbooked rooms within group blocks, helping hotels avoid overestimation, manage availability more efficiently, and enhance rate strategies. Four use cases demonstrate how group wash forecasting allows hotels to adjust pricing and inventory proactively, thereby maximizing revenue and occupancy. Best practices include data accuracy, consistency, and utilizing BlockBuster for real-time adjustments.

🏡 Caesars Republic Scottsdale Hotel by Hilton opened in March 2024 in Scottsdale, AZ, boasting 11 stories, 20,000 sq. ft. of event space, two pools, bars, two signature restaurants, and technologically advanced services. It equipped over 700 PoE automated roller shades from PowerShades across 265 guest rooms and common areas. These shades are integrated with the Hotel’s BMS for energy conservation, adjusting to room occupancy and seasonal conditions. True PoE shades offer up to 6Nm torque, fitting windows up to 171” wide x 117” deep, introduced in 2024.

🔊 At MURTEC 2025, SoundHound AI's VP of Partnerships Mike Lauricella presented AI solutions for restaurant drive-thrus and phones. 50% of restaurant operators plan to implement voice AI, as highlighted in HT's 2025 Restaurant Technology Survey. AI assists with staff shortages, allowing employees to focus on food quality and customer service. Insights were also shared from Domino's Pizza at the 30th MURTEC anniversary event.