Innovation

💳 ROH, a hospitality industry payments platform, secured $9.2 million in financing led by Highgate Technology Ventures and Acrew Capital, aiming for rapid expansion. The hotel industry sees over 80% of its $4 trillion annual payments requiring manual processing. ROH's solutions offer automation that minimizes errors and boosts efficiency. Highgate's portfolio piloted ROH, leading to this investment and broader roll-out. In 2024, ROH managed nearly $250 million in invoices and saw a 523% increase in bookings through its AI tool.

🌿 Pandan, a Southeast Asian herb described as having vanilla and coconut flavors, is gaining popularity in American cuisine. Thoa Nguyen of Banh & Butter Bakery in Aurora, Colorado, uses it in desserts and drinks. Sweet Piglet Bakery & Cafe in Randolph, Massachusetts, offers pandan cupcakes, while chef Carlo Lamagna serves Basque-style pandan cheesecake at Magna Kusina in Portland, Oregon, and Magna Kainan in Denver. Wanderlust Creamery in Los Angeles created pandan tres leches ice cream. Pandan is sold fresh for under $1 per kilogram, dried leaves for $3 to $4.50 per kilo, and pandan powder between $7 and $13. Upscale pandan offerings include Matcha Pandan Mille Crêpes cake for $100 and Pandan Pistachio Royale for $84.50 at Lady Wong Patisserie in New York City. Drinks featuring pandan, such as pandan lattes and pandan-flavored cocktails, are also on menus, as seen at Hood Famous Bakeshop in Seattle and the Welton Room’s Monkey Bar in Denver.

📘 Ongoing training for hourly hospitality employees has dwindled to a mere one hour per month, according to the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART). AI-powered training platforms are changing the game, providing employees with simulations of real-world service scenarios. Traditional training methods fall short due to lack of personalization and adaptability, leading to high turnover and guest dissatisfaction. By contrast, AI training has 72% of learning and development professionals reporting improved work quality, with teams completing projects up to 4 times faster than with conventional methods. AI also standardizes training across locations, offering cost-effective solutions that enhance operational efficiency, guest satisfaction, and brand loyalty.

📍 Gilda, a leader in the hospitality industry, emphasizes adaptability as crucial during times of change. She advocates for resilience and confidence when disrupting norms with new projects, stressing the importance of being nimble and making swift corrections after wrong decisions. Emphasizing teamwork and clear communication, she highlights the goal of creating an extraordinary global Orient Express community, with guest satisfaction serving as the ultimate measure of success.

🏨 Located in Jakarta's business district, Mangkuluhur Residences by LORIN faced inefficiencies with manual distribution techniques, leading to errors and poor revenue optimization. Integrating STAAH's platform enabled seamless operations, better analytics, and dynamic pricing, resulting in a 50% jump in online revenue. The platform's 500+ integrations increased online visibility and booking rates while saving manual hours in rate and inventory management.

🏨 Caesars Republic Scottsdale Hotel by Hilton opened in March 2024 in Scottsdale, AZ, featuring an 11-story building with 20,000 sq. ft. of event space, a grand first floor pool, a rooftop pool and bar, two restaurants, and 265 guest rooms. The hotel installed over 700 PoE automated roller shades from PowerShades to enhance luxury and sustainability. The shades are integrated into the hotel's BMS for energy conservation, with adjustable settings for optimal comfort and energy efficiency in both guest rooms and public areas. PowerShades' True PoE technology provides cost-effective energy management and easy installation. The shades introduced in 2024 have up to 6Nm torque, quieter motors, and 13x more processing power, fitting diverse window sizes up to 171” wide x 117” deep.

📱 Dunkin' launched an interstitial ad for its heart-shaped "Cupid’s Choice Donut" and Brownie Batter Donut at the end of January 2024, available through February 21, 2024. McDonald's educated users on new app features, while Uber promoted a new subscription program with interstitial ads. These brands exploit advanced segmentation through loyalty programs for high lifetime value consumers. Interstitial ads are recommended for smaller brands with loyalty programs and mobile apps to increase visits and spending.

📈 Kristin Lynch joined Paytronix in 2019, rose to Senior Director in 2023 and serves over 100 clients. She blends 20+ years in brand marketing with restaurant technology, focusing on AI-enhanced personalization and guest experience. Lynch values the balance between human interaction and automation, advocating for tech that enhances, not replaces, hospitality, including the use of gamification.

🏡 Opened in March 2024, Caesars Republic Scottsdale Hotel by Hilton in Scottsdale, AZ, is an 11-story hotel with 20,000 sq. ft. of event space, including pools, bars, two restaurants, and a 7,000-sq-ft ballroom. Over 700 PoE automated roller shades from PowerShades have been installed throughout the hotel's 265 guest rooms and public areas. These shades can be controlled by guests via in-room panels and are integrated into the Building Management System for energy conservation. The PowerShades’ True PoE technology offers cost-effective energy management with easy installation, and the updated version introduced in 2024 features up to 6Nm torque and quieter motors. PowerShades provided custom-fit automated shades as large as 171" wide x 117" deep.

🏡 Hotels have historically personalized guest experiences using data from repeat stays and loyalty programs. Short-term rentals (STRs), lacking repeat visitor data, now use AI and local insights to offer real-time, contextual personalization, such as recommending activities or upselling services based on current conditions. This ecosystem-based approach connects STRs to local communities, driving economic benefits and redefining hospitality personalization. AI integrates with human local knowledge, enhancing guest experiences and revenue opportunities, representing a strategic shift in hospitality value delivery.