Innovation

🏨 **ITB Berlin 2025**, the world’s leading travel trade show, is an opportunity to boost hotel visibility and make industry connections. Key exhibitors include **80 DAYS** at Hall 10.1, Stand 214, specializing in hospitality marketing; **HiJiffy** at Hall 8.1, Stand 124, enhancing guest experience through a Guest Communications Hub; **The Hotels Network** at Hall 8.1, Stand 106, providing a growth platform for hotels; **For-Sight** at Hall 10.1, Stand 214, offering Hotel CRM & Marketing Platform; **RMS Cloud** at Hall 10.1, Stand 104, delivering property management software for 7,000+ properties; **Stayntouch** at Hall 10.1, Stand 202, offering a Modern Cloud PMS; **Cloudbeds** at Hall 8.1, Stand 129, powering hospitality through their platform; **SiteMinder** at Hall 8.1, Stand 130a, aiding hoteliers with distribution and guest engagement; **Duetto** at Hall 8.1, Stand 102, providing revenue management software; **Mews** at Hall 9, Stand 313, offering a hospitality management cloud; **SuitePad** at Hall 8.1, Stand 134, leading provider of in-room tablets; **SHR Group** at

💸 Sparkfly achieved a 30% revenue increase in 2024, alongside a 98.6% client retention and a 99.4% revenue retention rate. The company added 12 new enterprise customers, expanding to over 100 brands and more than 18,000 locations, with over two-thirds adopting Sparkfly Rewards. Key integrations were made with various platforms like Olo Engage, Klaviyo, Bikky, mParticle, and POS systems such as Qu and NCR. Enhancements to its self-service portal and Loyalty features were implemented. Sparkfly has not lost any employees since September 2022 and plans further team expansions.

🔔 Frits van Paasschen, former CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, discusses AI in hospitality on Feb. 21, 2025. The episode includes resources and encourages turning ideas into action for businesses and their customers, with music from Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound.

📈 Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and travel businesses are now utilizing AI-powered rate shopping to stay competitive in a market where manual rate tracking is ineffective due to real-time price fluctuations. AI-driven solutions provide real-time competitor insights, ensure rate parity, and enable automated pricing optimization. RateGain, a leader in AI-powered pricing intelligence, offers real-time price updates, instant alerts on price changes, and comprehensive market coverage, processing millions of data points per second for precise and reliable intelligence. AI-powered rate shopping maximizes revenue, enhances customer trust, improves operational efficiency, and provides a competitive edge by enabling proactive, data-driven pricing strategies.

🏨 Evan Shapiro suggests content creators are reshaping the media landscape, a significant trend for hotel industry advertising collaborations. CEOs in the travel industry must adopt AI to stay relevant, with technology poised to enhance all other tech and enable employees. TikTok challenges Google as a search engine, particularly among 15-28 year olds, indicating a shift in SEO strategies. Amazon Ads' Brand+ uses AI for targeted TV ad campaigns, a potential game-changer for hotel advertising. Studies show social reach can boost paid search by 32%, YouTube enhances email campaigns by 25%, and influencer content increases paid social performance by 30%. AI-driven media planning tools from Meta, Google, and Amazon are simplifying ad targeting. Hotel reviews are gaining new importance with AI, able to analyze vast data for tailored insights, potentially influencing hotel offerings and revenue.

💾 Samsung kiosks powered by GRUBBRR are used at Embassy Suites Hotels by Hilton to enhance customer experience by lowering wait times and ensuring order accuracy. As of 2020, there are 257 Embassy Suites locations across five countries, with 212 independent franchisees and 45 corporate-managed sites. The Samsung kiosk powered by GRUBBRR is featured at Embassy Suites' omelet breakfast station to address hospitality challenges.

💰 Sparkfly, in 2024, achieved a 30% revenue increase, a 98.6% client retention rate, and a 99.4% revenue retention rate. The company added 12 enterprise customers, reaching over 100 brands and 18,000 locations, with over two-thirds adopting Sparkfly Rewards. Its integrated partner ecosystem expanded across Marketing Cloud Platforms, Customer Data Platforms, Local Store Marketing, Point of Sale Platforms, and Web & Mobile Development Platforms. Sparkfly also enhanced its platform, maintained 100% employee retention since September 2022, and plans to grow its development and product teams.

🍕 Pita Greek in Nanuet, N.Y., initially a ghost kitchen during the COVID-19 pandemic to support AquaTerra Grille in Pearl River, N.Y., opened as a standalone fast-casual Greek restaurant in January. The concept, focusing on pita sandwiches, bowls, and salads, was able to reduce waste and costs due to ingredient overlap with AquaTerra. Nicholas Lambos, co-owner and manager, credited the ghost kitchen experience for perfecting the business model, leading to the brand's growth and physical location launch.