Innovation

🏠 Charles Oswald, CEO of Aperture Hotels, managed $19 million in property improvement plans (PIPs) last year. Aperture oversees 25 properties, focusing on data-driven back-of-house improvements. Tracking guest issues and equipment lifespans is critical for CapEx planning. Ashley Ewing Parrot, principal of AEP Consulting, highlights importance of back-of-house investments, suggesting cost-effective strategies. OTO Hotels & Resorts' president emphasizes cost control by working with trusted designers for brand-mandated PIPs. The Wayback, Pigeon Forge, a renovated hotel, exemplifies successful repositioning. Investing in back-of-house can potentially improve employee retention.

📍 F&B leaders address challenges like labor shortages and cost hikes by revamping traditional hotel restaurant models, focusing on profits, and adopting efficient solutions. Steve Palmer of Indigo Road Hospitality Group aims for "aggressively profitable" restaurants by pinpointing revenue drivers like catering banquets. Jack Paul from Twenty Four Seven Hotels leverages purchasing power through partnerships, while food vendors assist with prepared ingredients. Menu streamlining by Drift Hotel Palm Springs minimizes cost and waste. Flexible staffing is recommended, aligning part-time staff with demand and cross-training. Technology plays an evolving role, with tools like Margin Edge and POS systems aiding cost management, but the human touch in hospitality still holds significant value.

📌 A study of 5,000 travelers showed Chinese travelers 60% focus on major attractions, Europeans at 20%, with the latter preferring unique experiences. The Uber and Expedia deal, speculated for synergies, was called off by Barry Diller. No substantial consumer benefit was seen from the merger, contrasting frequent ride bookings with infrequent travel purchases. Hotel automation is seen more in mundane back-office tasks than in customer-facing robotics, suggesting a rise in AI-driven operations. Connected trips, once the domain of travel agents, are being rebundled, potentially facilitated by AI, but with travel agents retaining value through risk management.

🏡 Ronald, co-founder of Aventra Hospitality, with 25 years of experience, and his partner Richard, with a background in Middle East hotel market and five years as CEO, are introducing innovative and sustainable hotel management solutions. Aventra, with offices in Dubai, Riyadh, and London, caters to investors and developers in global and Central Asian markets, aiming for around 100 hotels under management in a decade. The company supports independent brand setups, offering services from concept to operational management and exit strategy. Recently, Ronald co-organized the Glion Alumni Accelerator competition, launched in 2023, advising student and alumni entrepreneurs. The second Accelerator contest is culminating, with Pitch Battle Day scheduled for 27 November on the Glion campus.

📝 In 2025, a new app to enhance guest experiences will be rolled out, featuring seamless check-in/out and an in-app chat. Mandarin Oriental currently operates 41 hotels, 12 residences, and 24 homes across 26 countries, with 28 projects under development. In 2023, staff volunteered 52,000 hours, a 150% increase from 2022. The group removed 99% of single-use plastics, sources all agricultural commodities ethically, and aims to have all properties GSTC certified by 2025. They won three World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards in 2024.

🔔 Hospitality industry's innovation hindered by CEOs often coming from within the sector; call for new metrics from diverse industries. Example: "On-time Delivery" KPI, successful deliveries/total deliveries * 100 = OTD rate. Proposed hospitality metrics: 'On-time Room Availability Rate' and 'On-time Service Delivery Rate' to enhance punctuality and efficiency, aiming to increase guest satisfaction and loyalty.

📢 Mews acquired Quotelo, marking their tenth acquisition and third hospitality software product after Bizzon (Mews POS) and Nomi (AI-powered tour guide). Quotelo is a French-based innovative event management solution catering to the hospitality industry. Over 1,500 properties manage multiple space types through Mews, and Quotelo will be fully integrated by 2025, offering a new generation of customer-centric event hospitality, including digitalized quotations and bookings, enhanced planning visibility, and digital function sheets.

🔧 RPA is transforming the hospitality industry, offering efficiency boosts and better business outcomes. Five Steps to RPA Adoption include: assessing operational processes, creating a business case, defining capability targets, mapping execution path, and executing with continuous optimisation. Key areas for automation are finance, customer service, and housekeeping. RPA reduces manual data entry and processing times, leading to error reduction and cost savings. Continual performance monitoring is crucial for long-term success and alignment with evolving business needs. Infographic by techtalk.travel.

🤖 Google's Jarvis AI, designed to automate web browsing in Chrome, was accidentally leaked with a release expected in December. The prototype appeared briefly on Chrome's extension store, hinting at capabilities such as online shopping assistance and vacation booking. Although the prototype required specific access permissions and was quickly removed, its leak confirms the imminent arrival of Jarvis AI, joining other AI agents like Anthropic's Claude AI in facilitating tasks without human supervision.

🏨 Dalata Hotel Group acquired The Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport for €83 million, with the deal set to close in H1 2025 and rebranding to Clayton hotel. The 4.4-acre property features 229 rooms and reported a 2023 EBITDA of €6.5 million. Novotel opened the Novotel Nairobi Westlands in Kenya, offering 347 rooms and suites, and multiple amenities. Bob W secured its first Stockholm hotel, aiming for a 2025 opening and marking its presence in 17 cities. Sonesta launched Canada's Best Value Inn Kapuskasing in Ontario, adding a 40-key hotel to its Canadian portfolio.