Innovation

📌 SH Hotels & Resorts announced the promotion of Shadi Omeish as Vice President of Operations in North America and Milton Sgarbi as Regional Vice President of Operations and Special Projects at 1 Hotel South Beach. Omeish, with over 20 years of experience, previously served as General Manager and Regional Vice President West Coast since joining in 2016. Sgarbi, also with the company since 2016, will oversee 1 Hotel South Beach's 425 rooms, eight dining outlets, and other facilities. The brand is expanding, with new projects in various cities including Seattle, Austin, and San Miguel de Allende, and the Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley opening this year.

💲 In Minneapolis, Minnesota, SiteMinder launched Dynamic Revenue Plus, a new revenue optimization solution that utilizes live market intelligence for hotels' inventory, pricing, and distribution strategy. It draws on data from 120 million annual hotel reservations and will soon incorporate pricing recommendations from IDeaS. Designed to be accessible for any hotel, it enables mobile and desktop management of room rates, stay lengths, inventory, and promotions. Initially available in Australia and New Zealand, with a global rollout planned for 2025, it aligns with SiteMinder's Smart Platform strategy amid the rebound of international travel and events. Dynamic Revenue Plus allows for quick adjustments in response to market demand, aiming to replace outdated manual practices and democratize revenue management.

📈 The "seven Ps" of marketing—Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical evidence—highlight the profession's complexity. AI's impact on marketing emerged in the 1990s with a focus on consumer insights through data mining. Europe's GDPR ensures high consumer data protection, contrasting with less stringent U.S. practices. AI tools like ChatGPT enhance content creation efficiency, especially for smaller businesses, while AI search bots streamline media coverage tracking for brands.

📢 Marta Perez appointed as Senior Director of Sales at Cloudbeds, San Diego, CA, to drive growth in the Americas. With over 15 years’ experience, including at SiteMinder and Triptease, Perez has a successful track record, notably increasing Triptease's sales attainment from 30% to nearly 100% within a year. Cloudbeds, founded in 2012, operates in over 150 countries and has received multiple awards, including Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 in 2023.

🔒 Secure your hospitality accounts by avoiding phishing scams—don't use search engines for login pages, check URLs carefully, and report suspicions. Create strong, unique passwords without sharing them and consider using a password manager for better security. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for an extra protection layer, and stay alert to new device logins with alerts and access control. Train your team to recognize cyber threats and reduce errors. Use Single Sign-On (SSO) for simplified access with increased control. Mews provides resources on these security practices to help keep your business safe.

🏨 Nuitée and Sabre Corporation have entered a strategic agreement to integrate Nuitée's lodging content into Sabre's Content Services for Lodging (CSL), which will provide enhanced booking solutions for travel agencies. The partnership aims to offer commissionable and competitive net-rate hotel properties, expanding agencies’ efficiency and lodging options. Chinmai Sharma of Sabre emphasizes the modular and flexible nature of CSL, aiming at increasing revenue opportunities and hotel attach rates. CEO Med Benmansour of Nuitée highlights the API's efficiency in optimizing hotel booking processes. The API-first approach of Sabre allows for personalized, policy-driven, and price-considerate content access. The integration of multi-source aggregator and agency-sourced content into the Sabre GDS aims to boost revenue and efficiency.

🛫 Consultancy firm Mainmatter has identified essential strategies for travel technology in their "Travel Transformation Whitepaper," emphasizing the need for modernization, seamless user experiences, and agile, innovative teams to meet the demands of today’s tech-savvy travelers. Highlighting the imperative to move away from legacy systems for sustainable growth, Mainmatter's managing director, Marco Otte-Witte, underscores the stark contrast between top and lagging product development organizations in the travel industry.

📅 TMU Management, a data-driven insurance intermediary, reported a revenue increase of over 250% in its second year. The company, stemming from Trust My Group, provides risk management solutions to the travel industry. TMU equipped thousands of travel businesses with real-time data on risk exposure, expanding its product range to support banks and fintech. Revenue is expected to double in the third year, with new travel products launching in 2025. CEO Sami Doyle highlighted TMU's role in changing industry perception through data-driven risk management.

🏨 Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) expanded in Norway, the U.A.E., Malaysia, and Greece, adding 32 hotels to its portfolio. GHA celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2023; it has 40 brands with over 800 hotels in 100 countries. GHA Discovery, their loyalty program launched in 2010, reimagined in 2021, has 28 million members, generates $2.3 billion in revenue, and accounts for 10 million room nights. Partnerships include Regent Seven Seas Cruises in July 2023 and Plum Guide earlier in the year. Unike Hotels added 17 Norwegian properties, Sunway Hotels & Resorts manages 11 properties in Malaysia and elsewhere, Andronis brings boutique hotels in Santorini and Paros, and Paramount Hotels introduces two properties with Hollywood themes in Dubai.

🛫 Travel Counsellors for Business, a UK corporate travel expert platform, launched myTC Locate, a duty of care solution for SME clients provided by Travelogix. Features include real-time tracking, risk alerts, access to local requirements, and security information. It will integrate with Travelogix's Analytix platform. Mel Quinn and Chris Lewis highlighted the blend of personal support and technology, praising the partnership's trust and innovation.