Innovation

🚢 Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages partners with IDeaS for cruise industry revenue management solutions. IDeaS will provide RMS technology aimed at optimizing cabin pricing, demand-based forecasting, and automating processes. The partnership addresses historical forecasting challenges in the cruise industry by leveraging science-based strategies for revenue maximization and future scalability. Virgin Voyages acknowledges the unmatched power of IDeaS' revenue management expertise. This collaboration signifies IDeaS' expansion into the cruise industry and its commitment to pioneering RMS technology across new verticals.

🏖 Travelsoft announces the launch of Travelsoft Pay, an embedded payment service developed with Worldpay, aimed at improving payment solutions for its clients globally. The service promises advanced services, preferred payment methods, real-time transaction monitoring, and same-day bank transfers. Features include minimising fraud with Worldpay's Fraudsight, live refunds within 30 minutes, and automated payouts via a user-friendly dashboard. Charles Tandonnet, VP of Travelsoft, highlights the need for better international payment solutions. Maria Prados of Worldpay emphasizes the goal to simplify payments for travel sellers.

✈️ Accelya, a leading airline software provider, has strengthened its leadership team with three significant appointments: Gianni Cataldo as chief product officer, Tye Radcliffe as chief customer success officer, and Alastair Pooley as chief information officer (CIO). The strategic changes aim to scale operations and drive digital transformation for airline partners. Cataldo brings over 25 years of product innovation experience, Radcliffe joined Accelya in 2021 with a background in airline and travel tech, and Pooley offers over 20 years of IT and cybersecurity expertise. CEO Sam Gilliland anticipates a new era in airline retailing and modernisation with these appointments.

✈ Fuji Dream Airlines, a Japanese regional carrier, and IBS Software collaboratively migrated airline operations to AWS cloud-native platform, boosting operational efficiency and scalability. The migration from Tokyo's on-premises data center to AWS was completed within 48 hours by IBS Software's Aviation Operations Solutions team, with no outages. This transition ensures higher availability, reliability, and improved performance for the airline, along with proactive issue management and operational cost reduction.

🏨 Oliver Hospitality, founded in 2009, launched the "Invited by Oliver" loyalty program and achieved 9,200 signups in three months. The brand operates properties in the Southeast and California, focusing on personalized experiences for guests. The tech for the program was developed with Amadeus, complementing existing tools and managed in-house for customer engagement. Success metrics include new member signups and booking actualization rates, aiming for all guests to become members. The program integrates with Infor HMS PMS for front desk efficiency. Key advice: involve all departments early and allow plenty of time for implementation.

📍 Obvlo reduces content creation time from two weeks to just 60 minutes with AI tools. Personalized local guides enhance guest experience, driving higher revenues and loyalty. AI technology updates 5-10% of dynamic content daily, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Obvlo targets over 100 guest archetypes, factors in weather, and promotes local businesses for authentic experiences. Hotels gain actionable insights through Google Analytics integration, aiding in remarketing and personalized offers. Obvlo's CEO, Callum McPherson, emphasizes the commitment to up-to-date, high-quality content.

📱 Obvlo has revolutionized the creation of dynamic hotel destination guides, now producing them in 60 minutes—a reduction from two weeks. Their AI tools personalize content for any destination, continuously updated for relevance and accuracy. Obvlo's platform supports over 100 guest archetypes, considering factors like weather and preferences. Daily, 5-10% of the content is refreshed, ensuring up-to-date information. This innovation benefits both large hotel chains and smaller hotels by removing cost barriers and boosting revenue through data-driven personalization and targeted marketing.

📢 Travelers view an average of 141 pages over 45 days before booking. Google Performance Max for Travel Goals (PMTG) boosted website traffic by 30% and clicks by 6% in the first half of 2024 for hoteliers. The study between January and May 2024 indicated a 31 times Return On Ad Spend (ROAS), with 32 room bookings per hotel, a 6% Click-Through-Rate, a cost of $0.04 per click, and 62,000 average clicks generated. PMTG increases hotel visibility across Google's channels using AI.

🏠 In Aberdeen, South Dakota, My Place Hotels of America introduced My Place 3.0, featuring new product enhancements and a prototype. The updated design offers flexibility with roofing and exterior finishes adaptable to preferences and regulations. The four-story, 71-unit prototype was developed considering feedback from stakeholders and analytics, focusing on franchisee benefits. Installations of the prototype are expected to begin in 2025. My Place continues to offer a 87-unit and a 64-unit prototype with upgrades. The My Place Business Suite, a new 470 square feet room option for business travelers or small families, is set to boost average daily rates (ADR) and contribute to yield management.