Innovation

📊 Leveraging generative AI, like ChatGPT, loyalty marketing professionals can now access data conversationally and optimize loyalty platforms more efficiently. AI assists with data segmentation, campaign analysis, and quick access to support documents. It can generate campaigns, analyze performance, and create personalized strategies. This technology saves time and enhances data value in loyalty programs.

💾 Shiji's enterprise management system aids in rapid, large-scale deployment for clients such as TIME Hotels, as highlighted by CEO Mohamed Awadalla. Shiji's Property Management System (PMS) streamlines the integration of new properties, offering a scalable and efficient technology foundation for hotel expansion.

🗺 Apple Maps has launched a public beta accessible via web browsers, offering features like driving/walking directions, place information with photos, hours, ratings, and reviews, and the ability to order food. Compatible with Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad, plus Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs, it currently supports English with plans to expand languages, browsers, and platforms. Additional features like Look Around will be added in the future.

🍕 PizzaForno expanded in the first half of 2024, adding six U.S. states including Utah, California, Delaware, New York, Florida, and Maryland, and doubled its expansion compared to the first half of 2023 with 39 new units. Internationally, PizzaForno secured 20 locations in Mexico and installed 18 units in Canada in 2024. The company aims for over 100 units in Mexico soon and plans for 25,000 units by 2028, focusing on campuses and various locations, offering 24/7 pizza vending with a digital-ordering app.

🏨 Remington Hospitality adopted AI 6 years ago to enhance productivity and optimize data analysis, affecting the bottom line for internal and external stakeholders. AI applications in the hospitality industry include predictive analytics for guest preferences, sales data analysis for product offerings, and potentially, future roles in digital marketing and housekeeping operations. Barriers such as the need for human oversight and the inability to detect tone or nuance in communication emphasize the balance between AI benefits and maintaining human interaction. The industry is poised to continue integrating AI to improve guest experiences while preserving the essence of hospitality.

📈 In 2024, hoteliers are focusing on group business, with Amadeus updating its Delphi solution to meet diverse hotel needs. Delphi's modern interface is based on the Einstein 1 Platform, offering Amadeus and Salesforce feature releases. Enhancements include expanded accessibility, varied training options, centralized databases for customer relationships, and comprehensive reports for trend analysis and forecasting. Amadeus also introduces Delphi Direct for online meeting space booking, aiming to transform group business capture for hoteliers.

🏨 Shiji's enterprise management structure provides rapid, large-scale deployment for clients like TIME Hotels, expediting integration of new properties with minimal downtime. Mohamed Awadalla, CEO of Time Hotels, emphasized the need for seamless technology to support expansion, highlighting Shiji's PMS as a scalable solution for the hospitality industry.

🍝 Pasta Emporium's first location opened on 25 July in Richmond, with a partnership between AMSRIC and Pasta Evangelists. A second venue is slated to launch in Greenwich. These locations offer fresh, hand-made pasta shapes, with dine-in and takeout options via digital screens or counters. Menu items include lobster tortellini, truffle mac'n'cheese, and a variety of antipasti, Italian desserts, and gelato. Features include self-pour wine machines, weekly free wine tastings, and kids' pasta-making sessions. The first Pasta Evangelists restaurant opened in May 2021 at Harrods Dining Hall, and the company was acquired by the Barilla Group in 2021.