Innovation

🏨 In 2023, 31% of hospitality organizations experienced cyber-attacks with an average cost of $3.4 million per incident. Hotel technology must be cloud-native for security and management across properties. Automation and centralized operations streamline tasks, reducing human error. Automated rate management, using live and historic data, maximizes occupancy and revenue. Access to an integration marketplace allows custom tech stacks per property. Embracing sustainability can increase efficiency and attract eco-conscious travelers. Essential software for hotel groups includes PMS, RMS, POS, and space management systems.

💸 MGM Resorts International's Chief People, Inclusion, and Sustainability Officer, Jyoti Chopra, featured on an episode released on Oct. 24, 2024, discusses the integration of AI and technology in HR and learning at MGM. The resort is advancing careers using technology with insights from Microsoft, IBM, and Workday. The use of AI-driven tools for micro-courses and digital assistants was highlighted, showcasing the transformation and future plans for AI in HR. The focus is on keeping pace with technological advances in the hospitality sector.

📱 PPDS, the global Philips Professional Displays provider, will exhibit at The Hospitality Show from Oct 28-30, with Philips MediaSuite TVs and Hospitality TV 4000 Series, featuring Google Cast™, Netflix, and no additional costs for equipment or subscriptions. The Hospitality Show, at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX, expects 400 exhibitors and 5,000 visitors. Philips Tableaux Advance Color ePaper displays will debut, showcasing energy-saving digital signage solutions for the hospitality industry. Philips MediaSuite offers voice control, app access, and remote management. Philips Tableaux displays are portable, energy-efficient, and can be managed remotely.

📱 Co-founders Zak Longo and Mayur Patil launched Travly, a travel platform, in 2022 aiming to revolutionize travel booking. Longo's European trip highlighted the reliance on social media for travel advice, especially among Gen Z. Travly merges user-generated content with bookings, offering transparency against "travel catfishing." With over 25 million followers and 1 billion monthly views, Travly's app and website feature "Dupes" for cost-effective booking. Since its OTA app launch, it has achieved 13,000 registrations and 500 video submissions. Hotels benefit from Travly’s 1000-influencer network, enhancing visibility and bookings. Through a partnership with Booking.com, Travly earns commissions, integrating monetization with user experience. A campaign with Omni Hotels & Resorts and Southwest Airlines generated nearly 7 million views and 500,000 likes.

🏨 Cloudbeds announced its ambition to create the first property management system (PMS) that unifies hotel operations on October 23 at the Passport User Conference. Cloudbeds Intelligence, a ‘smart hospitality engine’ leveraging causal and multimodal AI, aims to offer real-time insights and actionable recommendations, potentially increasing RevPAR by 15% and occupancy rates by 10%. CEO Adam Harris emphasizes the platform's ability to guide hoteliers in dynamic decision-making across revenue management, marketing, operations, and guest experience. Head of Machine Learning at Cloudbeds, Amit Popat, highlights the platform's advanced capabilities, including predicting marketing strategies to mitigate cancellations and personalizing guest experiences. Cloudbeds Intelligence will enable hotels to optimize rates, tailor marketing campaigns, and enhance guest satisfaction using comprehensive datasets.

🎧 Yobe, a voice technology provider, launched VIENNA for intelligent voice data capture and analysis, even in noisy environments. Utilizing AI and signal processing, VIENNA integrates seamlessly across healthcare, retail, transportation, and customer service sectors. It's deployable on the edge, hosted on servers, or via an API call. VIENNA distinguishes speech, captures emotional cues, and supports real-time customer sentiment analysis, driving business efficiency and innovation. Yobe has partnered with a major airline, demonstrating VIENNA's value in busy airport settings.

📣 Yobe announced the launch of their new product, VIENNA, a voice extraction solution designed to capture and analyze voice data in noisy environments. VIENNA builds on Yobe's AI technology, allowing integration with just raw voice input, and can be deployed on the edge, hosted on a server, or via an API call. It isolates speech, captures emotional cues, and provides insights for industries like healthcare, retail, and customer service. Yobe has already partnered with a major airline, proving VIenna's effectiveness in a busy airport. Ken Sutton, CEO, emphasizes VIENNA's potential for businesses to gain a deeper understanding of customer sentiment and drive growth.

🏆 HT awarded the 2024 MURTEC Breakthrough Awards to Dine Brands and Wingstop in the Enterprise Category, and Dave & Buster's with Teriyaki Madness in the Mid-Sized Restaurant Category. District Taco received an honorable mention. Innovations featured at MURTEC included IHOP's AI-powered food recommendation engine, Wingstop's custom e-commerce platform, and Dave & Buster's unified commerce platform. The award-winning restaurants will share their tech advancements on October 23 at the MURTEC Executive Summit and will be profiled on hospitalitytech.com.