Innovation

💻 Dublin, Ireland – On September 22, 2026, HotelMinder launched the HotelMinder Tech Index, an expert-led evaluation system for hotel tech solutions, replacing traditional ratings. The 2027 Experts’ Choice Awards, recognizing various tech solutions for specific hotel segments, was also announced. Rankings combine expert reviews, hotelier feedback, and AI market signals. The review period ends on October 16, 2026, with winners revealed in November. For more details, contact Jennifer Nagy at +33 7 49 78 00 21.

🎉 Between March and June 2026, the UK saw a 0.4% increase in late-night venues like bars and clubs, marking the first quarterly growth in two years. This follows a severe 28.7% decline over the previous period. Confidence is rising in Britain's late-night economy with the arrival of a new Prime Minister, according to the Night Time Economy Market Monitor by NIQ and the Night Time Industries Association.

💰 On September 17, LHS Leading Hospitality Solutions, supported by Elvaston Capital Management and Dolomites Invest GmbH, announced acquiring a majority stake in Viato, a Freiburg-based hospitality software company. Viato, serving around 2,000 customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, enhances LHS’s digital and direct booking capabilities in the hospitality industry. This move strengthens LHS's presence in the European market, particularly benefiting the Brandnamic Unlimited Marketing-Tech platform in South Tyrol.

📈 Jev eliminated 7 SEO and GEO workflows, optimizing decision-making page by page. It scores competitor pages on answer quality, depth, proof, and freshness, checking Google and ChatGPT rankings. Jev evaluates site elements like titles and metas, and matches real buyer questions to improve pages. URLs are rated for citation likelihood, and search terms are sorted to target buyers. Internal links are mapped, and AI-written pages undergo 20 checks before human review.

💸 Perk partners with Katanox to enhance hotel payments and corporate travel infrastructure. The collaboration integrates Perk's AI-native platform with Katanox's payment rails, reducing hotel booking friction and improving expense automation. Legacy systems are replaced with account-to-account payments, offering better control and scalability. Initiated in early 2022, this partnership aligns with Perk’s mission to reduce "shadow work" in travel management, fostering efficient relationships with hotel partners.

📈 Holibob has launched the Holibob SDK, a free toolkit to reduce integration time from months to days for e-commerce experiences. Brands can embed the SDK into their websites in as little as three days. The SDK provides access to over 500,000 bookable products aggregated from 45 API partners. Customers using in-destination experiences have a 35% higher repeat booking rate, potentially generating £200,000 per 1 million consumers. The SDK includes full documentation, an interactive demo, and sandbox access.

💸 Payment orchestration firm CellPoint launched Zenith, an AI platform for airline and hospitality payments. With a £25 million investment from Toscafund, managed by Penta Capital, 50 new roles are being created across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Kevin Murphy was appointed CEO, and Michael Kelly as Chairman. Zenith aims to improve approval rates, reduce payment costs, and recover lost revenue. The $34 million investment supports rapid development of the AI-driven platform.

💡 September 22, 2026, Zhongshan, Guangdong: Zerouno Lighting unveils bedside reading lights featuring integrated USB-A and USB-C ports, facilitating convenient charging without clutter. Features include rotatable arms and customizable specs like wattage and finish. Founded in 2013, Zerouno employs 120 people and provides FF&E and OSE solutions for hotels globally. The company offers products like LED wall lamps and custom lighting, enhancing guest experiences by resolving common complaints about overnight phone charging. More at zerounolighting.com.

🚀 In September 2025, Sabre introduced its MCP server, aiming to revolutionize travel booking with AI. Nearly 80 clients, including Virgin Australia and Travel Leaders Network, are using MCP. This technology interprets natural language requests and connects with Sabre’s APIs for comprehensive travel management. Sabre's COO Shawn Williams emphasizes MCP's potential to transform travel distribution, drawing comparisons to NDC. Early adopters report cost savings. The debate continues on MCP's role versus NDC.