Innovation

🔌 3V Infrastructure, an electric vehicle (EV) charging company, announced its formation, focusing on Level 2 EV chargers for multifamily housing and hotels. The company received up to $40 million from Greenbacker Capital Management. Studies reveal over half of potential EV buyers are discouraged by insufficient chargers, while 27% of apartment tenants and 20% of hotel guests desire EV charging amenities. 3V offers a no-cost solution for property owners, aiming to service portfolios with more than 20 long-dwell sites.

🌱 Plates, a plant-based-centric restaurant by Kirk and Keeley Haworth, began as a pop-up in 2017 and now operates permanently near Old Street station, London. Kirk, with a Michelin-starred background, creates original dishes without meat, fish, or dairy, offering seven-course (£75) and eight-course (£90) tasting menus. The 25-seat venue, fully booked until February, will expand with a 14-seat terrace for walk-ins. The wine list curated by Alexandra Price features European vegetation zones, and creative cocktails are also available.

💸 Stayntouch, a leader in PMS and guest-centric technology, has launched UpsellPRO, enabling hotels to market individual room features. A report with NYU showed about half of travelers with a one-month booking window would pay more for attribute-based selling (ABS). Experts see ABS providing greater control, increased visibility, and dynamic pricing benefits. Participants included Flo Lugli, George Roukas, John Burns, Klaus Kohlmayr, and Nichole Dehler. ABS could revolutionize hotel profitability and the guest experience.

🎓 Cendyn, an integrated hotel technology and services firm, launched a new Learning Center designed to enhance hoteliers' product knowledge for improved commercial performance. The Learning Center offers 17 curriculums immediately, accessible through Cendyn’s Knowledge Cloud, with more to be added. Users can personalize their learning experience and track it via a tailored dashboard. Alan Rudolph, Cendyn’s COO, emphasizes the center’s flexibility and personalization. Courses come with badges and certificates, and users can network through the Communities function.

📱 Brits now book hotels via mobile more than desktop, with 51.3% of UK staycations booked on smartphones, up 6.1% from last year. Desktop bookings fell by 3.8% to 46.5%, as tablet bookings dropped 33.4% to just 2.2%. Despite desktop bookings generating more revenue at 50.1%, compared to mobile's 47.3% and tablets' 2.5%, the trend is shifting with mobile revenue increasing by 6.6% against desktop's decrease of 3.6%. International travellers, including Americans, Australians, Canadians, and Europeans, still predominantly use desktops, with Americans at 80% for UK hotel bookings.

🏡 In the travel and hospitality sectors, 73% of IT decision-makers plan to invest between $500,000 and $5 million in AI in one year, an increase from the previous year. Challenges include data management, cybersecurity, and trust in AI/ML outputs, with 55% prioritizing fraud detection, 52% concerned about data security risks, 58% stressing data privacy, and 59% identifying cybersecurity as the greatest risk in AI adoption. Meanwhile, 68% believe AI/ML accuracy needs significant improvements for full trust.

📌 Travel industry adopts DTC, increasing product options from 500 in 2010 to 10,000 in 2024, causing travelers to visit up to 277 webpages before booking, a spike from just 38 in 2013. The digital transformation aims to enhance customer journey and revenue, necessitating marketplace technology to simplify choice and maintain consumer confidence.

💾 Stayntouch introduced UpsellPRO, an Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) technology for hoteliers, following a report with NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality showing 50% of travelers with booking windows of more than one month would spend more for ABS. Experts from Navesink Advisory Group, DataArt/GAIPAN, Hospitality Technology Consulting, IDeaS, and Stayntouch discussed ABS benefits like control over booking, increased visibility, and dynamic pricing. ABS can enhance guest satisfaction, revenue, and upselling opportunities, with potential to influence hotel purchasing strategies, design, and guest engagement.

📱 August 5, 2024 - Digital marketing trends for hoteliers include Google's reversal on third-party cookies, upgrades to Performance Max with enhanced reporting (conversion metrics at asset level, YouTube placement reporting, third-party verification for ads), and AI capabilities (improved image editing, automated asset generation, easier access to creative tools, Merchant Center integration). Instagram Stories now allows up to 20 offers per CTA button, and Instagram Reels introduces new ad placements. Reddit restricts search engines like Bing, but not Google due to a licensing deal. SearchGPT emerges as a new ad-free search engine with cited sources and local results. Hoteliers should focus on first-party data and explore these new marketing tools to boost bookings.

🏠 Stayntouch, a global leader in hotel technology, launched UpsellPRO for attribute-based selling (ABS), following a report with NYU's Tisch Center of Hospitality showing half of respondents with over one-month booking windows willing to spend more for ABS access. Benefits include control over bookings, increased upselling, and dynamic pricing. Insights from industry experts Flo Lugli, George Roukas, John Burns, Klaus Kohlmayr, and Nichole Dehler highlight ABS's influence on guest preferences, revenue, and personalized experiences.