Innovation

📈 AI x Commerce in 2025: Explore nine key stories about AI's role in commerce. Discover the reality of AI adoption, understand agentic commerce, learn from past failures, and see why this time is different. Uncover what's missing in customer experiences and how AI integrates into shopping today. Identify the players (three agent types), find out who controls the access point, question the sustainability of ad-funded models, and understand why AI selling tools are revolutionary.

💻 PC Hospitality partners with Shiji to implement cloud-based solutions, announced on December 18, 2025, in Dubai. This collaboration aims to enhance efficiency, unify property data, and expand PC Hospitality's portfolio. Shiji's technology, including Daylight PMS, Horizon Distribution, and Infrasys POS, will enable streamlined operations and improved decision-making. Shiji serves over 91,000 hotels globally. PC Hospitality, part of Hashoo Group, operates over 60 hotels in Asia, including luxury and midscale brands, and manages the PC Connoisseur Collection of dining destinations.

📈 Lafayette Hotels, US: Since adopting RMS's property management system, direct online bookings have more than doubled over four years, with 70% of reservations now direct across 26 properties. Server and IT maintenance costs decreased by $100,000 annually, and automated accounting saves over 60 hours weekly. The onboarding of new properties takes a minimum of nine days. The transition from six management systems and three channel managers to RMS has streamlined operations and enhanced efficiency.

💻 Matt Welle and Maurits Bots discuss modern hotel operations with tech, emphasizing WestCord Hotels' approach. WestCord uses tech to reduce cognitive load, employing WhatsApp-based AI for FAQs and task automation via Zapier. This enhances guest and employee experiences by removing repetitive tasks. Mews, a hospitality platform, supports over 12,500 customers in 85+ countries and has raised $410 million. It was named Best PMS in 2024, 2025, and is recognized as a top workplace in hotel tech.

💰 Since 2011, GCSTIMES has evolved into a global platform for sustainable solutions with operational centers in China, US, UAE, France, and Australia, and 14 subsidiaries worldwide. They support 100,000+ hospitality groups in 140+ countries in achieving sustainable goals. Their innovations include sustainable smart cards and creative key cards, emphasizing cultural heritage and low-carbon development. GCSTIMES integrates technology and sustainability, offering products like the doll key card that enhances guest experiences in hospitality.

📰 2025 December, HOTELS Magazine launched its Suppliers Guide, a key resource for the hospitality industry. It includes a cover story on Brad Brewer of Agentic Hospitality, highlighting efforts to aid hotel independence against digital giants using AI. Check it out for insights and strategies crucial for hoteliers.

📰 In 2026, a report by NYU Tisch Center, Stayntouch, and IDeaS found hotels gravitating towards Best-in-Class technology systems, with 68% of independent hotels (101-250+ rooms) adopting them. Smaller hotels (54% with 100 rooms or less) prefer All-in-One platforms for simplicity. Only 34% satisfied with All-in-One training/support plan to switch. Best-in-Class systems offer flexibility, reducing booking errors and delays. IDeaS introduced "Spotlight," providing marketers with ROI insights through scientific revenue management data.

📲 [London, 11 December 2025] Mews introduces a winter product update enhancing hotel operations. Efficiency boosts include a 24% improvement in front desk operations and a 31% reduction in manual errors. New tools automate billing, streamline financial processes, and improve revenue protection. Mews’ system, serving over 12,500 customers in 85+ countries, supports hotels with smarter tech integration and funding options, including €2 million accessed via YouLend. The update aims to help hotels manage tighter margins and staffing shortages more effectively.

🏨 Partnering with local DMOs, technology providers, hotel suppliers, distribution channels, and hospitality associations boosts hotel visibility, streamlines operations, and enhances guest experience. Strategic alliances with nearby businesses, event venues, and planners further strengthen brand identity. Lighthouse, trusted by over 70,000 hotels in 185 countries, offers actionable insights and tools to optimize pricing and performance, emphasizing the value of partnerships in maximizing revenue and sustaining growth in the hospitality industry.

💸 SAN FRANCISCO, 17 December 2025 – Short-term rental hosts using Hospitable saved $6.9 million in booking fees and increased direct channel revenue by 91% to $53.7 million in 2025. Ancillary revenue from upsells launched in June 2025 generated $177,343. Overall, operators earned $5.2 billion in booking revenue and paid $141.5 million in taxes. 70% of self-managers prioritize increasing direct bookings for 2026, highlighting a shift towards maximizing direct revenue.