Innovation

📈 TRYBE and IRECKONU have integrated their platforms to enhance hospitality experiences. This partnership, announced recently, connects spa and leisure bookings with IRECKONU’s guest data platform. Hotels can now create unified guest profiles, boosting ancillary revenue and operational efficiency. This integration allows seamless upselling and cross-selling through personalised offers. IRECKONU, founded in 2014, works with brands like Mandarin Oriental and Hard Rock. For more details, contact TRYBE at amy@try.be or IRECKONU at emilia@ireckonu.com.

📈 New research by Responsive, released on October 15, 2025, highlights a shift in B2B vendor discovery influenced by AI. In Beaverton, Oregon, findings reveal that 25% of buyers prefer generative AI over traditional search, and 47% use AI in critical stages like market research. Despite AI's growing role, trust and expertise still dominate decisions, with 81% prioritizing RFP responses. Notably, 80% of tech industry buyers favor GenAI over search, showcasing a tech-forward trend.

🚀 OpenAI uses AI to boost productivity, with 3,500 employees leveraging Codex to achieve a 70% increase in weekly merged pull requests. Sales productivity rose 20%, while Estée Lauder and Canva saw enhancements of 90% and 44%, respectively. In a survey of over 5,000 enterprise users, 95% reported time savings with ChatGPT. OpenAI serves over 1 million businesses, while 75% of enterprises report positive ROI. The focus is on expanding AI's economic value across industries.

🛒 November 2025, Google introduced a major AI shopping update for holiday shopping. The AI Mode in Search allows users to shop conversationally, describing their needs as they would to a friend. It offers organized responses with visuals, prices, reviews, and inventory data. This upgrade utilizes the Shopping Graph, featuring over 50 billion product listings, with 2 billion updates every hour, ensuring fresh and reliable information for users.

🏨 Mandarin Oriental aims to more than double its global footprint within the next decade, having already added seven properties in two years and with 30 more developments underway. Laurent Kleitman, appointed group CEO in September 2023, emphasizes that luxury hospitality hinges on human connection rather than technology. The industry is projected to grow nearly 10% annually over the next five years. The "Rising Fans" program supports career development, fostering talent in a digital-first world.

💸 76% of a revenue manager’s week is consumed by internal tasks like reports and data checks. Data fragmentation in hotel systems leads to mismatched KPIs and delayed decisions. AI and BI tools can automate these processes, increasing hotel revenue by 10-15%. A UK hotel using AI-based forecasting achieved record profitability by adjusting rates and optimizing inventory ahead of a local event. The future of hospitality combines AI with human judgment for strategic decision-making.

🏡 The brand, part of Accor’s premium segment, undergoes a global transformation to redefine guest experiences and social spaces. This initiative includes new architectural concepts, updated service standards, and an international events programme, marking a new phase for the brand.

🏨 Kevin King, CEO of Shiji International, received the Lifetime Achievement Visionary Award at the 2025 Hotel Visionary Awards on November 17, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. This accolade highlights his over 30 years in hospitality and nearly three decades in hospitality technology, during which Shiji evolved into a global leader in hotel solutions, powering cloud-based systems for over 91,000 hotels worldwide. Shiji employs more than 5,000 people globally.

📈 Harshinder Chadha discusses the transformative impact of AI and BI on hotel revenue management. 76% of a revenue manager's week is wasted on internal tasks, with fragmented data systems slowing decisions. AI systems can automate tasks like rate updates, boosting revenue by 10-15%. A UK hotel used AI for proactive rate adjustments, achieving record profits. Technology enhances human judgment, fostering strategic leadership and improving profitability. Embrace AI and BI to shift from data overload to strategic clarity.

🛫 In 2025, up to 90% of companies use AI, with 62% still in experimental stages, marking mass adoption. In travel, 40% of travelers use AI for planning. Mindtrip, a notable AI trip planner, has $20M in funding and 1M monthly visits. Airports like Changi and Frankfurt use AI for biometric checks and security, enhancing passenger flow. Sherpa, an AI tool for travel documentation, is used by airlines like Air Canada and Lufthansa, easing pre-trip processes for travelers.