Innovation

💰 August 26, 2023: Amadeus Travel Dreams 2026 finds 69% of travelers rely on AI for booking decisions, peaking at 87% in India and 86% in China. Chatbot travel inspiration use rose from 6% to 18% over five years. In hospitality, 39% of hoteliers cited flexible cancellations as a major shift. Highline Hospitality acquired AC Hotel and Element San Antonio, totaling over 5,500 rooms and $1.7 billion assets. Canadian RevPAR grew 6.5% YTD.

💻 August 26, San Diego, ExplorUS, a major concessionaire in over 200 U.S. park destinations, selects Cloudbeds' hospitality system to unify six disparate platforms into one. This integration aims to enhance revenue, occupancy, and guest marketing across hotels, lodges, restaurants, and more. Cloudbeds, founded in 2012, serves properties in over 150 countries, optimizing operations and marketing. ExplorUS has managed diverse hospitality services in national and state parks since 1995.

💻 August 26, Bethesda, MD: Stayntouch partners with Namastay to integrate booking engine technology, enhancing hotel direct booking efficiency and reducing OTA dependency. This partnership aims at offering a seamless guest experience and efficient data flow between systems. The integration, live at Zoku's properties in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, and Vienna, supports digital wallets, BNPL options, and major credit cards. Namastay serves 300 hotels across 42 countries, complying with PCI DSS and GDPR standards.

💻 August 26, HITEC and HSMAI events focused on AI in hospitality, emphasizing automated RFP responses. AI can instantly handle inquiries, compared to delayed human interactions. A typical scenario involves a SMERF group inquiry received at 5 p.m. on Friday, with AI responding immediately. This automation prompts concerns about uniformity and price-based decisions. Hotel leaders are advised to creatively integrate AI while maintaining human involvement, using personalized video messages, direct outreach, and personalized AI-enhanced responses to differentiate offerings.