Innovation

📈 San Diego, California—Cloudbeds announced a new partnership with Klaviyo, a B2C CRM platform, to automate communications and boost direct bookings for hoteliers. The integration allows for real-time data access and one-click installation with no setup fees. This collaboration helps hotels turn guest interactions into revenue opportunities, enhancing targeting and conversion rates. Cloudbeds and Klaviyo aim to leverage guest data for personalized marketing and improved guest relationships, driving engagement, revenue, and repeat visits.

📈 Revenue managers are evolving into commercial strategists, mastering financial literacy, collaboration, and technology. A 3% drop in acquisition costs can boost profits more than a 5% rise in ADR. Key skills include understanding AI-powered RMS systems that process millions of data points, fostering cross-department collaboration, and leading with influence. Success involves moving beyond analytics to align people, purpose, and profit, driving sustainable profitability.

🏆 Springboard Awards for Excellence 2026 🎉 When? 30 April 2026. Where? Park Plaza London Riverbank. Who? Hosted by Park Plaza, sponsored by industry leaders like Nestlé, HIT Training, and Sybron. What? Celebrates excellence in hospitality with categories like the new Hospitality Careers Champion Award. How? Free and easy nominations via the Springboard website by 9 January 2026. Why? To recognize and inspire talent, supporting Springboard’s mission to bolster hospitality careers. Goals: Close skills gaps and create one million new skills by 2030.

💻 Google’s AI Mode revolutionizes hotel distribution by selecting between simple searches and detailed agent instructions to extract live hotel data. Chef Duce Raymond's BBQ example demonstrates how Google uses inferred preferences and schema signals to create personalized recommendations, shifting from search to intent shaping. This system profiles users, ranks options, and merges inventory with guidance. Agentic Hospitality gives hotels control over data-driven decisions, preventing platforms from monopolizing guest interactions. Join at AgenticHospitality.com.

🛩 Emirates and OpenAI have formed a strategic partnership to integrate AI across the airline. They will deploy ChatGPT Enterprise and develop an AI centre of excellence. The collaboration focuses on enhancing AI capabilities, exploring use cases, and creating an AI champion network. Leadership sessions and technology team collaborations aim to optimize AI integration. Ali Serdar Yakut of Emirates and Rod Solaimani of OpenAI emphasize the transformative potential of AI in aviation and customer experience.

🛅 Nov 24, 2025, ChatGPT partners with Booking.com and Expedia, sidelining direct hotel integration due to AI query loads and fragmented room data. OTAs gain leverage as hotels lose visibility and control, facing rising acquisition costs (up over 30%). AI-driven distribution may introduce new fees, increasing expenses for hotels. To compete, hotels must modernize data and booking strategies. AI simplifies travel planning but complicates supplier economics, posing challenges for hotels unless they adapt quickly.

💸 Nov 24, 2025, hotels worldwide are shifting focus from merely filling rooms to maximizing total guest value and ancillary spending. Revenue managers now use diverse data sources, such as airline searches and spa bookings, to inform pricing strategies. This change elevates revenue managers to strategic roles collaborating across marketing, sales, and operations. Integrated data systems support this evolution, replacing manual forecasts with advanced analytics and machine learning for holistic revenue management. Read more on this transformation at Skift.

📱 ChatGPT will test ads in 2025, with a full launch for free users in 2026. Unlike Google Ads, ads will be integrated into chat replies, not as pop-ups. Pricing is based on clicks or actions. Ads use advanced targeting via chat context and session data. Users have control over personalization by disabling memory. Ad formats include sponsored messages and action buttons, tracked through session-level tokens. This marks a shift for AI as a media channel.

📺 Hotel TV is evolving into a digital touchpoint impacting guest satisfaction and revenue. Key stakeholders—owners, operators, and brands—align infrastructure with guest experience, focusing on personalization. Technological partners like Samsung and SONIFI enhance seamless user interfaces while leveraging AI and cloud services to improve content delivery and reduce latency. Balancing revenue generation and cost, TV systems enable transactions and targeted promotions. Priorities include cost reduction, content variety, and support, aiming for a home-like experience in hotels.

💻 MCLEAN, Virginia—The HSMAI Foundation's report, "How Generative AI is Reshaping Executive Hiring in Hospitality," highlights AI's impact on recruitment. SearchWide Global noted a 60-80% reduction in workloads, with AI boosting efficiency and expanding candidate pools. AI tools are used by 44% of organizations, reducing time-to-hire by up to 86%. Leadership roles now require analytics fluency, with 30-40% emphasizing this. AI identifies nontraditional talent, broadening diversity in leadership.