Innovation

🏨 IDS Next today launched Pomolabs, a wholly owned subsidiary developing an AI-native hospitality operating system spanning five areas: guest engagement, direct booking, front office, housekeeping and operational decision-making. Binu Mathews becomes co-founder and president while remaining IDS Next CEO. Pomolabs targets higher revenue, lower costs and better guest experiences. IDS Next supports 300,000+ rooms, 220+ hotel chains and 25,000+ POS outlets across 50+ countries, integrating with 350+ technology partners.

🏨 Chicago-based Hyatt has redesigned Hyatt Leverage, its business travel platform for eligible small and midsize companies. Powered by Spotnana, it offers preferred rates at more than 1,300 hotels worldwide and centralizes bookings, spending and payments. Administrators and travelers can earn World of Hyatt points on eligible travel. Businesses must meet eligibility requirements, including at least 50 actualized room nights annually. Travel agency, consortia and other online booking tool reservations are excluded.

🏨 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and HotelREZ are adding more than 40 Elegant Hotels of the World properties to Registry Collection Hotels by early next year. The brand currently spans over 30 hotels across nine countries. Many incoming boutiques have 20–50 rooms. Initial locations include Malta, Greece, Northern Ireland, Thailand and Colombia. Hotels will retain Elegant membership while accessing Wyndham Rewards and sales, marketing and distribution channels. A separate technology-access model launches later this year.

🏨 The Southcliff Hotel in Folkestone, UK, selected Hotelogix’s all-in-one cloud property management system, announced November 2, 2026. Dating to 1861, the seaside hotel will replace fragmented systems and manual processes to improve productivity, reporting and integration, while laying groundwork for future AI-driven operations. Singapore-headquartered Hotelogix serves 12,000+ hotels, including 250+ groups across 100+ countries.

💳 S4BT is launching a mobile wallet through its fintech brand Trevium, in partnership with Pliant. Business travellers can access the virtual card linked to their hotel booking. Beyond convenience, the move strengthens S4BT’s control over corporate payment data and deepens clients’ ties to its ecosystem. No launch date, location or financial figures were disclosed.

🏨 Radisson Hotel Group has launched AI-powered price matching across all its properties worldwide. The system automatically verifies and matches eligible lower public rates on RadissonHotels.com in real time, eliminating claims, screenshots and manual approvals. Coverage includes at least 7 online travel agencies, such as Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda. The feature replaces the traditional Best Online Rate Guarantee process, simplifying direct bookings for guests and reducing administrative work for hotel teams.

✈ Paul returned from Fukuoka, Japan, after an adventure involving 8 flights, 6 layovers, airport overnight stays, 2 Shinkansen trains and a ferry. His journey included upgrades, Hong Kong airport explorations and views from Doha’s new concourses. Discussion also covered a lengthy diversion caused by severe European weather, unreliable flight apps, Starlink connectivity and flight-planning challenges as Europe changed its clocks before North America.