TOP NEWS

📡 Digital Enterprise Show, Europe's largest event focused on exponential technologies, scheduled for 11-13 June in Malaga, Spain, will host the Tourism and Hospitality forum, emphasizing AI's role in hotel and tourism industry transformation. Industry experts like Lucía Martínez of AR Hotels & Resorts and Antonio Andújar from Palladium Hotel Group will discuss business evolution, influenced by technology's impact on customer experience and operational efficiency. Notable speakers, including Pilar Crespo of Booking.com and Ricardo Fernández of Destinia, will share success stories involving bots and AR/VR technologies. The summit will also delve into regulation, data protection, and necessary skills for leveraging technology within the hospitality sector, with contributions from executives at Boho Club Marbella, BlueBay Hotels, Ilunion Hotels, and others.

🏦 Kepler International Hospitality Academy (KIHA) will launch its first Senior Executive Leadership Programme in Amsterdam in October 2024. This five-month course is designed for senior executives with over 10 years of experience in hospitality management. The Programme features three core themes and is divided into two stages: three five-day residential study modules in Amsterdam, Freiburg/Basel, and Kyoto, followed by a two-month leadership assignment. Each cohort is limited to 15 participants, with personalized mentorship and coaching throughout the program. Co-founders include Jannes Sörensen, Phillippe Krenzer, Jacob Mayne, and Ken Yokoyama. Applications are now open.

🏨 Quendoo, a direct bookings platform, will expand to the UK after securing €1 million in funding (June 2024) from Capital Investment Fund, affiliated with the Bulgarian Development Bank, and Vitosha Venture Partners. The company offers cloud-based tools for hotels and property managers to manage bookings, with features like Google Hotels integration and real-time availability. Quendoo charges a fee of 1.95% per booking without setup or subscription fees.

🏖️ Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai is a luxurious, family-friendly resort featuring spacious rooms, the Imperial Club Lounge, and Aquaventure—the Middle East's largest waterpark. With adrenaline-pumping slides like the Aquaconda, the child-friendly Splasher's Oasis, and the underwater AquaTrek Xtreme experience among vibrant fish and stingrays, it caters to all ages. Boasting over 20 dining options, including Seafire Steakhouse and Nobu for Japanese cuisine, the resort promises culinary delights for every palate. Beyond the resort, guests can explore Dubai's wonders, such as the Burj Khalifa. Atlantis, The Palm ensures a memorable family holiday with luxury, adventure, and excellent service.

💸 HOTREC's 2024 Hotel Distribution Study emphasizes the necessity for the Digital Markets Act to ensure fair competition in the European hotel market. Booking.com, holding a 71% market share in the OTA sector—up 10% in the last decade—must now comply with DMA as a gatekeeper platform. Direct bookings continue to decrease, while OTAs undercut prices in 40% of cases. Electronic distribution accounts for 45% of overnight stays. The study is based on data from over 3000 European hotels for 2023 and conducted by HOTREC and HES-SO Valais Wallis.

🏆 France is preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, expecting 15 million attendees from July 26 to August 11. Paris hotels were 50% booked by February, and 16 million Americans traveled abroad from January through March—a record high. Deloitte reports travel plans after Labor Day rose from 12% in 2022 to 17% in 2024, with travel budgets increasing by 13%. Digital frontline workplace apps in the hospitality industry enhance operational efficiency, employee engagement, and service delivery during high-demand periods, including the Olympics.

📱 Ryan King, Senior Vice President, Americas at Shiji Group, during HITEC 2024 in Charlotte, discussed the company's hospitality technology focus and security. Shiji Group aids hotels with cyber threat protection, global regulatory compliance, and enhances guest and employee experiences with technology like mobile-based housekeeping and pool area POS systems. King stressed the importance of human-centric technology and change management for successful adoption. The company looks forward to AI strategy outcomes and continued innovation.

📊 At HITEC 2024, Simone Puorto interviewed Guilain Denisselle, a hospitality veteran with 35 years of experience. Denisselle predicts AI will enhance revenue management, guest messaging, and system connectivity in hospitality. He suggests AI could replace APIs for simple tasks and foresees a rise in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to reduce manual work. The integration of AI aims to streamline operations and improve the guest experience by HITEC 2025. This insight is part of Hospitality Net's HITEC 2024 series.

💰 UK's Labour Party wins a majority in the General Election with 412 seats of the 650 available, Conservatives secure 120 seats, Liberal Democrats 71, SNP 9, Sinn Fein 7, and Others 28. Labour's victory was predicted by the exit poll released at 10pm BST on Thursday, forecasting a 170-seat majority. Twelve Tory cabinet ministers, including Liz Truss, lost their seats. Sir Keir Starmer, the incoming Prime Minister, addressed supporters in London, while outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took responsibility for the Conservative loss. Industry leaders react, calling for action on manifesto commitments and addressing business rates and housing issues.

📈 In June, the U.S. economy added 206,000 jobs, with unemployment at 4.1%, up from 4% in May. Leisure and hospitality saw only 7,000 new jobs, compared to May's 42,000. The restaurant industry's second quarter had the weakest job growth since Q4 2020, adding only 900 jobs. Despite a forecast of 525,000 seasonal jobs, full-service restaurants are still -4% below pre-pandemic levels. Job openings in restaurants and accommodations are below 800,000, signaling a potential market normalization.