TOP NEWS

🍴 Social Eating House, after 11 years on Poland Street, will close at month's end. Executive Chef Alex Parker transitions to Mayfair's relaunching Pollen Street Social, becoming Mary's this autumn. Launched with Chef Paul Hood in April 2013, the restaurant featured the Blind Pig bar, elements of which will move to Mary's. Hood left after a decade. Atherton focuses on new ventures: Hot Dogs by Three Darlings in Harrods, Sael in St James’s Market, Three Darlings in Chelsea, and Row on 5 on Savile Row. Mildred's vegetarian group set to take over the site. Harrods Social by Jason Atherton also recently closed.

💻 On July 18, 2024, AI is poised to reshape the hotel industry, driving consolidation and favoring larger companies with access to proprietary data and cash flow. Strategic partnerships among hotel brands will grow to enhance data access, potentially disadvantaging smaller companies. Hotels may shift to dynamic pricing models based on guest revenue potential. Online search engines might start directly selling lodging, intensifying competition with OTAs and major hotel brands. More details at CBRE.

🏨 Major franchise companies leverage technology for differentiation and guest satisfaction. BWH Hotels collaborates with Tesla to install Universal Wall Connectors across North American hotels, aiming for international expansion. Choice Hotels International transitioned to Amazon Web Services, decommissioning 3,700 servers and retiring 300 applications. Hilton to offer mobile messaging system worldwide by 2024, already implemented at 5,000 properties. IHG Hotels & Resorts to introduce a GenAI-powered travel planning capability in IHG One Rewards mobile app by the end of 2024. Sonesta International Hotels Corporation advances One Sonesta technology projects for enhanced guest experience, including a new CRM system and upgraded WiFi at 170 hotels within 18 months.

📈 In June 2024, 5-star hotels reached a Global Review Index (GRI) of 90.4%, 4-stars hit 86.8%, and 3-stars saw 83.2%. Review volume dipped by 2.9% from Q2 2023. Response times improved: positive reviews in 3.3 days, negative in 4.0 days; response rate rose to 66.3%. Asia-Pacific led with a GRI of 88.1%, while Agoda's market share jumped to 14.5%. Middle East 5-star hotels scored a GRI of 90.7%. Expedia and Hotels.com's review volumes surged over 40%, while Booking.com and Google's fell.

💲 In the post-pandemic era as of July 17, 2024, business travel is reshaped by new corporate strategies and sustainability rules. At Phocuswright Europe, experts highlighted the shift to event-driven travel for team unity, slow updates in travel policies due to emerging risks, industry consolidation seen in American Express GBT's intent to acquire CWT, and a gradual rise in sustainability as a corporate priority amidst evolving regulations.

🌱 IHG launched the Low Carbon Pioneers program on July 17, 2024, targeting energy-efficient hotels with zero on-site fossil fuel combustion and renewable energy backing. These hotels feature high-efficiency heat pumps, fully electric kitchens, and hold sustainability certifications like Green Key, LEED, BREEAM, or EDGE. The initiative aims to encourage more hotels to adopt similar practices and utilizes the Green Engage platform to monitor energy use.

🍔 Riccardo Giraudi, creator of restaurant brands such as Le Petit Beefbar and Beefbar, started his empire in 2005. With locations worldwide, including Monaco, Europe, the US, Asia, and Africa, he categorizes his establishments into 'modern luxury', 'heritage brands', 'hype and relaxed', 'casual cool', and 'fast casual'. Giraudi's Beefbar brand, which began in Monaco in 2005, now has around 36 venues globally with 20 more planned, including in Prague, T'bilisi, Bahrain, Marrakech, Strasbourg, and on ocean liners. By 2023, he aims to operate about 45 or 50 Beefbars. His first US Beefbar opened in April in New York's Tribeca, taking over the former Nobu site after two years of construction. In the UK, Le Petite Beefbar launched in late 2021 in Chelsea, London, and another in Edinburgh. Giraudi also has a partnership with Antinori for Cantinetta Antinori, with the latest opening in London's Knightsbridge. His future plans involve opening more brands, a second African Queen in Dubai, a Zeffirino in Istanbul, and expansion of his pizza brand Pizz’Aria in London.

🏨 At HITEC 2024, hotel tech trends like attribute-based selling (ABS), interfacing challenges, and GenAI use cases were highlighted. Jacob Messina of Stayntouch discussed how ABS automates inventory, enhancing hotel efficiency and profitability, while noting most industry systems aren't built for it. Mark Lewis-Brown of Zucchetti North America cited hesitation towards ABS due to potential reduced sales options and guest readiness. Interfacing issues were addressed by Laura Calin of Oracle Hospitality, who advocated for a unified platform to eliminate technology silos. AI innovations were also showcased, including Sabre's real-time customer support and IDeaS' conversational AI since 2018, indicating a shift towards more intuitive hotelier-software interactions.

🎓 Tammy K. Billings, recognized for opening the $2.5B LA LIVE entertainment district and leading the subway to run past midnight in LA. Contributed to Wisely, which sold to Olo for $187M, and developed CRM platforms at Ovation, Devour, Plein Air, and founded Aben. Known for mentorship and career placements, she received Hospitality Technology's Top Women in Restaurant Technology Innovator Award on March 13 at the 29th MURTEC in Las Vegas. Nominations for the 2025 awards open in mid-October.