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.

🏨 With 40% of Americans traveling more in 2024, hotels are leveraging technology to enhance guest experiences and increase revenue. Personalized offers via platforms like Plusgrade drive ancillary revenue and guest satisfaction. Ancillary offer timing is crucial; a test showed a 142% revenue increase when an abandoned cart email was sent within hours. Employing a multi-channel approach, including SMS and social media, has yielded a 30% revenue increase. Guest upgrades foster loyalty; after an upgrade, cruise passengers showed a 23% likelihood to bid on higher cabins. Long-term loyalty is boosted by ancillary services; hotel loyalty members who purchased points booked 46% more stays and accumulated over 5 times more points. These strategies prepare hotels for sustained growth into 2025.

🏖️ Forge Holiday Group, owner of Sykes Cottages and Forest Holidays, plans to invest £150 million over the next three years in UK property portfolio, technology, and customer and owner services. Developing over 50 cabins in Glentress Forest and expanding at Strathyre Forest, the group's revenue for the year ending September 30, 2023, grew 22% with a 3% increase in like-for-like sales. Despite a "broadly flat" profit of £60.7 million due to inflation, net property portfolio grew by 6% to 32,921, serving over 3 million customers. £8.5 million was invested in technology infrastructure.

🏦 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.

💲 On Jul 12, 2024, a BCD Travel survey identified a compliance gap in company travel policies. Over two-thirds of business travelers have deviated from set policies, primarily for client meetings or using non-preferred suppliers. Key findings: 20%+ find policies unresponsive or restrictive, 30% desire more booking flexibility, 25% seek higher spending limits and extra airline options, and 20% advocate for improved traveler wellness policies.

🏕 TourReview's analysis highlights an emerging trend of American and Asian tourists flying long-haul, necessitating tour and activity operators to adapt by offering early bird discounts and clear booking communications. Amigo Tours notes a decline in American tourists visiting Mexico and a diversification to European cities like London and Asian destinations. Best of Switzerland Tours reports a 5% growth, attributing it to fewer US tourists and more from Asia. Juana Muro of TourReview underscores the importance of catering to American families seeking cultural experiences and Asian travelers influenced by relaxed visa requirements, favoring experiences over shopping. Operators are advised to plan for the dynamic shift in the industry due to the resurgence of long-haul travel.

📱 On Jul 10, 2024, predictions suggest significant growth in hotel self-service technology, mirroring air travel management. Guests will manage their entire stay—including room selection, services, check-in, and payment—before arrival. Traditional hotel operations, which involve staff managing requests often without real-time documentation, will be transformed. Self-service tools will enable better tracking, reporting, and anticipation of guest needs, leading to improved planning, efficiency, and guest satisfaction. Additionally, tracking preferences will enhance operational efficiency, personalization, inventory management, and demand forecasting. Read more at Frank Mayer and Associates.

💸 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.