TOP NEWS

📆 In 2024, GDS sees a 1-2% annual growth, driven by rising corporate and agency-managed travel. Corporate travelers prefer GDS for its reliability, longer stays, and premium rates, offering hotels higher revenue and steady occupancy. GDS users include corporate, government, and NGO delegates, valuing efficiency and consistency. It evolves with AI, self-booking, and sustainability tools. Hotels can enhance GDS potential by showcasing sustainability, offering tailored perks, and forging strategic partnerships. STAAH simplifies GDS integration for hoteliers.

📚 Craig Smith became CEO of Aimbridge Hospitality in March 2024, succeeding a turbulent period marked by an unsuccessful IPO in 2021, operational issues, and $1.1 billion in debt. With 1,000 hotels globally, he restructured Aimbridge for efficiency, slashed turnover, and shifted focus from corporate to hotel operations. In January 2025, Aimbridge restructured its capital, converting debt to equity and adding $100 million. Smith prioritizes longer contracts, global opportunities, and technological investment to enhance operations and growth.

📚 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The AHLA Foundation announced partnerships with ICHRIE and ACPHA to boost opportunities for aspiring hospitality professionals. Kevin Carey emphasized aligning academic learning with professional readiness. ACPHA will provide annual data reports for strategic planning. ICHRIE will enhance campus engagement through over 40 Eta Sigma Delta Honor Society chapters and faculty development. Dr. Donna Albano highlighted strengthening academic and professional pathways for future hospitality leaders.

💻 Atlanta, Georgia—In September 2025, Revenue Analytics announced a strategic partnership with Cloudbeds. Hotels using Cloudbeds Property Management System (PMS) can now integrate with Revenue Analytics’ N2Pricing for enhanced revenue management through AI-driven pricing. The integration ensures rapid, automated pricing adjustments based on real-time demand. Key benefits include quick setup, tailored configuration, and rapid time-to-value, allowing hotels to go live in weeks. This collaboration aims to streamline operations and boost profitability for hoteliers.

🥟 Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a fast-casual brand with 550 locations, was acquired by Rhône, a global private equity firm, from Thompson Street Capital Partners. The executive team remains unchanged, led by President & CEO Chris Dull. The brand continues to serve its classic menu while maintaining quality and hospitality. In the past year, Freddy's generated over $1 billion in system-wide sales across the U.S. and Canada. Acquisition terms remain undisclosed.

📰 Opera Contemporary, part of Angelo Cappellini, is showcasing its furniture at Interior Lifestyle Tokyo from June 18-20, 2025, at Tokyo Big Sight. Featured items include Vertex collection coffee tables with bronzed blown glass and a unique "Balloton" texture, a Label freestanding mirror with a brushed brass finish, and the versatile Sophie armchair with 360° rotation, all located at booth E04-F020 in the Italy pavilion.

📈 Accor plans to take Ennismore public, testing Wall Street's readiness to value lifestyle over traditional metrics like RevPAR and EBITDA. Ennismore, known for brands like Hoxton and Mama Shelter, emphasizes community and culture, not just rooms. This IPO could redefine how hotel brands focus more on brand presence and culture rather than scale. If successful, it may shift industry dynamics; if not, it reaffirms lifestyle's reliance on larger corporations. Would you invest in vibe over volume?

📡 On 31 January 2027, the UK will retire the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), posing risks to hotel operations, particularly lift emergency communications as per BS EN 81-28. A recent report shows 70% of businesses reliant on PSTN lack migration plans. Cellular systems, like AVIRE’s DCP Evo, offer compliance, cost savings, and reliability through remote monitoring and battery backup. Hotels must audit lifts, upgrade to digital solutions, and plan transitions to avoid compliance issues and ensure guest safety.

📈 In select-service hotels, revenue management often burdens general managers or cluster revenue managers with manual data tasks. This inefficient practice leads to delayed decisions, inaccurate forecasts, and human errors, hindering revenue opportunities. Automation through a Revenue Management System (RMS) addresses these issues by processing real-time data for dynamic rate adjustments, improving forecasting accuracy, and eliminating manual errors. This shift empowers leaders to focus on strategy and guest experience, enhancing profitability and loyalty.