TOP NEWS

🌍 In April 2024, European travel and tourism associations signed a Joint Declaration on sustainability in Rhodes with goals to decarbonise and collaborate with EU policymakers. The 2024-2029 sustainability asks include simplified regulations, increased EU green investment support, integration into EU energy policies, and promoting intermodal transport. These initiatives aim to create a competitive, resilient industry, supporting microenterprises in hospitality. For details, see the Rhodes Forum Leaflet and Joint Declaration.

💾 eviivo, a booking and property management platform, and Breezeway, an operations and guest experience platform, have integrated, aiming to streamline property operations and enhance guest experiences. The collaboration merges eviivo's AI booking management with Breezeway's AI-driven cleaning and maintenance expertise. This integration can save property managers over 40 hours monthly and reduce costs by up to 30%. It features comprehensive real-time booking integration, automated operations, and the ability to handle ad-hoc guest requests, improving operational efficiency and service quality. Jake Ryan of Book Hocking, managing over 150 cabins, testifies to the time-saving benefits of this seamless integration.

🌳 Aldar, in partnership with Dubai Holding, announced The Wilds, their third Dubai development, featuring 1,700 homes across mansions, villas, and apartments. Architect Nabil Gholam designed the eco-friendly community, which includes a premium school, retail hub, and clubhouses. Unique elements include The Nest pavilion, wildlife habitats, and LEED Platinum and Fitwel 3-star certifications. The Wilds, opposite Global Village on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, launches for sale on 27 February 2025 at Coca-Cola Arena Dubai.

📄 RoomKeyPMS, with over 25 years of success and serving more than 70,000 guestrooms in North America, is releasing new tools in 2025 for improved security and operational connectivity. The technological roadmap includes Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) for stronger remote access security, tokenization of credit cards to reduce fraud, and enhanced mobile check-in. Gift cards can now be sold and redeemed directly through RoomKeyPMS. Upcoming Mobile Check-In enhancements will allow guests to bypass the front desk, with full credit card processing and room access via mobile devices. RoomKeyPMS is expanding its interface library for point-of-sale integrations and mobile communications, aiming to streamline enterprise communication and improve guest experiences.

🏨 On February 25, 2025, in San Diego, CA, Cloudbeds, a leader in hospitality management technology, announced a strategic partnership with Sabre Hospitality, a global travel tech company. The partnership features an API integration of Cloudbeds PMS and Sabre's SynXis® CRS for improved management across distribution, reservations, and operations. Benefits include real-time two-way synchronization, automated inventory/rate management, unified reservations, and optimized distribution over 600+ OTAs and other channels. The integration is scheduled to launch in Q1 2025 and will be available to all joint customers. Cloudbeds, founded in 2012, operates in 150+ countries and has received multiple awards, including Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 in 2024. Sabre, headquartered in Texas, serves customers in over 160 countries.

📌 Over 52% of travellers consider the ability to cancel for free within 24 to 48 hours of arrival essential, as per the 2024 Adyen report. Flexible rates offer free or lower fee modifications or cancellations before a set date. Benefits include improved conversion rates, increased direct bookings, and optimised RevPAR. Strategies like website exclusivity, clear terms, and AI widget campaigns can enhance implementation. The Elysée Val d’Europe hotel tripled direct bookings using HiJiffy's AI widget campaigns. Risks like last-minute cancellations can be managed with strategies such as offering rescheduling and setting fair pricing.

📱 Travelers visit 38 websites on average before booking a hotel, highlighting the need for centralized, customer-centric search platforms for direct bookings. The roomangel Foundation is pushing for a global initiative to connect new hotel search platforms directly to hotels' property management systems. Loyalty programs are shifting towards personalized rewards, and the Digital Markets Act, enforced on May 2, 2023, is aimed at curbing unfair practices by large digital platforms in the EU. Booking.com has ended rate parity clauses in the European Economic Area due to the DMA. Mobile bookings are surging, with 68% of travel and hospitality online traffic coming from mobile devices in 2023, and in the UK, 51.3% of bookings were made on smartphones by 2024. Artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionize hotel distribution through enhanced direct bookings, dynamic pricing optimization, personalized marketing, and intelligent upselling.

📌 Hans Meyer, the founding partner of citizenM and creator of Zoku, was featured on a podcast discussing innovation in hospitality. In 2003, he observed that hotels were indistinguishable except for brand names and colors. Meyer aimed to meet core needs like a good night's sleep, a great shower, and free internet, which was exceptional at the time. By starting with a white sheet of paper and focusing on specific guest desires, he created citizenM. Meyer emphasizes the importance of understanding the target audience's needs rather than following market trends.