TOP NEWS

🏨 SH Hotels & Resorts rebrands as Starwood Hotels on its 10th anniversary. Starwood, created nearly 30 years ago by Barry Sternlicht, targets significant growth with over 40 properties open or in development across four continents by 2025. Key launches include flagship properties in Tokyo, Melbourne, and Copenhagen. 1 Hotels brand, since 2015, expanded to major destinations and plans new properties in Seattle, Melbourne, Copenhagen, and Tokyo by 2025. The brand partners with Arbor Day Foundation to donate 100,000 trees in LA. Treehouse Hotels will open in Manchester (UK) and Silicon Valley in Spring 2025. Baccarat Hotels expanding to Rome, Florence, Riyadh, Dubai, and the Maldives. Starwood's sustainability milestones include LEED, BREEAM certifications, 46,612 tons CO2 offset, 75% waste diversion, 3.4 million pounds recycled annually, and 417,265 pounds materials reused/donated in 2024. The team will grow to over 5,000 members in 2025.

🏨 SH Hotels & Resorts rebrands as Starwood Hotels on its 10th anniversary, reviving a global brand nearly 30 years old by Barry Sternlicht. In 2025, Starwood plans significant growth with over 40 properties open or in development across four continents. Sternlicht previously led Starwood to become the largest hotel company by EBITDA, creating W Hotels and growing St. Regis. The group's sustainable brand, 1 Hotels, expands with new properties in Seattle, Melbourne, Copenhagen, and Tokyo by 2025. Starwood's brands include 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels, with upcoming openings in the Middle East and Southern Europe. 1 Hotels partners with Arbor Day Foundation to donate 100,000 trees for Los Angeles reforestation. The MISSION membership program evolves, focusing on personalized experiences and positive impacts. Baccarat Hotels will enter Rome, Florence, Riyadh, Dubai, and the Maldives, while Treehouse Hotels plans to grow in Manchester (UK) and Sunnyvale, CA. Starwood Hotels emphasizes sustainability, aiming for LEED certification and has offset 46,612 tons of CO2, with a 75% waste diversion rate and recycling of 3.4 million pounds of materials annually. By 2025, the team is expected to grow from 3,900 to over 5,000 members.

📱 Mobile and contactless technologies, like mobile ordering and payment systems, alleviate restaurant staff burnout and foster a more sustainable workforce. mPOS technology saves time by sending orders directly to the kitchen, speeding up service and reducing errors. Customer expectations for convenience and speed drive restaurants to adopt new technologies like mobile apps and AI chatbots. Technology enhances guest experience by freeing staff for meaningful interactions and should align with a restaurant’s brand. Independent restaurants use technology to compete with large chains by streamlining operations and personalizing guest experiences, despite staff shortages. Smart solutions like contactless ordering and self-service kiosks increase revenue and customer satisfaction. Tony Fernandez, CEO of MTech Mobility, emphasizes the importance of technology enabling better service and customer engagement.

🏨 SH Hotels & Resorts rebrands as Starwood Hotels on its 10th anniversary, reviving Barry Sternlicht's iconic brand. Over 40 properties across four continents open or in development for 2025, with flagship properties in Tokyo, Melbourne, and Copenhagen. Starwood's portfolio includes 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels. 1 Hotels aligns with sustainability, donating 100,000 trees in Los Angeles and expanding with 1 Hotel Seattle (Spring 2025, 153 rooms), 1 Hotel & Homes Melbourne (mid-2025, 277 rooms, 114 residences), 1 Hotel Copenhagen (Summer 2025, 288 keys), and 1 Hotel Tokyo (Fall 2025). Treehouse Hotels to open in Manchester, UK (Spring 2025) and Silicon Valley (Spring 2025, 254 keys). Starwood continues to prioritize culinary experiences and wellness, partnering with renowned chefs and wellness experts. Sustainability remains central, with properties aiming for LEED and BREEAM certifications, achieving a 75% diversion rate for waste and recycling 3.4 million pounds annually. By 2025, the team will grow to over 5,000 members.

🏨 Mews, a hospitality technology platform, raised $75 million in funding led by Tiger Global with Kinnevik, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, and Battery Ventures. In 2024, Mews grew over 50% year-on-year, processed $10 billion in payments, generated $200 million in revenue, and achieved 20% market penetration in DACH. The U.S. saw Mews' revenue and brand usage double, with room and space management also more than doubling. The investment will further R&D in AI and expansion, with over $50 million invested in the U.S. in recent years.

💸 Revenue maximization for hotels involves leveraging all opportunities to maximize income, not just relying on ADR and RevPAR. The five building blocks of revenue maximization include optimization through AI-powered RMS with reported up to 35% higher RevPAR and 37% higher ADR, diversification of space usage, automated payment systems for fast and accurate transactions, enhancement of guest experience with potential revenue growth, and protection of revenue with security measures against chargebacks and fraud. Merchants lost 4.4% of revenue to chargebacks in 2019. Hotels implementing Mews ecosystem reported a 290% ROI over three years, a 31% reduction in manual human error, a 24% increase in front desk efficiency, and 7.3% ADR growth.

📌 Occupancy-based KPIs, like Occupancy %, RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room), NetRevPAR, TRevPAR (Total Revenue per Available Room), and GOPPAR (Gross Operating Profit per Available Room), present a narrow view of hotel performance, often leading to short-term revenue gains at the expense of long-term profitability and guest satisfaction. These KPIs can incentivize discounting to fill rooms, increase operational expenses, and erode brand value. Alternative metrics such as RPG (Revenue per Guest), PPG (Profit per Guest), Guest LTV (Lifetime Value), and productivity indicators (e.g., Revenue per Worked Hour) offer a more comprehensive approach by focusing on guest-centric profitability and strategic growth. Adopting such KPIs enables hotels to move beyond immediate occupancy rates, aligning daily operations with long-term financial health and service quality.

🎮 At MURTEC (March 10-12, Caesar’s Forum, Las Vegas), Magicgate presents XR solutions targeting restaurant challenges. Offerings include VR Training, AR Remote Support, AR Data Visualization, AR-Activated Marketing, and Immersive Haptic Devices. MURTEC 2025 spotlights industry innovations, networking, and education for QSR and full-service segments. For demos, contact Skip Kimpel at [email protected] or 954-257-8252.