Everything happening at Crave Interactive, in one place. This hub brings together the latest news and updates around Crave’s in-room tablet and digital guest technology for hotels, curated from trusted sources worldwide. A quick way to follow in-room guest tech.
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Hotel Communication Network to Unveil White Paper at HITEC, Highlighting $257,646 Annual Revenue Potential for Boston Hotel
9 June 2026📱 June 16-18, San Antonio: Hotel Communication Network (HCN) debuts its Commerce Media Platform at HITEC. A Boston hotel with 500 rooms could earn $257,645.96 annually from HCN’s tablets, equating to $515.29 per room/year. HCN manages over $3 billion in global ad inventory, delivering 580 impressions per room daily. Post-Crave Interactive acquisition in June 2025, HCN’s tablets offer services like AI-driven digital concierge, transforming hotel rooms into revenue-generating spaces. White paper available at Booth #2242.
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Mindtrip Expands to Europe with Partnerships in Portugal and Norway, Enhancing DMO Travel Discovery with AI Tools
5 June 2026💻 Mindtrip, established in 2023 in Silicon Valley, has launched its platform in Europe with partnerships in Madeira, Portugal, and Norway. The company offers a conversational interface for DMOs, enhancing trip discovery with AI-driven personalization. Their solution, integrated into destination websites, combines inspiration and planning with curated recommendations and interactive maps. Mindtrip recently introduced Mindtrip Flights, in collaboration with Sabre and PayPal, merging trip planning, flight comparison, and booking into a singular interface.
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Hospitality CEOs Discuss AI’s Impact on Industry Jobs and Customer Experience at NYU Conference
2 June 2026💻 From May 31 to June 2, 2026, hospitality industry leaders gathered at the New York Marriott Marquis for the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference. A key panel featured CEOs from Hilton, Hyatt, Accor, and IHG discussing AI’s transformative role. Accor’s Bazin estimated AI could replace a third of administrative jobs, while Hilton’s Nassetta highlighted AI’s potential for customization. Hyatt’s Hoplamazian emphasized AI’s role in enhancing guest interaction, underscoring the ongoing need for human touch in hospitality.
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The Monarch San Antonio Debuts as a $185 Million Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel with Unique Dining and Extensive Event Spaces
5 March 2026🏨 The Monarch San Antonio, a $185 million hotel opened in the Hemisfair District, San Antonio, Texas. Part of Curio Collection by Hilton, it offers 200 guestrooms, including 28 suites. Culinary highlights include Oak & Amber’s mesquite-and-oak hearth and rooftop Aleteo’s Yucatán cuisine. Amenities feature a full-service spa, a 550-square-foot fitness studio, and 15,000 square feet of event space, including the 5,000-square-foot Meridian Ballroom. The design is inspired by migrating monarch butterflies.
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Web Design Trends to Expect in 2026
28 December 2025📱 2025 saw AI and bold minimalism shaping web design. By 2026, the focus shifts to speed, inclusivity, and humanity. Key trends include 11 design shifts like organic shapes, AI-powered agentic experiences, and hyper-personalization. Design tokens promote consistency and scalability. Micro-interactions enhance usability, while storytelling builds brand trust. Accessibility becomes a core design practice. With tools like Elementor AI, creators design smarter, adaptive websites, emphasizing creativity over routine tasks.
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Best 30 hotel industry trends you must know in 2025
29 October 2025📰 In 2025, the hospitality industry trends are transforming experiences. Personalization takes a leap with hyper-personalization from booking to check-out. Sustainability is key, with eco-friendly practices and local consumption. Digital nomads favor remote work facilities, while smart technology, like keyless entry and smart rooms, is essential. Wellness offerings and health safety measures are priorities. Hotels embrace the changing landscape with concepts like glamping, influencer marketing, and dynamic spaces. These trends aim to create unique, tech-driven, sustainable guest experiences.
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The IT Leader’s New Mandate: Championing the ROI of In-Room Technology
4 September 2025📺 Hotel IT leaders are prioritizing in-room technology as essential, according to a DIRECTV HOSPITALITY survey. Fast, reliable Wi-Fi is the top guest must-have. Kimberly Twiggs emphasizes shifting the view of IT from a cost to an investment. TVs are evolving into digital hubs offering contactless services, guest engagement, and personalization. Ensuring data privacy is crucial, with features like automatic daily credential clearing. Technology enhances guest experiences, balancing digital convenience with personal service.
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WorldVue to Announce WorldVue Compass at HITEC 2025
11 June 2025💻 Hotel Communication Network (HCN) is launching an AI Concierge tablet at HITEC Indianapolis, June 16-19 at the Indiana Convention Center. This ad-supported, human-like AI platform drives revenue for hotels with a subsidized cost model. Integrating with property-management systems, it achieves over 90% usage rates, far surpassing QR codes and apps. With a $11 trillion travel market, this can lead to significant revenue boosts. Opting out of housekeeping saves $15-$30 per room, covering tablet costs.
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First Human-Looking AI Concierge Available on the HCN In-Room Tablet Platform
11 June 2025💻 HCN will showcase its AI Concierge tablet at HITEC Indianapolis on June 16-19 at Booth #2803, Indiana Convention Center. The tablet integrates with hotel systems, offering voice-activated guest services and enabling loyalty program integration. Peer-reviewed research finds guests spend 3.5 hours daily in their rooms, optimizing brand message delivery. HCN’s ad-supported model makes the platform affordable, potentially revenue-sharing with hotels. Opting out of housekeeping saves $15-$30 per room, surpassing tablet costs.
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Call Conversions Still Matter in Hotel Tech
11 June 2025📱 June 16-19, Indianapolis: Hotel Communication Network (HCN) debuts its AI Concierge tablet at HITEC. Guests average 3.5 hours in-room, making tablets a key marketing tool, with 90% usage rates. HCN’s ad-supported model subsidizes costs, offering potential revenue shares for hotels. The platform integrates with existing hotel systems, promoting upsells, cross-sells, and loyalty programs. The global travel market is valued at $11 trillion. HCN offers a fee-paid model for those preferring ad-free solutions, saving $15-$30 per room.
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Hotel Communication Network Acquires Crave Interactive
3 June 2025📄 SalesAndCatering.com partners with Champion Hotels, the largest privately-owned hotel operator in the U.S., to implement STS Cloud for group sales and event management. Champion Hotels, managing over 150 properties, has successfully onboarded 21 locations. The solution enables real-time collaboration and streamlines operations across 21 properties, enhancing decision-making and communication. STS Cloud facilitates lead tracking, booking, and reporting, offering flexibility for the modern hospitality industry.
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Crave Interactive and UrVenue Redefine Luxury with In-Room Booking for Poolside Experiences
1 April 2025📌 UATP, a global payment network, announced HRS as a new merchant, enabling UATP payments for business travelers and groups with HRS’ corporate lodging technology. This partnership marks UATP’s first large-scale hotel acceptance, offering direct access to HRS’ business-travel ready hotels and integrated invoice automation, billing, and reconciliation. Announced one day before UATP’s Airline Distribution® 2025 event in Budapest, the collaboration aims to create an ecosystem for business travel, optimize corporate account holders, and expand UATP’s footprint amidst rising corporate…
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Richtech Robotics debuts robot-run coffee shop in Las Vegas
24 March 2025🤖 Richtech Robotics unveiled Clouffee & Tea, featuring Adam the AI barista, in Las Vegas on Feb. 9. The robotic barista can interact, take orders, and serve milk teas, coffees, and desserts at Town Square shopping Center. Richtech’s president, Matt Casella, emphasized the milestone in leveraging AI for the hospitality industry. Plans for more locations are underway, with Adam already operational since last June at a Ghost Kitchens International site in Dawsonville, Ga.
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6 Social Media Trends Hoteliers Must Leverage in 2025
11 February 2025📱 In 2025, hoteliers leveraging social media trends can boost engagement and direct bookings by focusing on hyperlocal storytelling, short-form video (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts), user-generated content (UGC), micro and nano influencer marketing, evolving culinary and wellness experiences, and virtual tours with AR/VR technologies. Instagram introduces AI-powered content suggestions, TikTok expands its Travel Hub, Threads integrates more with Instagram, and Google enhances AI video search, making it vital for hotels to adapt to these changes for marketing success.
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Crave Interactive Announces Strategic Partnership with Book4Time to Boost Spa Bookings
14 August 2024📝 Hospitality industry faces 70-80% annual employee turnover, with low wages, long hours, and limited growth opportunities as key reasons. Hospitality America is combating this with mentorship programs led by Justin Deyo, Corporate Director of Operations, who has 20 years of experience. Mentoring includes imparting guest interaction protocols and operation best practices, aiming to foster a sense of value among employees. Notable statistics: 90% of workers with mentors are happy in their jobs, mentored employees are five times more likely…
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20 ways to enhance the contact-free hotel experience
18 July 2024This article was written by Mews. Click here to read the original article What is a contact-free hotel? A contact-free hotel uses technology to streamline the guest experience, reducing the need for face-to-face interactions. The goal is to provide a seamless and efficient stay, catering to the growing preference for self-service. Whether through smartphone apps, self-serve kiosks, or other digital tools, the contact-free concept empowers guests to manage their stay independently. While it became a prominent choice during the pandemic,…
