Everything happening at Duve, in one place. This hub brings together the latest news and updates around Duve’s guest experience and digital concierge platform for hotels, curated from trusted sources worldwide. A quick way to keep up with personalized guest journey technology.
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Booking.com stopped sharing guest phone numbers with hotel systems on September 28, limiting automated pre-arrival messaging
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30 October 2026🏨 Booking.com stopped sending guest phone numbers to all hotels’ connected systems on September 28, 2026, citing fraud prevention. Numbers remain accessible manually in its Extranet and Pulse app. Automated pre-arrival offers now depend on Booking.com messaging, requiring approved links and registered senders. Since October 1, WhatsApp charges businesses for replies beyond 1,000 free monthly replies per phone number, with rates varying by guest country. No hotel company has disclosed financial losses from Booking.com’s change.
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Accor Announces 23 New Hotel Projects in Dominican Republic, Adding Nearly 6,000 Keys and 9,000 Jobs
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21 October 2026🏨 Accor announces 23 new hotel projects in the Dominican Republic, aiming for 6,000 keys, over 1,000 branded residences, and 9,000 jobs. Agreements were signed in Paris during Dominican Republic Week, October 19-23. Key locations include Miches, Cabo Engaño, and Samaná Bay. Notable developments: Pullman Juan Dolio with a 4,000-seat convention center, and Novotel Punta Cana, opening by 2027. Accor’s expansion reflects growing tourism and economic ties between France and the Dominican Republic.
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Duve’s Digital Guest Experience Platform Increases Hotel RevPAR by 1-2% with Automated Check-Ins and AI-Driven Personalization
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19 October 2026📱 Founded in 2016, Duve focuses on digitizing guest experiences in hospitality. From 2016 to 2019, they catered mainly to holiday rentals, including Check My Guest and Staycation. By 2019, they expanded to hotels, allowing guest check-ins via personal devices. AI integration personalizes journeys, improving RevPAR by 1-2% and boosting online check-ins to 70%. AI automates 75-80% of messages and supports upselling. Duve aims to fully automate personalization, turning impressions into loyalty.
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Photographer Elena Amabili Documents 150 Soviet-Era Hotels Across Eastern Europe in “Socialist Hotels” Monograph
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14 September 2026🏨 Elena Amabili’s new book, “Socialist Hotels,” explores over 150 Soviet-era hotels across former Eastern Bloc countries, including Abkhazia, Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Crimea, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The photographic monograph captures the stasis and architectural ambition of socialist brutalism. Many hotels remain operational, maintaining their original roles as affordable retreats. The book, priced at £28 and published by Fuel Publishing, includes an introduction by Caroline Eden, emphasizing the structures’ historical context.
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UK Hospitality Industry Faces £2.24 Million Annual Cost Due to Fake Tan Stains on 280 Tonnes of Linen
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8 September 2026💦 In 2026, UK hotels discard 25% of linens due to fake tan stains, costing over £2m, up from £1.8m in 2023. Regenex reports that a quarter of treated linens are marked by self-tan. The global self-tan market, valued at £746.3m in 2024, sees a 4.3% annual growth. The UK represents 15.3% of the market. The Textile Services Association notes 2,000 tonnes of linen are discarded yearly, 56% from hospitality.
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IHG Hotels & Resorts Opens voco Amritsar, Its First Premium Hotel in Punjab, Featuring 139 Rooms
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26 June 2026🏨 June 26, 2026, India, Punjab: IHG® Hotels & Resorts opened voco Amritsar, its first premium brand in Punjab. Located near the Golden Temple with connectivity to Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport, it features 139 rooms using recycled materials. The hotel offers diverse dining options, a spa, fitness studio, and a swimming pool. It includes seven indoor venues and two outdoor spaces, with the 8,075 sq. ft. Blossom Ballroom for events.
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Marriott International and Another Star to Open citizenM’s First Marriott Bonvoy Hotel in Washington, D.C. Georgetown in 2026
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9 June 2026📍 Opening June 2026 in Washington, D.C., Marriott International and Another Star will debut citizenM’s third property: citizenM Washington, D.C. Georgetown. The 230-room hotel, designed by Concrete Amsterdam, offers amenities like a canteenM, gym, and fully adjustable room ambiance via iPad. Located near Georgetown University, it is the first citizenM under Marriott Bonvoy. Satya Anand and Lennert de Jong highlight the cultural significance and new experiences for guests in Georgetown.
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Independent 100-Room Hotels Must Adopt Six Specialist Layers for Competitive Commerce Architecture in 2026
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12 May 2026🏨 On May 12, 2026, the article outlines the essential architecture for a 100-room independent hotel to thrive in the agentic commerce era. It highlights six specialist layers: a PMS as a commerce hub, channel managers, revenue management systems, guest CRM, integrated payments, and AI-search readable booking engines. Noteworthy companies include Apaleo, Stayntouch, Lighthouse, SiteMinder, FLYR Hospitality, and RoomPriceGenie. The emphasis is on real-time integrations and avoiding bundled suites, ensuring hotels can adapt swiftly to technological advancements.
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Hospitality tech drew over $1 billion in the last year, with PMS and AI-led platforms capturing biggest share
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13 April 2026LONDON, 13 April 2026 — Hospitality technology startups raised more than $1 billion across 40 companies between April 2025 and March 2026, with property management systems (PMS) and AI-led platforms attracting the largest share of investment, according to the “Abode Worldwide’s Hospitality Tech Investment Index 2026.” These findings point to a market where investor confidence is centred on the core systems hospitality operators use to run their businesses, especially platforms that centralise operations, improve automation, and generate the data foundations needed for AI. That…
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voco Bangkok Surawong: Opening the doors to somewhere different
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12 January 2026📍 IHG Hotels & Resorts opens voco Bangkok Surawong, Thailand’s first voco hotel, renovated by A49 with interior design by P49 Deesign. The hotel offers 244 rooms, a pool, a fitness center, and an onsen spa. Dining includes Tasca Sabio and Deckles Smokehouse. The venue features a ballroom for 200 guests and flexible meeting spaces. Voco hotels, launched in 2018, have grown to 117 properties with 108 more planned. Figures are as of September 30, 2025.
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The All-New Ambros Daytona Marks the Opening of the Florida Coastal Destination’s First-Ever Boutique and Design-Driven Hotel
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12 January 2026🏖️ Ambros Daytona opens January 2026 at Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, featuring 50 rooms and suites, emphasizing minimalism and wellness. Founders Louis S. Caiola, Graham Jones, and Gregory Jones intended to create an upscale, design-driven destination. A 1,200 sq. ft. wellness studio debuts in summer 2025. The hotel offers ocean views, ADA compliance, and pet-friendly rooms under 30 lbs. Located 20 minutes from Daytona Beach Airport, it targets events like the Daytona 500 and Rolex 24.
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Boutique hotel management tips for success
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18 December 2025This article was written by Mews. Click here to read the original article What is a boutique hotel? A boutique hotel is a small (usually 10-100 rooms), stylish property that focuses on delivering a unique guest experience and personalized service. Boutique properties favor distinctive decor and interior design that often reflects the local culture by working with local designers and decorating with local art. Their standout feature is offering highly personalized experiences that go beyond the everyday hotel experience offered…
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Hotel USPs: unique accommodation selling points that work
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21 August 2025📝 Unique accommodation selling points (USPs) differentiate hotels by offering features aligned with brand values and guest expectations. Key benefits include attracting target audiences, justifying premium pricing, improving marketing, and fostering guest loyalty. Essential elements range from eco-friendly design to wellness services and location advantages. Standard amenities like Wi-Fi or breakfast do not qualify as USPs. Effective USPs require strong operational support, including modern hotel management software, to enhance guest experiences and ensure seamless service delivery.
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Hotel chatbots are having a moment – here’s how to make them work for you
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20 August 2025🤖 Chatbots have evolved, now used by over a thousand Mews hotels. With zero connection fees and 1,000+ apps in Mews Marketplace, integration is seamless. New-gen chatbots, enhanced by generative AI, streamline operations, manage guest interactions, and boost revenue. Leading chatbots like Akia, Duve, HiJiffy, and Runnr.ai offer tailored solutions for guest communication, booking management, and upselling. Hotels can initiate chatbot use rapidly by focusing on high-impact areas through Mews Marketplace connections.
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How to run a hotel with fewer staff using Mews
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22 July 2025💻 Hoteliers face staffing challenges due to rising wages and a shrinking talent pool. Mews technology helps hotels optimize operations with fewer staff by automating tasks, enhancing guest interactions, and creating flexible job roles. AI integration improves efficiency in guest communications and revenue management. Automated check-ins can boost online participation to 30% with SMS reminders. Mews tools like kiosks and POS terminals streamline operations, while partnerships like Hotels for Trees promote sustainability, all leading to higher profitability and guest satisfaction.
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10 best practices for great hotel guest services
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16 January 2025This article was written by Mews. Click here to read the original article What are hotel guest services? Hotel guest services include all the amenities your hotel offers to enhance a guest’s stay. This can range from the check-in and check-out process to in-room amenities, concierge services, dining options, and facilities such as pools, spas, and fitness centers. Why are hotel guest services important? Hotel guest services are important because they’re what contribute to creating a long-lasting impression on your…
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Sí Baby-Q food truck opens in Austin, serving Texas barbecue through a South Asian lens
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10 July 2024🔥 New barbecue fusion food truck, Sí Baby-Q, opened in Austin on May 4, featuring a 125-seat patio. Chefs Simone Tong, Matt Hyland, and pitmaster Jonathan Lagos collaborate, offering dishes like mala-spiced pulled lamb shoulder, brisket with Indonesian long pepper, and SXSE smoked chicken using post oak for a milder smoke to complement South Asian spices. Menu also includes sandwiches and creative sides such as queso y pepe and smoked kimchi, alongside beers, seltzers, and sakes.
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Having a committed hotel: examples from Latin America
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16 October 2019This article was written by Amenitiz. Click here to read the original article Table of Contents Environment and society, committed hotels : a win-win bet Betting on a committed hotel is today a winning bet both financially and in terms of reputation. Many hotels in Latin America have made this bet. Turning natural resources into energy : alto atacama – chile Located in the heart of the Alto Atacama Desert in Chile, the hotel of the same name is committed…
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Top 10 Equipment to Be Installed in a Hotel Room
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18 June 2019This article was written by Amenitiz. Click here to read the original article In the past, a hotel was considered a place to spend the night. A bed and a bathroom were enough to satisfy the customers. But today the demands of today’s travellers have changed. A study by the PwC consulting firm reveals that business and leisure travellers alike regard the quality of the room as a decisive criterion when choosing a hotel. As a hotelier, it is necessary…
