OYO parent Prism's GM Agent promises fully autonomous hotel operations, but raises unresolved questions on guest data use, Aadhaar privacy, and accountability as the company pursues a Rs 6,650 crore IPO.
Vietnam's "1+1+34+N" tourism data governance model is held up as a template for the Philippine DOT, arguing that a data ownership framework must precede any AI or chatbot deployment.
Stripe's reported $7B acquisition of OpenRouter, combined with its earlier Metronome buy, creates a vertically integrated AI billing stack that makes model routing costs opaque to operators and demands new cost-tracking disciplines for hospitality.
One year after launch, South Palms Resort and Spa Panglao's 20,000-device IoT infrastructure has run without guest-facing failures, validating the invisible-by-design technology approach.
Hotelogix, a BIR-certified cloud PMS, reports that ~75% of 3–5 star hotels in the Philippines have adopted certified systems as tax compliance becomes a deal-breaker in tech procurement.
Commentary on how China's humanoid combat robots are advancing AI capabilities that could soon revolutionize hotel service operations.
Australian hotels lag in AI readiness despite growing demand, but can succeed by partnering with tech experts rather than building in-house expertise.
The article focuses on predictive analytics and machine learning applications for demand forecasting and competitor analysis, with Australian hotels reporting 15% booking increases for July-August.
The author reflects on AI applications while attending the CX Malaysia conference as a keynote speaker.
In the dynamic landscape of India's travel and tourism industry, 2023 marks a year recovery. This is the key finding of the inaugural Indian Accommodation Barometer – a joint project between Booking.com and Statista.
The term "collaborative innovation" is quite often associated with the fields of technology development or software development, where companies prioritize innovation to succeed and stay ahead of the competition, even encouraging collaboration with people and organizations outside the company. As Bill Joy, Cofounder of Sun Microsystems, once said, ‘No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else’. The point is that even marquee organizations organize open competitions from time to time to find solutions to their challenges.
About 18 years back I was visiting a very dear friend in Perth, Australia - Joyce P. Westrip. She is an acclaimed author, a Year 2000 Order of Australia Medal (OAM) awardee, a veritable Indophile and an unofficial ambassador for diverse arts and cultures, including being a patron and benefactor of several significant cultural bodies.
Pre-COVID, the hospitality sector had successfully adopted technology at the first point of customer contact with increasing number of bookings being done online. However, technology adoption during the other phases of the customer journey was still lagging as hotel rooms followed the standard practices using nearly defunct tech in rooms. The situation, however, changed drastically during the COVID era when tech features, such as keyless check-in and digital menus, that were once considered as luxuries suddenly became necessities for hotels to remain relevant.
Throughout the world, organizations are undergoing seismic shifts in their travel programs as they respond to technological advances, developments in the supply chain and evolving traveler expectations.
This Hotel Yearbook 2020 China Special Edition - 酒店旅遊創新年鑒 中國特輯 was produced for HFTP, coinciding with CHTA Connecting Travellers Conference - 未来旅行者大会 2019 which took place from May 28-30 in Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview. 100+ innovative companies, nearly 2000 attendees from China local and global well-known hotel management groups, capitalists (owners & ventures), airlines, OTAs, scenic spots and etc. are expected to be here. And more than 100 Chinese and Western C level cross-border top leadership will get together to share their most innovative thoughts.
At the recent, CHAT 2018 (China Hotel and Tourism Forum) in Shanghai, Kevin King, COO of Shiji, was invited to deliver a keynote speech on "Hotel Operation Technology". As one of the largest hospitality conferences in China, CHAT aims to explore new ideas for hospitality industry future development with trade professionals.
Just a few short weeks ago, the latest jewel in the crown for Macau's City of Dreams (COD), threw open its doors with all the glamour and glitz one would expect from this Zaha Hadid - designed superstructure - named MORPHEUS.
In the summer of 2015 the owners of a Japanese theme park called Huis Ten Bosch opened the first ever robot hotel. The reason to build a high-tech hotel is simple, according to Kataro Takada, head of corporate planning at Huis Ten Bosch: "Japanese society is aging rapidly. All over the world, this is an issue, but the issue is more pressing in Japan. It has led to a worrying lack of workers in the hotel industry. If we don't come up with solutions, the future of the hotel industry is at risk." This is particularly true for Japan, considering the number of tourists has doubled from 2015 to 2016.
When we think about emerging economies China tends to be top of mind. But, while it represents a significant opportunity for hotels, there are other countries out there that have also been growing rapidly and should not be overlooked. As part of its recent Emerging Consumer Survey 2015, Credit Suisse highlighted the countries, as well as China, with a new segment of the population which now has the means and the desire to travel.
The tumultuous years of conflict are now behind the Sri Lankan tourism and hospitality industry. Since 2009, the $400 million tourism industry has picked up and will soon revisit its days of glory. With projected growth in the industry high, technology will be a key asset as hotels prepare to tackle increasing demand while enhancing operational efficiency. Until recently, only hotel chains and large hotels leveraged technology. As technology gets more affordable and the sector matures, hotels, from small and standalone to chain and boutique should leverage technology to book guests, personalize their stay and get insights into guest requirements for future visits.