Technological advances, surging investments and the competition for talent are all working toward one thing: In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) will start to fundamentally change how business gets done. It will impact how companies grow revenue, conduct everyday operations, engage customers and employees, build new business models, and more.
In November, Airbnb acquired a stealth AI firm launched by Siri’s co-founder, called GamePlanner.AI. The deal valued the secretive startup at around $200 million, according to reports. Though the hosting company didn’t telegraph its plans for GamePlanner at the time, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky today shared a high-level overview of Airbnb’s larger plans for AI, saying that it planned to accel at the “application layer” of AI, building one of the “most innovative AI interfaces ever created.”
Planning your holiday adventures according to your star sign, known as astrological travel, may seem a little quirky, but its popularity is growing by leaps and bounds. Wanting to capitalize on this trend, Moxy Hotels, an experimental brand that is part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio known for breaking the rules of the traditional hotel stay to give guests a playful yet stylish experience, has teamed up with Sanctuary, a community of astrology readers. The result? Today’s travelers are given the opportunity to take trips that are literally written in the stars.
When Kim Bennett founded her travel company, AtlasGuru, the idea was that travelers could plan vacations themselves with the help of recommendations from a community of well-versed travelers. It was 2019.
From the moment a traveler starts planning their trip until they check out of their accommodation, technology is woven into the guest experience, be it from searching for prices and booking online to contactless check-ins, AI-powered concierges and mobile payments. This creates a more efficient, personalized and memorable journey for guests.
In a comprehensive article at Hospitality Technology about what’s needed from a technological standpoint to make attribute-based shopping (ABS) a reality for hotel properties and brands, Adam was quoted about some of the cultural and process changes that need to take place.
Our November events in Long Beach confirmed that we must address AI in hospitality. Curate 2023: Demystifying AI aimed to do just that. Read our session recaps offering key insights and thought-provoking highlights from the innovative discussions and transformative ideas that emerged from this stimulating day.
As the concept of micro apartments takes hold across the world—thanks, in part, to social media—it’s no surprise that micro hotels are starting to catch the attention of travelers too. Though they’re all designed with small footprints, they don’t all have the same goal. Some look to offer jet-setters a cost-efficient, comfortable option in notoriously pricey destinations, while others look to create a unique accommodation experience that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Below, AD visits five micro hotels that offer some of the smallest hotel rooms in the world available for booking.
Being resilient by design is critical for both survival and for strategic advantage in an era where disruption is the norm. From a pandemic, war and cost of living crisis to extreme weather events, supply chain challenges and cyber attacks, the threats we all face are more frequent and complex than ever before.
Google’s new chatbot could simplify travel planning for people around the world. During the Google I/O 2023 conference in May, the tech giant announced it would soon add extensions to Bard. One of two Google chatbots in development, the new Bard advancements could surpass the capabilities of both ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing Chat, according to TechRadar.
The number of people visiting AI chatbot ChatGPT’s website and downloading its app fell for the first time since its launch in November, a sign that consumer interest in artificial intelligence chatbots and image-generators may be beginning to wane.
Accor held a day of presentations for investors on June 27, and I wrote a piece covering 7 top slides from it. Today I want to highlight the most notable 20 minutes of the six hours of talks.
We’ve seen the flood of LinkedIn posts and professionals making confident proclamations about the future of AI. Truth is, this is a stage of learning, observing, and asking a lot of questions. There is not a lot of certainty, which means it is a fruitful time for travel brands to experiment and see what sticks.
With 126 hotels opening this year in Asia Pacific, you could say Hilton is growing at its fastest in the region, although Ben George, APAC SVP & commercial director, concedes, not as fast as generative AI is developing.
Uber customers in the United Kingdom will soon be able to book flights directly through the app thanks to the latest travel feature the company has added beyond rides.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky often says he doesn't see his company as a direct competitor to the hotel industry, but he does believe his company is poised to deliver some traditional hotel amenities in ways that are better and cheaper.
American Airlines' removal of many discount fares from legacy GDSs early last month caused a commotion in the travel industry that is only now beginning to die down.
Imagine you’re about to embark on a business trip to New York City. You want to book a hotel near the company office in Midtown. You search for hotels within your desired radius and price range, and hundreds of options appear. This should be a piece of cake.
ChatGPT hasn’t even been with us five months, yet you’d be excused for thinking it’s everywhere.
Technology for the hospitality industry should be all about “hardwiring happiness,” according to a senior industry figure.