Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy is now testing a search with AI tool that will match travelers with the perfect home and destination based on a natural language search describing their desired vacation. This next gen search will take travelers’ own preferences and offer a curated list of properties from the 140,000 available properties on the Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy platform.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Questex announced today that registration is now open for this year’s The Hospitality Show (The Show), which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, from Oct. 28-30 at the Henry B. González Convention Center.
Speaking at ITB Berlin 2024 Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings, revealed himself to be a major supporter of the use of artificial intelligence. At the Future Tracks section of the Convention he outlined his vision for the use of artificial intelligence in tourism under the heading of “Leadership, Innovation and the Future of Travel”: ”Back in the day my parents would go to a travel agency, where their interests were already known, and where they could be presented with suitable offers. If any problems occurred during the journey the travel agency was their point of contact.” And that is precisely what GenAI (generative artificial intelligence) can provide, but even more comprehensively because of the increased volume of data that is available.
UN Tourism and the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) have launched a new report highlighting the need to measure the social and environmental impact of tourism on urban destinations.
According to Charuta Fadnis of Phocuswright on Tuesday at ITB Berlin, the use of AI by agents and personalised travel apps is an important future trend.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's leading lodging franchisors, kicks off "Mastery 2024" today, an annual week-long tech innovation summit where more than 500 company technologists come together at Choice's Scottsdale, Arizona offices to learn and drive innovation through a series of gamified trainings and workshops that culminate in a 48-hour make-a-thon. In the make-a-thon, Choice associates ideate and build new software products leveraging advanced technology to drive profitability and value for the company and Choice hotel owners. During Mastery 2024, tech teams will develop solutions to speed up and improve the hotel onboarding process, measure and visualize a property's environmental footprint, improve the customer service experience, and more. At the end of each make-a-thon, teams will present their new products to a committee of Choice executives, with winners receiving cash prizes and the chance to have their ideas continue to be refined and deployed across the organization.
The application of technology in the travel industry has become the main driver of growth over the course of the last 20 years. As the free movement of labor and goods becomes the norm, the need for easier and faster ways of travel has emerged. Travel technologies came into play around this time with the introduction of global distribution channels, various online payment systems, and booking engines. Apart from that, many B2B innovations brought better tools and products for businesses to analyze, optimize, and adapt according to the needs of the market.
More than 120 entrepreneurs from nearly 70 countries around the World have presented their projects in the competition for startups focused on technologies and solutions in tourism for hotels and new business models created by UN Tourism and promoted by Infecar. The challenge, which serves to identify entrepreneurs in the sector, has culminated its edition with the election of ten finalists from around the world and two winners, the startups Twistic and WeavAIR.
The newest episode of a podcast hosted by Entrepreneurship at Cornell, Startup Cornell, features Harman Singh Narula ‘09, co-founder and CEO of Canary Technologies, a hotel technology company. Canary provides a host of guest-facing operations technologies to thousands of hotels across the globe. They provide everything from mobile check-In to digital tipping.
Keeping up with the latest developments and issues in hotel distribution is essential as it changes. In December, HSMAI hosted a virtual distribution executive roundtable. Industry leaders gathered for a discussion that offered valuable perspectives on the state of distribution. Read on for the key takeaways from the discussion.
Late check-out request. Extra pillows. Wine glasses. Replacement toothbrush. Just send a text. To support the growing need for frictionless travel and introduce easier ways for guests to engage with hotel teams, Hilton is expanding its mobile messaging platform to its more than 7,000 Hilton properties worldwide by the end of 2024. The system, developed in partnership with Kipsu, the industry-leader in real-time engagement, will enable messaging via the Hilton Honors app, SMS, WhatsApp and other messaging channels.
The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted the hospitality industry into a more digitised future. Coupled with the vast social changes and prominent safety concerns, this wave of technological innovation could transform the hospitality workforce, according to Professor Seongseop (Sam) Kim of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and co-authors. Service robots could solve many of the safety concerns felt to this day, but how are they perceived by customers? To probe these issues in more depth, the researchers investigated how feelings of safety and the intention to visit an establishment are shaped by the presence of robot baristas, as well as the influence of vaccination status and mask-wearing.
Forward-looking ideas for the travel industry: under the new heading ’Take Travel Technology to the next Level. Together.’, the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show is giving innovative Travel Technology solutions its biggest platform to date. Providers from over 30 countries are represented in a total of five halls, while the popular eTravel Stage will again be a magnet with an impressive programme of panels, keynote speeches and lectures.
Major new reports from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Microsoft highlight the transformative power of AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Travel & Tourism, marking a commitment to a digital future with unparalleled customer experiences.
Today, Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) announced the closure of its last data center, making it the first hotel company to migrate its entire system infrastructure to the cloud. Now fully on Amazon Web Services (AWS), the move to the cloud enables Choice to respond to real-time market conditions and provides the company with a flexible, resilient, and scalable platform that benefits owners and operators within the Choice system. Being on the cloud enables Choice to update its hotel-facing operations and management tools more efficiently and more completely layer in the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other cloud technologies to help hotel owners drive profitability and enhance the guest experience.
Total international visitor arrivals to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) are forecasted to recover to the pre-pandemic level at close to 130 million by the end of 2024, and the total number of inbound visitor arrivals to Hong Kong to recover to the 2018 level of 65 million by 2025. These are some of the findings released by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today at the launch of a new forecasting platform under the project entitled The Development of an Automated and Self-Adaptive Tourism Demand Forecasting Platform for the Greater Bay Area (GBA-TDFP).
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) announced the launch of the Global Technology 100 (T100), a group of the world’s best and brightest hospitality technology leaders that will advise the hotel industry on leveraging the latest technology to better serve guests and maximize profitability.
BLLA announces its exclusive Roundtable discussion and Summit being held Sunday, January 21, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles at the Redbird owned by Chef Neal Fraser who's Fraser’s flagship restaurant features Modern American cuisine that is refined yet approachable and highlights the multi-cultural influences of Fraser’s native city – Los Angeles.BLLA Events continuously evolves and the smaller, more intimate events are a beloved part of the organization, per the feedback from attendees. We are thrilled to welcome guests to the Hotel Technology & Innovation Summit, set in the vibrant heart of Downtown Los Angeles with keynote speaker, Vaughn Davis, CEO of Relevant Hospitality. This isn't just another conference; it's a nexus for the most brilliant minds in the hospitality industry.Why Attend?🚀 Meet the Disruptors: Connect with a small, hand-picked group of innovators and industry disruptors. You'll be in the company of those who are redefining the future of hospitality.🤝 Intimate & Impactful: We believe in quality over quantity. Our event is designed to be intimate, fostering organic relationships and meaningful dialogues that invoke radical change.💡 Innovative Ideas, Real Solutions: Dive into sessions that challenge the status quo. Be part of discussions that turn revolutionary ideas into real-world solutions.📍 Right People, Right Place, Right Time: This is where the magic happens. The right conversation at the right moment can spark a transformation in your business and career.Details:Date: This Sunday, January 21Venue: Downtown Los AngelesDress Code: Business CasualSpots are limited, as we aim to keep this event as exclusive and engaging as possible. Reserve your seat now and be part of the revolution in hotel technology and innovation.Register NowLooking forward to welcoming you!
After a successful first edition last year, the Asian IR Expo proudly announces its return to The Venetian Macao, Macau SAR from June 4-6, 2024. As the event prepares for the industry gathering, it extends a warm welcome to ambitious companies to present their innovation and expertise.
In the dynamic world of hospitality, efficiency and guest satisfaction are paramount. As hotels strive to enhance their operations and provide exceptional experiences, the role of technology becomes increasingly dynamic. One such technologies that is revolutionized the industry is the Hotel Property Management System.