Innovation

🏨 "Interihotel MAD24, the exclusive event for Hotel Design, will take place from November 19-21, 2024, in Madrid, Spain. Themed "Supernova, catalyzing the design of hospitality," it will gather Prescribers, Clients, and Brands for Conferences, Debates, Exhibition Spaces, and Experimental Areas like the Concept Rooms Lab, the Xperience Lab & the Materials Lab. Organized by the Cluster AMBIT Living Spaces, it's a key meeting for European architecture and interior design experts.

🌏 Madrid launched VisitMadridGPT in April, a virtual assistant speaking 95 languages, operating 24/7, based on generative AI, sourcing data from esMADRID.com, to improve visitor experience and tourism offerings. Director of Marketing, Abigail Sigüenza, stated data from visitor interactions, such as keywords, shape marketing strategies. Analysis shows 45% of conversations revolve around food, with "restaurant," "tapas," and "vegetarian" common, leading to an increased focus on vegetarian options in the city's marketing campaigns.

📱 43% of the global population, amounting to 3.45 billion people, still do not use mobile internet, as per GSMA's "State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024" report. Although mobile internet usage is increasing yearly, growth has slowed down, with 160 million new users last year compared to over 200 million annually from 2015 to 2021. The report, funded by the UK's FCDO and Sweden's Sida through GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation, also states that 57% (4.6 billion) now use mobile internet, while 4% (350 million) live outside mobile network coverage areas.

🎭 Paris welcomed 38 million tourists in 2023, with cultural sites in the Grand Paris area seeing an increase in visitors compared to 2022. In 2023, 68 cultural sites amassed 50.9 million visitors, a 12.3% hike from 2022. The Louvre led with 8.8 million (+12.9% from 2022), followed by the Eiffel Tower with 6.3 million (+3.1%), and the Musée d’Orsay.

🏨 Premier Inn, the UK's largest hotel brand, now offers over 900 hotels and 85,000 rooms in the UK and Ireland, plus 10,500 rooms in Germany, through the Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS). This new distribution agreement with Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology provider for the global travel industry, enables worldwide travel buyers to book Premier Inn properties seamlessly alongside other travel components, streamlining the booking process and enhancing the overall travel experience.

💻 Thaïs PMS, a hotel property management system (PMS), underwent a complete redesign to avoid technological debt, boost its evolvability, improve user experience for hoteliers, and make the PMS more intuitive and less central to daily tasks. The development took 8 months and embraced technologies of 2024, offering regular updates every 2 weeks, with a focus on easing daily routines for various hotel roles. The team has a 10-year track record of accumulating features and now aims to make the software more fluid and supportive for hotel staff.

💾 Thaïs unveiled its new cloud-based PMS after 8 months of development, building on over 10 years of experience. The upgrade considers various hotel roles for enhanced daily operations, like receptionists' dashboard tasks. The 2024-tech-based platform promises easier and faster updates, aiming to continuously meet hoteliers' and their clients' needs.

🚀 GuestDiary.fr introduces automatic payments (Version 1.0) on December 1st, charging credit cards at a set time (e.g., 02:00) for same-day arrivals, tailored for simple accommodations but may need adjustments for larger properties, requires a Stripe account. Booking Engine 2.0 launches January 1, 2025, with a streamlined interface similar to market-leading OTAs and a potential 2%-3% conversion rate increase. A color-coded "calendar" for self-service properties is included. On the same day, they will also release a new billing feature allowing room-level invoicing with smoother, intuitive navigation while maintaining effectiveness.

🏨 Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) announces the relaunch of its global loyalty program, MyMillennium, featuring three new membership tiers: Classic, Silver, and Prestige. Members gain access to personalized experiences, exclusive rates, and enhanced rewards for stays, dining, and more. The program spans across global properties including The Biltmore Mayfair in London, The Biltmore Los Angeles, and the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore, offering simplified MyPoints accumulation and redemption for both leisure and business travelers.

🛏 Room service, a key offering in modern hotels, ensures guest satisfaction and can generate additional revenue. It includes meal and beverage delivery directly to guest rooms, catering to various dietary needs like vegetarian and gluten-free options. Advanced hotels offer 24/7 service, with orders placed via in-room phones, mobile apps, or interactive TV systems. Despite its popularity, room service presents logistical and cost challenges, such as labor expenses, dedicated kitchen space, and sustainable packaging solutions. Hotels balance these with strategies like limited service hours or local partnerships to optimize costs. Room service contributes to a hotel's competitive edge, customer loyalty, and profitability when managed effectively.