Innovation

🏨 In Marfa, Texas, El Cosmico hotel expands with a 3D-printed addition, using a giant printer to create 43 new hotel units and 18 homes on 16 hectares. Collaboration between owner Liz Lambert, ICON from Austin, and Bjarke Ingels Group, aiming to complete by 2026 with rates of $200-$450 per night. The Vulcan printer measures 15m wide, 5m high, weighs 4.75 tons, and uses Lavacrete for construction.

💻 Starting in 2025, Air France will provide free high-speed Wi-Fi across its fleet through a partnership with Starlink, promising stable and fast connection even in remote areas worldwide. The European first will see passengers enjoy internet browsing, streaming, online gaming, and work "like at home" at 10,000 meters up. The service, accessible to all via Flying Blue, allows multiple devices per traveler. A progressive rollout will commence in summer 2025, including regional planes, with a transition phase offering a free "messages" pass to Flying Blue members.

🛀 High-end hotels are enhancing guest experience through discreet technology in bathrooms, with advanced features like lighting adjustment for different times of the day, anti-fog mirrors, and personalized sound environments. The "Citterio M" mixer faucet at Paris's Hotel Chouchou reduces water consumption by 60%, while providing a gentle sensation on the skin. This innovation serves to differentiate in a competitive market, aiming to attract and retain discerning customers seeking modern luxury.

🚀 "Tech Care Episode 3, focused on travel tech health, was recorded at IFTM Top Resa 2024, discussing the investment crisis in startups with experts Kevin Ha, Viviane Silberstein, and Agustin CEDEÑO. Featuring startup pitches from Fairlyne, Luniwave, and Tadamm, an interview with EuroAirship CEO Marie-Christine BILBOW, and a segment by Hugo Pellegrin on the failure of French train startup Midnight Trains. Available on Spotify.

💰 Mews, a leader in the cloud hospitality sector, secured a $100 million financing from Vista Credit Partners, an affiliate of Vista Equity Partners. The investment aims to fuel Mews' M&A program and cement its market leadership. The travel and tourism industry, worth $15.5 trillion, is rapidly adopting cloud technology. Mews Ventures, the investment arm of Mews, has acquired nine companies to date, and the new funding will further accelerate growth and technological transformation in the hospitality industry. Mews CEO, Matt Welle, highlighted the significance of cloud technology in enhancing guest services.

👀 Mark Zuckerberg revealed Meta's AR glasses "Orion", aiming for a smartphone-free future, on the previous day. Orion, a decade in development, is lightweight (

📱 Tech Care's second episode was recorded at the IFTM Top Resa 2024 salon, featuring a focus on generative AI's value in business. Panelists included executives from IBM Consulting, Explore Grand Est, and SNCF Connect & Tech. The episode also showcased startup pitches from Genial, FullSoon, and Gowwiz, and an interview with ADN Tourisme's new Director General Antoine Angeard on federation transformation, along with Hugo Pellegrin's analysis of tourism technology flops.

📜 Over 90% of French consumers regard reviews, especially Google reviews, as their top decision-making criterion for choosing a company. With 75% of internet users preferring Google as their primary information source for evaluations and 56% consulting a company's website, online reviews are critical in shaping customer experience and purchase decisions. A widget displaying customer reviews on your website not only reassures prospects but also positively impacts local SEO by ensuring information consistency between your Google My Business listing and your website. This boosts the likelihood of improved local search rankings on Google and Google Maps. Guest Suite now aids over 3,000 professionals in automatically showcasing customer ratings and comments, enhancing local visibility.

🏨 Mews, awarded Best PMS 2024 by Hotel Tech Report, now serves over 1,000 establishments in France, making it the country with the most Mews clients. Matt Welle, CEO of Mews, highlighted the significant investments made in France to build experienced teams and meet French hoteliers' specific needs. The client base includes various types such as luxury five-star hotels, budget hotels, city hostels, countryside chateaux, and long-stay specialized establishments.

💰 TripAdmit, an Irish company founded in 2018, secures a $1 million funding round led by Dataop to expand its technology solutions for tour guides in North America and Europe. TripAdmit has developed engagement tools for collecting user feedback and digitizing gratuity payments through NFC and QR Code technologies, also incorporating AI through ChatGPT for user reviews.