Innovation

🎥 Studio Sandora unveiled "Napoléon, L’Épopée Immersive," a virtual reality experience, to premiere globally in 2025 across France and Belgium. Celebrating 220 years since Napoléon Ier's coronation, this 27-minute interactive walk-through allows up to 10 visitors at a time, equipped with HTC Vive Focus 3 headsets, to traverse a 60 m² space, reliving Napoléon's key life events. The experience includes dialogue with an AI-generated Napoléon avatar and will debut in Brussels in February, followed by Lille in March and Paris in the latter half of the year.

✈️ In 2024, airline IT spending will drop to approximately $39 billion, a 21% decrease from $50 billion in 2019. IT investments have fallen from 5% of revenues pre-pandemic to 4% today. Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 17,000 flights in December 2022 due to outdated systems, while Delta Air Lines canceled 7,000 flights in 2023, incurring $500 million in losses due to a software update failure. Airports, in contrast, increased IT spending to $10.8 billion in 2023, representing 8% of their revenues. A McKinsey report suggests IT transformation could generate an additional $45 billion in EBITDA for the industry by 2030.

💾 Mews, a cloud solution provider, has over 1,650 establishments using its Mews Spaces platform. The integrated software has enabled hotels to generate over €300 million in additional revenue. Over 1 million bookings for offices, co-working spaces, day beds, parking, and meeting rooms have been made since Mews Spaces launched. Approximately €100 million of the revenue comes from extended stay bookings, highlighting the growing market for such services. Mews' CEO, Matthijs Welle, emphasizes the platform's capacity to manage diverse hotel services and increase profitability.

🏨 Staycation, founded in 2017 by Mathieu Dugast, Kevin Hutchings, and Mathieu Ecollan, boasts 3.5 million users and over 2000 hotel partners. With 1.8 million app downloads, the startup redefines hotels as entertainment venues for a young, urban clientele, offering more than 2000 experiences, including private pool sessions and mixology classes. Staycation is expanding across Europe, reinventing how city dwellers view and utilize hotels.

🚗 BlaBlaCar launched Zen, an app for short to medium rides (30-100 km), promising flexible schedules and door-to-door service, but at higher prices than its regular platform—around €0.60 per km. Zen was tested in areas like Morbihan Gulf and Grenoble, now available in 10 French territories. It targets 80% of routes without public transport alternatives, indirectly competes with taxis and VTCs, and excludes daily commutes. Part of BlaBlaCar's strategy to capture the local trips market, a third of France's mobility.

💾 Booking.com and HotelTechReport.com have teamed up to launch AI Tech Stack Advisor, aiming to accelerate the digital transformation of hoteliers. Utilizing AI Generative technology, the tool offers personalized recommendations based on the hotel's current tech infrastructure and specific needs. It leverages HotelTechReport's extensive data to suggest impactful technologies, from channel management to CRM tools. Hoteliers can also directly contact potential technology providers, aiding informed decision-making.

📱 A Google study revealed that 75% of users prioritize website loading speed over visual appeal, highlighting its significance for hotel websites in the digital age. Fast loading is essential for accommodating global travelers and ensuring successful direct bookings. ????

📧 Hôteliers struggle to maintain brand identity across communication channels, particularly when third-party tools like OTAs and PMSs are involved. Booking.com's standardized confirmation emails exemplify this issue. Two recommended strategies to personalize guest engagement include training staff to request personal emails at check-in and integrating a link to the hotel’s guest app in OTA confirmation emails to gather guests' real contact information. Emphasizing brand consistency across all messages is essential, and tools like CRM Bowo can help customize emails with the hotel's visual identity.

📊 Luis Maroto, CEO of Amadeus, discussed the company's partnership with Microsoft, AI advancements, and cloud migration, emphasizing openness to collaborating with other firms including European entities. Despite major travel technology investments by OTAs, Amadeus faces competition across various segments but maintains a unique position covering the entire value chain. Google, with significant resources, could be a potential competitor, yet Amadeus's specialization in B2B gives it an edge. Acquisitions by tech giants remain a possibility, aligning with their strategies.

🚧 Effective March 6, 2024, the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) imposes strict rules on major digital platforms to combat anti-competitive practices. Google is testing service adjustments in European countries like Germany, Belgium, and Estonia, affecting local search results, especially for hotels, by temporarily removing features such as Google Local Pack. Google expresses reluctance but aims to comply with the DMA, acknowledging the downside for consumers and European businesses. Hotels face new challenges in visibility without the Local Pack, necessitating increased SEO and alternative platform presence.