Innovation

🏠 Wander, the luxury short-term rental platform, secured $50 million in Series B funding in May 2025. The American startup, founded by John Andrew Entwistle in 2021, plans to enhance global expansion and its AI-driven WanderOS system. Key investors include QED Investors and Fifth Wall. With over 1,000 properties, Wander aims to tap into a vast market of 300,000 suitable homes worldwide, following previous rounds raising $20 million in 2022 and $7 million in 2021.

💻 HiJiffy a lancé Aplysia 3, un chatbot RAG pour les hôtels. Les équipes hôtelières peuvent rapidement intégrer des données grâce à deux documents : un pour la marque et un pour chaque établissement. Aplysia 3 fournit des réponses en temps réel, s'adaptant aux demandes spécifiques comme les horaires de restaurant. Ce chatbot automatisé réduit le travail du personnel, avec un tableau de bord pour suivre les performances. Disponible sans frais supplémentaires pour les clients HiJiffy.

🚀 Les taxis volants, testés dans plusieurs métropoles mondiales, pourraient révolutionner la mobilité urbaine. Ces véhicules futuristes promettent de mettre fin aux embouteillages et aux longs trajets stressants, tout en offrant une solution potentielle pour décarboner les transports urbains.

🏫 Noisiel, 28 May 2025: Luxury Hotelschool Paris announces a third campus opening at the historic Chocolaterie Menier, Noisiel, Seine-et-Marne. By 2028, "La Cité du Goût" will welcome international students, career changers, and experts. Located in the former chocolate packaging building (1,200 m²), it features classrooms and practical spaces, promoting immersive education. Director Olivier Deveaud highlights its innovative training offer. Linkcity leads the transformation into a vibrant living district.

🛫 Theta Travel Tech, led by CEO Cyril Guiraud, will deploy AI integration in travel agency reservation systems starting June 2025. The initiative aims to enhance agent training and boost conversion rates. AI will function as an overlay in existing tools, facilitating natural language queries and offering travel options scored for relevance. Discussions are ongoing with a Latin American agency network for a potential white-label launch. The use of generic LLMs and specialized travel SLMs supports data-driven decisions.

✈️ Malaysia Airlines expands its partnership with Google, initially formed in 2024, focusing on AI and data-driven marketing. A joint business plan includes a YouTube communication strategy targeting the UK, Oceania, Japan, and Southeast Asia. At the MATTA fair, they showcased an interactive cabin using Google's Veo technology. As part of Visit Malaysia 2026, Malaysia Airlines aims to enhance customer interactions and position Malaysia as a leading aviation and tourism hub.

🗺️ Ray Chen, CEO of Vacations at Trip.com Group, spoke at Envision 2025 in Shanghai about integrating AI into the travel process. Notably, AI boosts conversion rates by 3%, automates 80% of customer service requests, and reduces labor costs by 60%. The precision of AI-fueled feedback analysis reaches 95%. The company's Net Promoter Score rose by 21% in 2024. Trip.com operates in over 150 countries, collaborating with 6,000 travel agencies.

📅 Mirai boosts hotel direct bookings with a new engine. When? 2025. How? Aims for 56% conversion increase for multi-room searches. What? Multi-room bookings form 9% of bookings and 18% of revenue. Engine features guided navigation, summary cart, quick edits, and a calendar for lowest rates. Offers alternative dates and group suggestions for unavailable rooms, reclaiming 0.6% more bookings. Who? Independent hotels and chains benefit. Where? Integrated directly with hotel domains.

📈 In 2025, 65% of tourist searches will be AI-driven, while 81% of people aged 18-35 prefer vocal or conversational searches. Console SecretBox's integrated AI helps the hospitality industry optimize and personalize offers, saving time and boosting sales of gift boxes, stays, and dining packages. This tool provides automatic descriptions, SEO optimization, and seasonal suggestions, effectively transforming business strategies and enhancing visibility for hotels, restaurants, and spas.

📦 Cathay Pacific, as of May 2025, allows passengers to share Apple AirTags' location data with staff to track lost baggage. Passengers with Apple devices running iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, or macOS 15.2 can generate a shareable link via the "Find My" app. This encrypted link aids airport staff in returning delayed or lost luggage within seven days. This innovative approach aligns with similar protocols by Lufthansa and United, highlighting a growing trend in the airline industry.