In May 2024, the European Union designated Booking.com as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a move intended to usher in fairer practices and transparency within the digital marketplace. The goal was to address concerns about data sharing, pricing transparency, and the platform’s dominant position over hotel partners. However, nearly half a year down the line, progress has been slower than anticipated, leaving hotels still grappling with many of the same challenges.
RateGain Recognized as a Preferred Partner by Trip.com
Noida, 17th September 2024: RateGain Travel Technologies Limited (RateGain), a leading provider of AI-powered SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality, has been recognized as a Preferred Partner by Trip.com, one of the largest OTAs of the world. This recognition, awarded during Trip.com Group’s Envision 2024 Global Partner Conference in Shanghai, is a testament to the strong relationship between the two companies. RateGain’s decade-long collaboration with Trip.com is specifically designed to help hotels in Asia tap into new markets and attract emerging demand, a critical challenge hoteliers face today.
The UN Pact For The Future – And Its Impact On The Hospitality Sector
The UN just introduced its Pact for the Future, and we examine [with the help of ai] its potential impact on the hospitality sector, primarily through its focus on sustainable development, climate action, technological innovation, and social inclusivity. Here’s an analysis of how various elements of the pact could affect the industry:
Counting the Cost: How Much Are Guests Willing to Pay for Contactless Hotel Services?
“Contactless service is being widely adopted by the hotel industry”, explain the researchers, “to provide the safest possible experience while maintaining good service quality”. By deploying contactless technologies at every stage of the customer journey, hotels can remove the need for physical contact from all major hospitality service encounters.
World’s first 3D-printed hotel takes shape in Texas
El Cosmico, a hotel and campground in Marfa, Texas, is expanding with the world’s first 3D-printed hotel, using cutting-edge technology from Austin-based ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group. The project includes 43 new hotel units and 18 residential homes, all built using ICON’s massive Vulcan 3D printer, which extrudes a special cement-based material called Lavacrete. El Cosmico’s owner, Liz Lambert, highlights the creative freedom this process allows, enabling the construction of unique architectural elements like curves and domes, which would be costly with traditional methods. The technology also adapts to weather conditions, ensuring durability and scalability for the project.
Invest in Our Future: Building a Sustainable and Inclusive Industry
The theme for the Future Hospitality Summit – FHS World 2024, taking place from 30 September -2 October at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai is ‘Invest in Our Future’. The conference programme will comprise numerous content tracks under the main theme including Investment & Development;, Destination & Urban Development; People, Planet, Profit; Tech & Innovation; and Real Estate Hotelisation. In the lead up to the event we asked several industry partners about how they’re investing in the future in 2024 and beyond.
Why Hotels Must Rethink Their Black Friday Strategy to Stand Out from OTAs
As Black Friday has evolved from a single-day sales event into an extended period of promotions, hotels face new challenges in distinguishing themselves from the overwhelming presence of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). Research conducted by three&six into 2023’s Black Friday trends highlights the growing importance for hotels to strategically differentiate their offers from OTAs and leverage their unique strengths. While OTAs will undoubtedly offer substantial discounts, hotels have opportunities that OTAs can’t match, particularly when it comes to appealing directly to their own audience.
IHG Leads Business Travel Decarbonization Discussion at Climate Week NYC
IHG Hotels & Resorts and the GBTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), brought together some of travel’s biggest sustainability leaders yesterday during 2024 Climate Week NYC to spark dialogue about the decarbonization of business travel. In collaboration with co-hosts IDEO, Accenture, American Express Global Business Travel, Delta Air Lines and Hertz, the event challenged attendees to explore tensions and collaborative approaches inherent in balancing the necessity of business travel with the imperative to reduce carbon emissions.
How Innovative Business Models in Gastronomy lead to social impact
The gastronomic industry is undergoing a revolution, as entrepreneurs redefine how food businesses operate by intertwining culinary art with social impact. Instead of merely serving delicious meals, pioneers like The Melting Pot Foundation, Thought for Food, and Comida para Todos have transformed restaurants and food systems into platforms for community empowerment, social responsibility, and innovation. We had the pleasure to host the entrepreneurs behind these ventures for a panel discussion at EHL Hospitality Business School and they demonstrated that food businesses can be more than profit-driven; they can become vehicles for meaningful change.
AI in Hospitality: The Future is Now, Not “If,” but “When”
The hospitality industry, like many others, stands at the threshold of a significant transformation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s becoming a reality that hotels must embrace to stay competitive.