Hotel Tech Update Your Update on Hotel Tech, Daily!

January, 2020

• 27 January

  Accor to eliminate single-use plastics

  

  Accor has committed to eliminating all single-use plastics which formed part of the guest experience by 2022. The move followed a range of commitments by other hotel groups over the past year, with varying degrees of action. Accor said that it would join the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative led by …

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• 27 January

  Seismic Shifts In The Air

  

  The platforms of business for the commercial airline industry are encountering seismic shifts, but the airlines are meeting these new challenges, said speakers at the recent IMPACT Sustainability Travel and Tourism conference reports western Canada editor, Ted Davis who was on hand to cover the event in Victoria last week. …

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• 24 January

  IHG pilots AR, VR event-planning program

  

  InterContinental Hotels Group has collaborated with Accenture and Qualcomm Technologies to pilot a program that uses augmented and virtual reality as part of the event-planning experience. Developed by the Accenture Extended Reality practice in collaboration with Qualcomm, the XR Event Planner places event planners, buyers and hotel sales staff in a virtual reconstruction …

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• 24 January

  Accor, Sabre to create unified technology platform

  

  Accor and Sabre intend to create the first unified central-reservation and property-management platform for the global hospitality industry, according to the companies. Through collaboration, the companies plan to develop a new full-service property-management capability and enrich Sabre’s existing central-reservation and limited-service property-management systems. These capabilities will combine within a new unified …

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• 24 January

  What Hotels Need to Know: the ADA and Service Animals

  The ADA and Service Animals – Don’t Horse Around – By Martin H. Orlick Just when you think you’ve seen it all, imagine your astonishment when boarding the train for your morning commute to find you’re sharing the ride with a miniature horse. That’s exactly what happened to some passengers …

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• 24 January

  Making hotel spas profit centers starts with careful planning

  

  Last year, hotel spas in the United States notched 72.8 percent occupancy and grew average daily rate 3.5 percent to $287.45, according to the 2019 edition of CBRE’s “Trends in the Hotel Spa Industry” report. And while hotel spas grew total revenue 4.8 percent, labor costs were in hot pursuit, …

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• 24 January

  Wyndham Named Top Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality

  

  PARSIPPANY, NJ — Wyndham Hotels & Resorts received a perfect score on the 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmark survey and report on practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality, administrated by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.  “At Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, we’re committed to creating an inclusive work …

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• 24 January

  IHG Announces Two Senior Marketing Appointments

  

  Photo Courtesy: IHG ATLANTA — InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the appointment of two senior marketing executives.  Heather Balsley has been named senior vice-president, Global Loyalty & Partnerships and Jennifer Gribble has been named senior vice-president, Global Marketing, Mainstream Brands.  “Heather and Jennifer’s appointments are critical to IHG’s growth as …

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• 24 January

  OYO Hotels & Homes Selects Sabre As Its Long-Term Strategic Partner

  

  Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), the leading technology provider to the global travel industry, has signed a strategic long-term global partnership with OYO Hotels & Homes. With this partnership, OYO will be connected to almost 900,000 travel agents globally, through the GDS connectivity solution powered by Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ innovative SynXis …

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• 24 January

  Fairmont Launches Global Partnership with Montreux Jazz Festival

  

  PARIS — Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has launched a global partnership with the Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) following a successful European pilot in 2019. Fairmont has focused its attention on nurturing musical talent and the new partnership is intended to help amplify the passion Fairmont guests have for music. The 2019 pilot …

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• 24 January

  European Hotel Industry Reports Positive Performance Metrics for 2019

  

  Europe’s hotel industry reported positive results in the three key performance metrics during 2019, according to data from STR. Euro constant currency, 2019 vs. 2018 Europe • Occupancy: +0.4% to 72.2%• Average daily rate (ADR): +1.8% to EUR 113.36• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +2.2% to EUR 81.90 Local Currency, …

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• 24 January

  Hotels in the Asia Pacific Region Report Negative Results for 2019

  

  Hotels in the Asia Pacific region reported negative results in the three key performance metrics during 2019, according to data from STR. U.S. dollar constant currency, 2019 vs. 2018 Asia Pacific • Occupancy: -1.3% to 69.3%• Average daily rate (ADR): -2.0% to US$98.73• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -3.2% to …

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• 24 January

  Life House raises $30M Series B financing round

  

  Tech-enabled lifestyle hotel company Life House closed on a $30 million Series B fundraising round. Thayer Ventures led the investment, with Tiger Global, JLL Spark and Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary’s Sound Ventures among the others. Today, Life House has more than 800 guestrooms available, with 25 hotels expected to …

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• 24 January

  Knowland offers package for small hotels

  

  Knowland now offers a new package for smaller hotels called Limited Space, Unlimited Potential. Designed for hotels with less than 6,000 square feet of total meeting space, this new package addresses the needs of smaller hotels, arming them with the tools to better compete for new group business. “While Knowland currently serves …

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• 24 January

  The Bahamas Still Rockin’

  

  Bahamas Minister of Tourism & Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar called an unscheduled second press conference during the 38th annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace at Baha Mar’s Performing Arts and Convention Centre to share the good news that 2019 was a record breaking year on many levels for the destination, reports PressToday’s Ann Ruppenstein, …

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