🌱 IHG’s Decarbonization Fumble

Insider Highlights

• Choice’s investments in tech drive strong Q4 performance

• Booking.com Q4 earnings - AI is not a threat

• Firmdale Hotels sells 20% stake for $379M

• Resorts World Las Vegas has major incident during tech system upgrade

• Uber sues DoorDash over anticompetitive practices

• + much more!

• 🛠️ 6 Tech tools you should try

• 🎧 Podcast: Learn how Accor centralized IT support and implemented human-centric service design

3 TOP NEWS STORIES

1. Bleisure travel up 24% in just 3-years

A new report from Crowne Plaza highlights the continued rise of blended travel, with 66% of U.S. and U.K. travelers now combining business and leisure. As remote and hybrid work models persist, guests increasingly expect hotels to offer seamless work-life integration through flexible workspaces, wellness amenities, and curated experiences.

🎯 Why it matters: Bleisure has been a buzzword in the industry for some time now - since even before COVID - it’s not a new phenomenon. Because of that, we would have expected to see a drop as companies began requiring workers back to the office but this data is showing the opposite is actually true.

🔑 Key takeaway: Your hotel needs to have an active bleisure upsell strategy. First, you need to get those business travelers in the door. Consider leveraging tools like 3D tour software Visiting Media to get an edge on the compset. You’ll also want to leverage upsell software like Canary to dynamically offer those booked business travelers opportunities to easily increase length of stay and reasons to do so (i.e. upselling ancillaries like tours & activities, F&B, etc.). Read More →

2. Booking.com crushes Q4 earnings with 14% topline growth

Booking.com reported remarkable Q4 earnings this week demonstrating the resilience of the business despite lots of chatter around the disruption that will come from AI and shifting search engine behavior. Room nights grew 13% with topline revenue growth of 14% and net income jumping a staggering 30% to $1.1B.

🎯 Why it matters: There’s a few things happening here. Booking’s massive layoffs in 2020 seem to be yielding profit. The company is also making major investments in AI driving efficiency and benefitting from the disruption already. Lastly, Booking seems to be kicking Airbnb’s butt with 19% STR booking growth which now represents a massive 33% of total room nights.

🔑 Key takeaway: There’s a lot of scuttlebutt about Booking’s impending doom in a world of GenAI and reservation agents cutting out the hotel reservations middle men. Some hoteliers may be giddy about this possibility but the data shows the juggernaut picking up steam rather than decelerating. Read More →

3. IHG’s decarbonization efforts are failing

IHG set audacious goals to reduce energy consumption by 46% by 2030 but instead overall emissions have grown 7.2% since that goal was set in 2019. As travel demand rises, the company continues to push for more energy-efficient operations while balancing growth and sustainability goals.

🎯 Why it matters: The hotel industry faces increasing pressure to reduce emissions while maintaining profitability. Rising emissions, despite sustainability efforts, signal the need for stronger technological solutions and operational shifts.

🔑 Key takeaway: IHG’s sustainability chief is blaming the increase on slow upgrades to clean energy grids, lack of viable commercial landscape to support energy efficiency and its growing footprint. This does beg the question - are hotel chain sustainability initiatives all talk? Read More →

PRESENTED BY CANARY TECHNOLOGIES

Sneak Peek at Canary’s New AI-Powered✨ Voice Assistants for Hotels

Missing calls and overwhelming staff with repetitive questions? With Canary AI Voice, hotels can provide instant, 24/7 guest support while freeing up staff for high-value interactions.

• ✅ Automated Upsells: Capture more direct bookings and upsell opportunities with AI-driven calls that never go unanswered.

• ✅ 24/7 Instant Service: Deliver personalized, real-time responses in 100+ languages, ensuring seamless service anytime.

• ✅ Reduce Staff Workload: Automate up to 70% of guest calls, from reservations to FAQs, so your team can focus on hospitality.

Powered by Canary’s industry-leading AI, Canary AI Voice handles everything from room service requests to check-in inquiries, reducing wait times, cutting call abandonment rates, and improving operational efficiency. Never miss a call—let AI handle the routine, so your staff can deliver exceptional service.

👉 Learn how to automate guest requests now

AROUND THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

What’s Happening in Hospitality this Week

🤖 Tech upgrades gone wrong at Resorts World Las Vegas cause massive check-in fiasco.

🤑 Hotel payments software provider Sertifi acquired by Flywire for $330M

📊 Mobile app improvements and website upgrades contribute to Choice Hotels’s strong Q4 and 2024 results.

🏨 Accor integrates smart tech solutions to enhance both luxury and economy brand experiences.

⚖️ Uber sues DoorDash over alleged anti-competitive practices in first-party delivery technology.

🛎️ Booking Holdings defends its role in AI-driven travel planning, downplaying threats from agentic AI.

📉 Choice Hotels offloads budget properties, focusing on premium tech-driven hospitality experiences.

📈 AI-driven analytics fuel restaurant industry growth, projected to hit $1.5T in 2025.

🎨 Accor’s new design white paper emphasizes AI-driven personalization and wellness-focused hotel spaces.

⚙️ Flexkeeping launches automated hotel services, streamlining housekeeping and maintenance operations.

💰 Firmdale Hotels sells a 20% stake for $379M hinting at the luxury brand’s expansion goals

TOOLS & TACTICS

⚒️ Hotel Tech Tools You’ve Gotta Try

✅ Canary Technologies: Simplify guest management with innovative digital solutions.

✅ Unifocus: Optimize hotel staff schedules to boost productivity.

✅ Visiting Media: Offer stunning 3D tours to drive more hotel sales.

✅ Ivvy: Simplify venue bookings, manage events, and track revenue easily.

✅ Cloudbeds: Simplify hotel operations and boost bookings.

✅ MeetingPackage: Simplify MICE bookings and boost event revenue.

HOTELIER SPOTLIGHT
🎙 Accor’s Global SVP on Centralizing IT Support for 5,700 Hotels

How can a hotel chain with over 5,700 properties transform its tech support into a human-centered experience? In this episode, Tariq Valani, Global SVP of Support Services at Accor, reveals the innovative strategies that are reshaping the way hotel technology is delivered and supported.

Key Takeaways:

• Discover how Accor centralized its support services from eight regional desks to a single global function, enhancing efficiency and user experience across its diverse portfolio.

• Learn about the importance of understanding user personas in tech support, and how prioritizing front-line staff needs can significantly impact guest satisfaction.

• Explore actionable insights on implementing human-centric design principles in tech support, including training programs that empower agents to empathize with users and take ownership of their service interactions.

👉🏼 Check out the interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

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