Hotel Tech Company Duve Acquires Competitor to Advance AI Tools

Duve, one of the first hotel tech startups to share plans on incorporating generative AI, has acquired a competitor. 

Duve said it has acquired Easyway, a hotel tech company that had recently integrated AI into its software for hotels. Both companies are based in Israel. 

Duve says it aims to provide personalized guest experiences with tech for check-in, a guest app in different languages, and the ability to make relevant sales offers. 

The startup last March described how it was experimenting with generative AI to help hotels with back-office tasks. The top interest at the time was for a product that helps hotel staff prioritize customer messages, powered by AI that determines the urgency of a message by scanning the content. 

Easyway last September released an AI-powered chatbot for guests, which hotels can integrate into messaging apps like Whatsapp. The chatbot generates a response that draws on specific data from the hotel as well as information about specific bookings, such as the guest’s name. The tool also included two-way translation for more than 100 languages.

The plan following the acquisition is to integrate Easyway’s work into the services that Duve provides to hotels. 

Price and terms were not disclosed. Duve also did not share the significance of the deal, such as whether it was a full business acquisition or just a purchase of assets. 

Adir Ron, chief marketing officer for Duve, said that some of the Easyway team is joining Duve. That includes one of the Easyway’s co-founders, the chief operations officer.