Sean O'Neill, Skift
For too long, Oracle Hospitality, a giant in the hotel tech space, has prioritized internal needs. Now it's changed its tune. It says it's making hotels the boss. The long overdue customer-first approach is laudable. But there's still work to do.
2 weeks ago
Wouter Geerts, Skift Research
Technological advancements have allowed for new entrants into the property management systems space to offer a viable alternative to incumbent legacy systems. Those systems might be scrambling for now, but they'll catch up. All this can only be a good thing for the PMS and hotel tech space in the long run.
3 weeks ago
Nancy Trejos and Sean O'Neill, Skift
Accor recently rebranded its loyalty program under the phrase "Live Limitless." The company needs to replace its limited technology structure to meet that ambition, and this deal represents a huge commercial win for Sabre.
4 weeks ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Oracle Hospitality's Alex Alt sees two gaps in his company's suite: distribution services and customer relationship management tools. Yet the opportunities with both are dynamic, not static, because of fast shifts in hotel company priorities and traveler behaviors. That will require Alt to be one very adaptable executive.
4 weeks ago
Wouter Geerts, Skift Research
Legacy property management systems (PMS) missed the boat when tech innovation started ramping up. Now they are playing catch-up. Cloud computing, open APIs, marketplaces, and middleware layers are shaking up this stale corner of hotel tech, and it’s crazy exciting.
4 weeks ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
To call a company the best-capitalized hotel tech startup might seem like pointing out the tallest leprechaun. But while SiteMinder serves only about 36,000 hotels out of a million worldwide, new funding from cash-rich investor BlackRock could fuel the hotel connectivity startup's growth substantially.
1 month ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
IHG represents a broader industry trend in that it's getting tougher with online travel agencies and wholesalers in the West while becoming more experimental with online travel sellers in Asia, where it needs help to grow its sales. Its use of new technologies to try to keep its strategy coordinated and to boost revenue are eye-catching.
3 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
A few months ago, activist investor Elliott Management took Amadeus rival Travelport private. Elliott also happens to be the largest shareholder of Whitbread, the parent company of Premier Inn. That hotel chain has now dropped its contract with Amadeus for software services. Coincidence?
3 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Tech provider SiteMinder is the latest firm to make it easier for smaller hotels to adopt new tools from other third-party vendors to manage their properties. The trend could give the little guys more weaponry in online sales — and help SiteMinder become more valuable for hotels.
4 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Hotel tech innovation has been partly hampered by high tolls that property management systems charge for accessing critical data. Impala, Hapi, and other companies hope to bring that connectivity cost down, which could be a windfall for vendors.
4 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
To understand the startup Beekeeper, think of workplace communications tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. The service helps hourly workers without desktop computers, such as housekeepers, stay up-to-date. The fresh funding underscores a recent boom in hotel tech investment.
5 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Amateurs cut rates to fill hotel rooms. Pros take more sophisticated approaches, such as coordinating to stimulate demand from the most profitable customers.
6 months ago
