Tag Archives: AI

chatlyn recently opened its Dubai office to strengthen its presence in the Middle East. chatlyn, the AI communication hub transforming how hotels engage with guests across every touchpoint, announced it has secured €8 million in Series A funding led by Smedvig Ventures. With this investment, chatlyn aims to accelerate its mission to become “the AI brain for hotels”—an intelligent system that supports hotel operations (front desk, reservations, marketing, and guest services) and autonomously optimizes guest communications to maximize revenue and satisfaction. “Every day, hotels are missing revenue because a guest inquiry comes in at 2 AM and gets lost in the shuffle, or a staff member can’t quickly find the right response in the right language. In today’s world, you lose potential guests when you don’t respond immediately,” said Nicolas Vorsteher, CEO and Co-founder of chatlyn. “We want to bring back meaningful conversations to the hospitality industry and free up staff’s valuable time for in-person guest interactions. We’re building the AI brain for hotels – an AI that understands hospitality context, speaks 35+ languages fluently, and learns each property’s unique voice to deliver experiences that feel both personal and effortless.” “chatlyn has fundamentally transformed our guest experience from reactive to proactive,” said Garry Loefgen, Head of Commercial at InterContinental Vienna. “Our AI assistant handles over 70% of inquiries instantly in perfect German, English, Arabic, and many other languages, while our team focuses on creating magical moments. It’s like having a multilingual concierge that never sleeps and gets smarter every day.” The round included participation from AnyDesk founder Andreas Burike, Austrian transport leader Blaguss, business angel Mathias Hiebeler (former owner of Grob aircraft, acquired by Helsing), and strategic hospitality angels. The …

Cvent announced the launch of CventIQ which combines powerful AI capabilities with deep industry expertise, proprietary insights and analytics, a smart platform, and intelligent infrastructure to help marketers, event planners, and hospitality professionals move faster and smarter, collaborate better, and deliver more engaging, high-return experiences. Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal unveiled CventIQ during his opening keynote address at Cvent CONNECT recently. “CventIQ enhances every aspect of the Cvent platform, and it represents our vision for a more efficient, intelligent, and collaborative future for meetings and events,” said Aggarwal. “By infusing advanced AI into the tools our customers already use, we’re empowering them to deliver more engaging events, more efficiently, with greater returns. Our launch of CventIQ reflects how we’re bringing trustworthy, practical AI to every corner of our platform so our customers can stay ahead of today’s fast-evolving landscape while remaining focused on what truly drives impact: human connection.”

The transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be under the spotlight at Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which takes place from 28 April to 1 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The international travel event will gather experts and thought leaders in AI from around the world to explore how AI is changing the landscape of leisure and business travel, streamlining operations and improving the customer journey. According to recent research by Statista, AI and machine learning have accounted for approximately two-thirds of global technology investment deals by travel and mobility companies since 2020. Across the travel industry, AI is being embraced at every level, from customers using AI-powered tools to plan their journeys to tourism providers leveraging AI to improve resource management and deliver more personalised guest services. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “At ATM 2025, we are thrilled to announce an exciting lineup of visionary speakers. Attendees can expect engaging discussions that delve into the latest technological advancements, ethical considerations, and real-world applications. In addition, we will showcase groundbreaking developments across the exhibition, from sophisticated booking solutions to data analysis tools that empower organisations to make informed decisions. This is an unparalleled opportunity for travel industry professionals to be at the forefront of AI and gain actionable insights that can drive business success.” On the opening day of ATM, Cassie Kozyrkov, CEO of Kozyr and a globally renowned speaker in AI, will lead an insightful session on “AI adoption: From Buzzwords to Business Strategy”, where she will outline how companies in the travel industry can identify genuine opportunities to improve their businesses. Kozyrkov will delve into why organisations struggle, uncover the biggest threats …

Riyadh Air and IBM partner to build AI-driven enterprise, to elevate guest and employee experiences. Agreement will see Riyadh Air leverage IBM watsonx and IBM Consulting solutions to drive Riyadh Air’s vision as the world’s first digital native airline. The collaboration aims to help power the Saudi Arabian airline’s mission to launch flights in 2025 while offering an elevated guest experience. IBM announced a new agreement with Riyadh Air, which will integrate watsonx, IBM’s portfolio of AI products, and IBM Consulting AI solutions to establish an enterprise-wide AI capability to elevate Riyadh Air guest and employee experiences. As Riyadh Air prepares for its inaugural flights in late 2025, the new Saudi Arabian airline sets another key building block of its journey in redefining air travel as the world’s first digital native carrier. The announcement took place at the third edition of The FII PRIORITY Miami 2025 Summit, where senior executives from both IBM and Riyadh Air, including Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer, and Mohamad Ali, SVP and Head of IBM Consulting, reaffirmed their commitment to driving innovation in the aviation sector. Building a world-class airline requires more than just aircraft and infrastructure; it demands an intelligent digital foundation that anticipates passenger needs, streamlines operations, and empowers employees. Riyadh Air is embracing this challenge by making AI the driving force behind its transformation. Adam Boukadida, Riyadh Air Chief Financial Officer, said: Riyadh Air is more than just an airline; it is a gateway to new opportunities for travelers from the Kingdom and beyond. As we move closer to our first flight later in 2025, our vision is to deliver a seamless, world-class travel experience by expanding our reach, pioneering innovations, and …

Trip.com Group is globally committed to a customer-centric approach highlighting the technology to empower it, as a key to travel’s future. Boon Sian Chai, Managing Director and Vice President, International Markets, Trip.com Group, took the stage as the keynote speaker for the Technology Track taking place at World Travel Market London. Chai’s perspective on customer-centricity was put into context by the moderator Timothy O’Neil Dunne, who told the packed auditorium that what they were about to hear about “[is] not pie in the sky stuff, this is live, in operation, today.” Artificial intelligence underpins most of Trip.com Group’s innovations. He mentioned initiatives including: Trip.Best, a tool that provides personalized hotels, destination, restaurants, and experiences recommendations based on analysing over 100 million user reviews and TripGenie, an AI travel assistant capable of crafting itineraries and answering queries, which has served about 3 million users and elevated engagement. Chai also talked about Hotel + X, a product which allows hoteliers to promote their property on Trip.com as a holistic experience by allowing them to upsell the unique features of the property or its location as a “rooms-plus” package. The 8,000 hotels who have signed up for the product are seeing an average increase of 30% in their ADR, he said. Trip.com Group is taking a global approach to its innovation roadmap, with localisation capabilities built in. Chai noted that travellers in Europe have a greater interest in sustainability, so Trip.com’s points of sale in Europe can surface sustainability information during the search stage and provide recommendations. Conversely in the Middle East, delivering the correct tone of voice of the many languages needed to serve the region’s travellers is essential. Chai also hinted …

HITEK Services has witnessed a paradigm shift from hospitality professionals, by adopting AI-driven computer aided facilities management (CAFM). Essentially, CAFM solutions such as CAFMTEK which are now revolutionising facility management, provide effective management control over assets, locations, and resources. With access to a real time dashboard which offers complete visibility via a dedicated centralised digital platform, hotel management and their operations team can access a 24/7 360-degree overview of all hotel assets. As new buildings become smarter, solutions such as CAFMTEK integrate with existing building management systems (BMS), optimising operational efficiency, staff welfare and sustainability. The scope of work covered by CAFM is now extensive and can include the day-to-day maintenance of MEP and commercial kitchen equipment, security systems, energy and water utilisation as well as waste management. It can also ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, manage irrigation for landscaping for more complex hotel sites, operational planning and procurement. “Independent studies have shown that by adopting CAFM software hotels can reduce maintenance costs by up to 20% and even improve space utilisation by as much as 15%. Our own CAFMTEK system empowers hospitality professionals to achieve these results and produce a significant return on investment. It will also support the UAE’s pledge to achieve net zero by 2050,” said Javeria Aijaz, managing director of HITEK. Major hotel brands across the UAE such as Anantara, Sheraton, Four Seasons, Millennium, Wyndham and Swissotel, have all integrated aspects of CAFMTEK into their operations. By monitoring and controlling air conditioning, water temperature and pressure, recycling grey water and food waste, not only underpins a consistently superior guest experience, but it also highlights a hotel’s sustainability efforts, eco-conscious guests appreciate, with the added …

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has reinforced its commitment to becoming a global tourism leader by signing a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence (SDAIA). The agreement, finalized during the Global AI Summit in Riyadh, emphasizes the Kingdom’s focus on leveraging advanced technology to support its Vision 2030 objectives. Tourism, a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic diversification plan, has already surpassed expectations. In 2023, the Kingdom reached its target of welcoming 100 million annual tourists—seven years ahead of schedule. Now, Saudi Arabia is setting its sights even higher, aiming to attract 150 million tourists by the end of the decade. This rapid growth underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to developing its tourism infrastructure and embracing innovation, with AI playing a central role in this transformation. At the heart of this next phase of growth is the integration of artificial intelligence. The partnership with SDAIA is designed to embed AI across the tourism sector, enhancing operational efficiency, personalizing visitor experiences, and optimizing resource management. The MoC outlines plans to establish a Center of Excellence for AI in tourism, deploy AI-driven technologies, and create data-driven strategies to continually refine and elevate the sector’s offerings. His Excellency Anas Al-Sulai, Assistant Minister of Tourism, emphasized the transformative impact of AI on Saudi tourism. “Saudi tourism is growing at an incredible pace, and we are seeing visitors from all over the world choose Saudi Arabia as their destination. As we continue this upward trajectory, we recognize the critical role of technology in enhancing the visitor experience. From the moment travelers land at our airports to every experience they have in our country, AI will be a key …

Travelport announced the debut of the Content Curation Layer (CCL). The CCL uses AI to power search while trawling billions of trip options, helping agencies find the perfect match for their customers. As the latest enhancement to the innovative Travelport+ platform, CCL uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to quickly deliver the right range of accurate, highly intuitive search results to its travel agency partners worldwide. “Travelport’s role in the increasingly complex travel industry is to take millions of pieces of disparate information and make it simple for both travel agencies and providers to understand, search, sell and service,” said Greg Webb, Chief Executive Officer at Travelport. “We believe AI and machine learning are powerful tools to do just that. The Content Curation Layer will allow travel agencies to provide travelers the right range of normalized, enriched, bookable content at speed, via a singular search screen. Used for all content sources (LCC, EDIFACT, NDC, hotel, car, etc.), the CCL allows agents to compare apples to oranges in an apples-to-apples way.” Travelport’s Content Curation Layer is a powerful tech-enabler that uses AI and ML to sift through aggregated, multi-source content and returns search results faster than the average airline search response time. It identifies the most relevant offers for each traveler to create a faster, more intelligent search experience for the agent. This technology layer simplifies the delivery of retail-ready content to agencies and helps them curate options that are most desirable for the travelers. One of the key features of the CCL is the Content Optimizer, a new Travelport+ product that offers agency customers greater control over all content types, including both traditional and NDC content. With the ability …

Dubai-based Lokalee entered a partnership with Viator to enable Lokalee’s hotel and holiday home customers to offer their guests access to Viator’s extensive catalogue of global tours, activities, and excursions. With an inventory of 300,000+ experiences across 200 countries, Viator, a Tripadvisor company, is the leading online marketplace for booking tours, activities, and attractions at destinations worldwide. Viator’s integration into the Lokalee platform will allow users of the app to discover and book a wide range of experiences – everything from guided city walking tours and sunset cruises to adventurous excursions, cooking classes, cultural activities, and more. Lokalee is an AI-powered, B2B content platform specifically developed for hotels and holiday homes. The customizable white-label platform allows guests to browse and book everything a property and the destination has to offer, sourced by Lokal Curators and supported by global partners. Trusted by over 200 brands across 20 countries, Lokalee’s platform has already been implemented at leading hotel groups such as Mövenpick, Sheraton, Rotana, Sofitel, Hilton, Millennium among others. “We are very pleased to welcome Viator as a global partner to Lokalee. The partnership is an ideal alliance which will boost our destination offering to our customers, and which complements our continued expansion plans to optimize the digitization of the guest journey for our customers,” said Samir Abi Frem, CEO of Advanced Digital Technology and Lokalee.

The latest white paper released by Future Hospitality Summit focuses on the fact that hospitality asset owners and investors are keen on ramping up technology investment, however, they are challenged by the overwhelming abundance of information and options of tech vendors. This abundance, coupled with the fear of costly mis-investments due to a lack of the right information hampers effective decision-making. Ahead of Future Hospitality Summit, organisers The Bench have published their latest industry white paper on Navigating the Hospitality Tech Investment Landscape. Global investment trends in hospitality technology discussed in the report include an increased focus on automation and the guest experience, in which AI plays a crucial role. According to PwC’s 2023 report, over 70% of hotel executives are prioritising investments in technologies that streamline operations and elevate the guest journey. Key areas of investments include Property Management Systems (PMS), AI in Revenue Management as well as guest technologies such as in-room controls, online check-in, and mobile keys. The white paper also touches on specific areas of untapped potential to drive innovation and enhance the hotel guest experience through tech investment. These include the automation of manual processes to free up valuable time to deliver a more personalised guest experience, and the integration of payments technology for a more seamless guest experience and improved operational efficiency. Technology and innovation will be a key theme of focus at FHS World this year. At the dedicated ‘Tech Zone’, businesses can showcase their tech offerings and connect with C-level hospitality investment decision-makers, hotel owners and operators, and investors.