TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Marriott International | May 26, 2023
Marriott International announced today that it has signed an industry-first agreement with Rappi, Inc., the multilatina technology company. The collaboration aims to increase everyday earning opportunities and offer an elevated travel experience for both Marriott Bonvoy members and Rappi users.
Marriott Bonvoy members will soon be able to link their Rappi and Marriott Bonvoy accounts, which will result in exclusive benefits, like earning Bonvoy Points for qualifying Rappi purchases while offering additional benefits to Rappi Prime users. This unique arrangement marks the first time that a global hotel company has entered into a strategic collaboration with a Latin American technology company, showcasing Marriott International's continued commitment to innovative and tech-forward collaborations that meet the evolving needs of its guests.
"As the largest hotel company in the Caribbean and Latin America, we continue to be committed to enhancing the travel experience of our Marriott Bonvoy members, from booking to check-out, ensuring we are meeting our guests where they are. Working with one of the most innovative startups will allow us to keep our promise of providing more everyday earning opportunities for members and introduce us to Rappi users who may still be unfamiliar with our award-winning travel program," said Diana Plazas-Trowbridge, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Marriott International in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International's award-winning travel program and marketplace, currently has over 5.8 million users in the Caribbean and Latin America. The collaboration with Rappi will enable Marriott International to offer its services to Rappi's more than 30 million users across nine countries in Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
"With this strategic partnership with Marriott Bonvoy we continue to strengthen our position as a leading multi-vertical technology company in Latin America, ensuring the best offer and experience when booking travel through Rappi, and continuing to make our Prime subscription the highest value program in Latin America," said Guido Becher, Global Head of Rappi Travel.
The collaboration between Marriott Bonvoy and Rappi will roll out first in Mexico, Marriott's largest market in the region, and will be followed in the upcoming months by Colombia and other markets where Rappi operates.
Rappi, which has quickly become one of the most popular and trusted technology companies in Latin America, is a leader in digital services that offers innovative solutions to unmet needs, as it manages to connect users, commerce and courier in a strong digital ecosystem. Among its verticals, Rappi offers restaurant, grocery & pharmacy delivery, courier, Fintech, ecommerce and travel, and a Prime subscription service offering free delivery and numerous other benefits. Rappi is headquartered in Bogota, Colombia, and currently services over 350 cities in 9 Latin American countries.
About Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 8,500 properties under 31 leading brands spanning 138 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy, its highly awarded travel program.
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
prnewswire | May 24, 2023
Jurny, Inc., a pioneering hospitality tech company powering operations for short-term rental (STR) properties across the globe, is rolling out its latest and most robust operating system to date. Available now, JurnyOS 2.0 is powered by GPT-4 and features dynamic AI tools designed to connect, optimize and automate operational tasks and guest management.
JurnyOS 2.0 Highlights:
Never Miss a Message with Nia - Nia is Jurny's advanced AI assistant built on GPT-4, which can automate tasks and enhance customer service while improving operational efficiency. It is already more accurate at many tasks than the average human agent and, thanks to generative ai, is rapidly improving each day; Nia can already handle full conversations with guests, making it infinitely scalable.
Premier Management in a Free PMS - Jurny now offers the industry's only completely free PMS leveraging generative AI to assist hosts with managing their properties. With no onboarding fees, an intuitive user interface (UI), and the help of Nia, properties are live in minutes, not months.
One (Click) and Done - Jurny's new OS and PMS feature the industry's most robust integration for Airbnb. Property managers can sign in once to seamlessly connect to the Airbnb platform, sync content and historical data, update rates and availability, and receive bookings in real time from the easy-to-use Jurny platform.
All-in-One Vertically Integrated System - Remove the hassle of finding the best tools and say goodbye to tracking multiple licenses and renewal dates. Jurny offers a natively integrated best-in-class technology stack, including popular tools like Wheelhouse, Autohost, Minut and others for advanced analytics & reporting, channel management, reputation management, electronic payments, IoT access control, website development and more.
Luca Zambello co-founded Jurny after more than a decade of working in different areas of the hospitality industry. After building and managing a luxury rental business in Los Angeles, which grew to more than 300 units across five markets and grossed over $1 million in its first year, Zambello quickly realized how archaic existing operational management solutions were and began developing tech in house. In 2019, he and his team launched Jurny to fix the fragmented and costly property management model through modern, transformative technologies.
Today, Jurny is leading the industry's transition to the digital age, utilizing AI and automation in smart ways that enhance the guest experience. According to a recent report from Skift on generative AI's impact on travel, customer service and guest support is one of the most expensive cost centers for short-term rental management companies and the hospitality industry as a whole.
"The release of Jurny's AI-enhanced technology and access to its premium PMS for free is poised to transform the industry," said Andrew Kitchell, Founder & CEO of Wheelhouse. "By democratizing access to advanced tools that were once only available to the biggest players, Jurny is not just changing the game, it's leveling the playing field for everyone in the industry."
About Jurny, Inc
Jurny helps vacation rental and short-term rental (STR) hosts to reimagine property management through its free property management software (PMS) and cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI)-driven JurnyOS, powered by GPT-4. As the most advanced ecosystem in the industry, Jurny enables single-click native integration with Airbnb and other leading solutions for channel sales, dynamic pricing, guest verification, IoT device management, customer service and more.
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
SH Hotels & Resorts | May 29, 2023
1 Hotels, the nature-inspired luxury lifestyle hotel brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces that its UK flagship and first European destination, located in the heart of London's historic Mayfair, is now accepting reservations with an anticipated opening date of July 13, 2023. The nine-story sustainable sanctuary overlooks the stately trees and verdant lawns of magnificent Green Park, just steps away from the world-class galleries, sophisticated boutiques, first-class restaurants and renowned emporia of Bond Street, Berkeley Square and Piccadilly.
1 Hotel Mayfair consciously creates an unexpected fusion of sustainability and luxury in the fashionable heart of London's most exclusive hospitality district. The hotel brings a fresh breath of air enlivened by a deep love of and respect for nature within easy strolling distance of capital highlights such as The Royal Academy, the West End theatre district, and Buckingham Palace.
"We are delighted to bring nature and our mission of sustainable luxury to Mayfair, the very heart of London, one of the most important travel markets in the world," said Barry Sternlicht, 1 Hotels Founder and Chairman of SH Hotels & Resorts. "We are thrilled to bring our unique fusion of fresh comfort, conscious sustainability, exceptional bespoke service, understated elegance, wellness and nutrition to London."
"We've reimagined the traditional luxury hotel experience for Mayfair by infusing our love for nature with effortless sophistication," said SH Hotels & Resorts Chief Executive Officer Raul Leal. "With this opening we celebrate our distinctive brand's entry into Europe and the dynamic and culturally rich city of London."
Opting for reconstruction over new construction, this urban oasis, built to BREEAM Excellent standards, utilised 80% of the existing structure, which was repurposed to minimise adverse environmental impact. Living green-trellised exterior walls transform former hard surfaces into natural vertical landscapes. A freshly cobbled and pedestrianised previous parking lot creates a harmonious outdoor public space, now gifted to the neighbourhood, where passing Londoners can connect to nature and the surrounding community.
Atop the building, two new complete floors were added and introduce 35 stunning suites with floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive outdoor spaces, inviting guests to entertain or relax while overlooking Green Park, one of London's eight Royal Parks. The double height Green Park Penthouse Suite features a sprawling footprint of 274 square metres which makes it the largest 1 Bedroom Suite in Mayfair. The Green Park Penthouse can be further expanded to 2 bedrooms at 304 square metres and 3 bedrooms at 340 square metres. It features a wrap-around terrace and retractable sliding doors that open fully to sweeping and dramatic park views. All 181 rooms including 44 suites invite guests to rest, revive and restore in an enveloping nest, warmly welcomed by walls lined with native British moss and more than 200 local and regional plant species thriving throughout the property. At every interior turn, guests encounter works exclusively commissioned from nature-influenced local artists designed to provoke a sense of closer connection to the venerable landscape of Britain.
Dovetale, the ground-floor restaurant from internationally renowned two Michelin starred chef Tom Sellers will feature seasonal, organic, locally sourced quality fare from hand-dived scallops to farm-raised lamb. The signature cocktail bar is named after Dover Yard, which has been painstakingly revitalised as part of the project. The menu offers creative concoctions rooted in local traditions. Neighbours Cafe offers light snacks and barista-made ethical fair-trade coffee at a central communal table. The Bamford Wellness Spa offers the best of bespoke treatments following in full faith Lady Bamford's holistic approach to health and wellness.
1 Hotel Mayfair effortlessly fuses the finest natural sources, resources and artisanal products inspired by British heritage with the buzzy creativity and contemporary charm of 21st Century London's most vibrant neighbourhood.
ABOUT SH HOTELS & RESORTS
SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, is a sustainable hotel brand management company that operates 1 Hotels, a nature-inspired lifestyle brand that launched in 2015 with properties in South Beach and Manhattan and now includes Brooklyn Bridge, West Hollywood, Sanya (China), Toronto, San Francisco, Nashville and the recently opened Hanalei Bay flagship property with projects in development in London, Cabo San Lucas, Paris, Elounda Hills (Crete), Austin, Copenhagen, Riyadh and Melbourne; Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand that made its debut in March 2015 with the opening of its flagship property in New York, with projects under development in Brickell (Miami), Florence, Riyadh, Dubai and Rome; and Treehouse Hotels, which premiered in London in 2019 and with projects under development in Manchester, Sunnyvale, Brickell (Miami) and Riyadh. Leveraging its marketing, design, operational and technological expertise, SH Hotels & Resorts is the force behind some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic hotel brands in the world.
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