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Hoteliers look to tech, data to drive personalization push
A report from Tech HQ notes that hoteliers are growing increasingly reliant on data-driven personalization as the hospitality sector grows more competitive.

“More than ever, hotels are making use of the vast amounts of data available to them to streamline operations and personalize to ensure they’re hitting the mark when it comes to customer satisfaction,” the report reads.

And tech companies like Alibaba are driving a change with more focus on AI.

“Personalized property recommendations can pour through a hotel’s online reviews and draw insights based on the nature of reviews services and facilities offered by the business,” Tech HQ reports. “For example, suggest opening a restaurant later, or offering a healthy breakfast option.”

Are consumers less trusting of reviews?
The Wall Street Journal reports the prevalence of five-star reviews, some of which are fake, are driving down faith in online reviews on sites such as Amazon and—more importantly for the travel sector—TripAdvisor.

The growth of two-sided reviews in services like ride-hailing apps seems to have further muddied the waters, the newspaper reports.

“The quid pro quo nature of digital relationships on apps like Uber has created ratings inflation; riders and drivers rarely score each other below four stars for fear of retaliatory ratings—especially since a low score can get you locked out of hitching future rides,” according to The Journal.

Industries other than lodging dealing with Airbnb-ization
The rise of Airbnb has affected more than just the hotel industry, Wired reports, with the service fueling the fire for a “sublet economy” that extends even to personal vehicles and boats.

“Now, the rental economy is everywhere, and for everyone,” Wired reports. “There are Airbnb-style marketplaces for cars (Turo), for garage storage (Spacer), for private jets (Jettly). You can rent someone’s bed for a midday nap (Globe) or even take a dip in someone’s pool (Swimply).”

Compiled by Sean McCracken.