AI hyper-personalization to catapult hospitality industry to new heights: FHS  

Enquire AI CEO Cenk Sidar. Screenshot.
Short Url
Updated 26 September 2023
Follow

AI hyper-personalization to catapult hospitality industry to new heights: FHS  

RIYADH: Artificial intelligence will soon recommend personalized services to hotel guests based on their previous stays and preferences thanks to its emerging hyper-personalization features, revealed the CEO of a US-based AI insights company. 

Speaking at the Future Hospitality Summit in Abu Dhabi on Monday, Enquire AI CEO Cenk Sidar told Arab News that technological developments will allow market players to provide customized solutions. 

“Hyper-personalization is an important subject for travel and would require millions of dollars of investment now that there are hundreds of large language models like ChatGPT,” said Sidar. 

According to Amsterdam-based hospitality technology company User Guest, personalization drives performance and better customer outcomes.  

Companies that grow faster drive 40 percent more revenue from personalization than their slower counterparts.  

User Guest’s tool utilizes advanced data analysis to identify guest preferences and behavior patterns, allowing hotels to offer highly personalized experiences tailored to each guest’s needs.  

For instance, if a guest is searching for a last-minute booking, the hotel can offer a special rate for those dates while optimizing its occupancy needs. 

“Any solution that would provide simplicity and convenience to the end user will have a competitive edge,” added Sidar. 

He revealed that the more data is collected, the better the understanding and analysis will be, consequently contributing to devising the appropriate solution. 

Sidar envisaged this kind of technology becoming commonplace in the coming years. 

Branded residences 

Speaking at another panel on branded residences, Turab Saleem, head of hospitality, tourism and leisure advisory services at Knight Frank in the Middle East and North Africa, shed light on the power of the brand.  

“You easily get an average of 18 to 25 percent increase in value by switching from non-branded to branded,” Saleem highlighted. 

He spoke about how even with two developments right next to each other, the branded one fetches 50 percent better pricing. 

Centered around the theme “Focus on Investment,” the summit serves as a catalyst for change, facilitating interactions among over 1,000 hospitality leaders through debates, dialogues, initiatives and announcements.  

Hosted at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, the agenda for the three-day event includes contributions from more than 150 speakers in panel discussions, one-on-one interviews, roundtables, innovation pitches and student-led sessions. 


Council of Economic and Development Affairs reviews budget performance report during virtual meeting

Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

Council of Economic and Development Affairs reviews budget performance report during virtual meeting

JEDDAH: The Council of Economic and Development Affairs held a virtual meeting, the Saudi Press Agency has reported.

At the outset of the meeting, the council reviewed the quarterly report submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, which included updates on the global economy and the impact of geopolitical challenges and volatility in global markets on growth prospects.

The report also addressed the latest developments related to the national economy and future projections through 2027, highlighting its high resilience in confronting global challenges and noting that various economic statistics and indicators point to remarkable growth that further cements the Kingdom’s position among the fastest-growing and most stable economies in the world.

The council reviewed the fourth-quarter performance report of the state’s general budget for fiscal year 2025, submitted by the Ministry of Finance, which provided a comprehensive overview of financial performance during the period, including developments in revenues and expenditures, public debt levels, and an analysis of local and global economic variables and their implications for financial indicators.

The report results showed the continued adoption of a balanced and flexible fiscal policy that supports economic growth and enhances financial sustainability over the medium and long terms, through the use of disciplined and efficient fiscal tools and the continuation of countercyclical spending, directed toward development programs and projects with economic and social impact, contributing to improving the quality of public services, stimulating investment, and strengthening the resilience of public finances.

The council discussed a number of procedural matters, including a draft Government Tenders and Procurement Law, a draft Space Law, and a briefing on steps taken regarding the assignment of the Council of University Affairs to update the regulations necessary for the governance of public and private universities and health colleges, supervise and follow up on them periodically, and update compliance processes in public and private universities and health colleges based on quality standards approved by the Council of University Affairs.

The council was also briefed on the results of the quarterly Real Estate Price Index report, along with two summaries of the monthly Consumer Price Index and Wholesale Price Index reports, and the underlying reports on which the summaries were based.

The council adopted the necessary decisions and recommendations regarding these matters.