Welcome to RemoteHotelier #85!
In today’s newsletter:
Tiny rooms have been around for years, but they’ve never really taken over in Europe. So why does a pod hotel in the middle of London look like such a good idea?
📱 Inside the pod hotel that runs from your phone
🛒 + 2 new acquisitions
🔌 + 1 new integrations
🤝 + 1 new partnerships
🆕 + 3 new product updates
💼 + 6 new jobs in the job board
📱 Inside the pod hotel that runs from your phone
Otherwander Soho has turned a former backpacker hostel into a 566 pod hotel. Guests check in online before arrival, then use a QR in their phone to open the electronic gates and their pod.
Who doesn’t like a good contrast.
For some reason, combining something traditional like London with something modern like this type of hotel is always attractive.
A concept that shouldn’t work.
Tiny rooms have existed for years, but for some reason, they just don’t seem to take over in Europe. These pods are slightly bigger than the Japanese ones (maybe what you had in mind), so that might be one of the reasons.
They opened a few months ago, and these are the rates for a random Wednesday. Not bad at all:
Social hub.
They sacrificed the space for additional pods to include a social area where guests can mingle. And we’re talking about one of the most expensive locations in London (and by extension, the world).
A pod hotel might not sound like a social concept, but I wonder how many guests choose it because of this space.
It must be popular, because they organize DJ nights despite being in an area crowded with clubs.
Everything is done on the phone.
The whole booking, arrival, and checkout process is designed to be done on a phone. This hotel’s concept is simplicity, efficiency, and value, so I guess there isn’t much point in reinventing the wheel.
Uncomplicated tech.
Despite how digital the stay is, the tech inside the pods is as basic as adjustable lighting and temperature controls. And if you think a pod can’t have much more tech, this is how an average pod hotel room in Japan looks like:
📢 Sponsored by Aligned
See what's really happening in every deal
Aligned shows you what buyers are doing between meetings inside your most important deals then surfaces the risks, openings, and next steps. No more guessing where a deal stands or finding out a champion went quiet too late. Just real visibility, so you can act before it's too late.
RESOURCES
📍 Next Event: Hotel Technology Forum (17–19 November).
📅 See the full hotel tech event calendar.
💻 Get your PMS comparison spreadsheet.
💸 Get your RMS comparison spreadsheet.
ACQUISITIONS
🛒 Scandic closes its acquisition of Dalata’s hotel operations: paying €500 million for 57 hotels, around 12,500 rooms and a pipeline of about 1,600 more. [Link]
🛒 Prism agrees to buy Fletcher Hotels: the largest hotel chain in the Netherlands, with 170 hotels across the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, through its Sunday PropTech arm. [Link]
If the name doesn’t ring a bell, Prism is the parent company of OYO, and Europe is clearly high on its shopping list.
INTEGRATIONS
🔌 Avalora integrates its VAIA AI assistant with Yipy: so hotels can update key information once in Yipy and let VAIA share it across their connected platforms. [Link]
With a dozen to 50 platforms in a typical hotel, even changing the opening hours can take ages.
PARTNERSHIPS
🤝 IDeaS expands its relationship with Accor: now that Optix, its business intelligence tool, is one of the referenced solutions for Accor hotels globally. [Link]
“One of the referenced solutions” is the key part, because this isn’t an exclusive deal.
PRODUCT UPDATES
🆕 IDS Next launches Pomolabs: a wholly owned subsidiary building an AI operating system for hotels. [Link]
It was probably easier to start from scratch than to rebuild an existing product around AI.
🆕 RoomPriceGenie launches Portfolio Calendar: giving hotel groups a single view of occupancy, pickup, ADR, RevPAR and pricing across all their properties. [Link]
🆕 Raffles launches The Little Shop: its first global e-commerce platform, selling its own clothing collection and exclusive pieces. [Link]
If you fall in love with the tableware and you feel a sudden urge to take it home, now you’ll be just two clicks aways from it.
JOB BOARD
HOTELS
💼 Product Manager Customer Data Platform | Remote (based in the US) | Hyatt.
💼 Director, Franchise Performance & Activation, Core Performance | Remote (based in the US) | Choice Hotels.
💼 Chief Commercial Officer | Remote (based in the UK) | DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln.
TECH
💼 Associate Sales Executive - Southern Europe | Remote (based in the UK) | Revinate.
💼 Senior Partner Development Manager - Hospitality Partnerships | Remote (based in Spain) | Lightspeed.
💼 Sales Director | Remote (based in Spain) | Cendyn.
That’s all for today, thank you for reading. If this was helpful, share it with someone who'd find it useful too:
See you next week!
Jose
