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Google adds some useful features for finding flights and hotels
You can now track flights between cities for six months to find the best prices.
LG is bringing its CLOi service robot to the US
LG is making its CLOi ServeBot available in the US to give restaurants and hotels a boost right when job shortages and the pandemic could make it useful.
Hotels.com, Expedia provider exposed data for millions of guests
A cloud provider left exposed for millions of guests using major hotel reservation services.
Atari-themed gaming hotels are coming to eight US cities
Atari doesn't have the cultural cachet it used to. After an industry-crashing downfall in the '80s, the video game pioneer has been unable to find its niche, and recently, its oft-delayed retro console has had a troubled development. Atari hopes to find some success by lending what gaming cred it has left to the hospitality industry. The company signed a contract that see Atari license its name and branding to a real estate developer, which will build eight hotels across the US. The first location will break ground this year in Phoenix. Others in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle will follow.
Marriott faces $123 million UK fine over data breach
Marriott might soon face a stiff penalty for the massive November 2018 data breach. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office plans to fine the hotel chain £99,200,396 (about $123.7 million) for allegedly violating the EU's General Data Protection Regulation through the incident. Marriott didn't conduct "sufficient due diligence" when it bought Starwood, according to the regulator, and "should also have done more" to improve security.
Airbnb Luxe offers castles, villas and islands for $1,000 per night
If you've ever wanted to stay in a castle in France or book an entire island in the Pacific, you might appreciate Airbnb's new luxury travel offering, Airbnb Luxe. The company launched the long-rumored service today with more than 2,000 hand-picked listings, including award-winning homes in New Zealand and South Africa, historic villas in Tuscany and the Jamaican beachfront property where Ian Fleming wrote his iconic spy novels. But a stay in these high-end, Instagramable homes will cost you. Airbnb Luxe is designed for travelers looking to spend at least $1,000 per night.
Hopper app now predicts hotel prices around the world
Hopper could already tell you the best time to buy tickets for a flight. Now, it can hook you up with the best prices for a hotel stay, as well. After initially only providing prices for hotels in New York City during a beta run, the popular travel app is now applying its powerful prediction engine to hotels around the world. Users will be able to book rooms through the app at the ideal team for more than 270,000 hotels across 230 countries.
Exposed database revealed security details for large hotel chains
Yet another unprotected database could pose a security risk -- this time if you're a traveler. VPNMentor researchers have discovered an exposed database that contained security audit logs for hotels run by the Pyramid Hotel Group, including numerous locations attached to major chains. Affected chains included Marriott's Aloft Hotels in Florida, Tarrytown House Estate in New York and multiple Irish hotels (such as Temple Bar), and might include more -- Pyramid operates hotels on behalf of Sheraton, Westin and others.
Marriott plans to take on Airbnb with its own home-rental service
The line between the traditional hotel industry and the home-rental industry has become increasingly blurred. Last month, Airbnb bought HotelTonight, a last-minute hotel booking company. Now, Marriott is looking to take on Airbnb. According to The Wall Street Journal, Marriott could become the first major hotel company to offer home rentals.
Nearly 70 percent of hotel websites leak personal data, Symantec study finds
A security flaw may be hiding in that confirmation email you get after booking a hotel room. A Symantec study of more than 1,500 hotels found that 67 percent of them were unwittingly leaking guests' personal information. The hotels in the study were spread across 54 countries, including the U.S., Canada and even some in the E.U., despite strict GDPR protections. They ran the gamut in quality too, from two-star motels to five-star beach resorts.
Airbnb is buying last-minute hotel app HotelTonight
Airbnb is buying last-minute hotel booking service HotelTonight, in another move on the traditional hotel industry. The HotelTonight booking app and website, which offers day-of hotel reservations at discounted rates, will still operate independently, at least for now. Once the acquisition is completed, HotelTonight CEO Sam Shank will lead Airbnb's boutique hotel category. "We started HotelTonight because we knew people wanted a better way to book an amazing hotel room on-demand, and we are excited to join forces with Airbnb to bring this service to guests around the world," said the HotelTonight CEO in a press release.
Google makes it easier to keep track of travel research
Google is introducing new features that will make it easier for you to keep track of your travel plans. When you're putting a trip together, you might end up juggling a lot of information like flights that you're keeping an eye on, hotel options and restaurants or sites you're interested in visiting. Beginning in October, Your Trips will help you manage all of that info, organizing what you've saved and searched for and letting you resume planning where you left off. Additionally, Google will assist with your planning, surfacing things to do, day plans and travel articles in Search that will become more customized as you settle your dates and hotels reservations.
Waymo partners with Walmart for grocery pick-up in Phoenix
Walmart's latest move into tech is a partnership with Waymo. In Phoenix later this week, the pair will begin a pilot program where customers can order groceries on the retailer's website, get a ride to and from the store in a Waymo car and then snag a discount on their groceries. More than that, Waymo is teaming up with Avis Budget Group to pick up and drop off customers when they need a rental car.
Dish is bringing Netflix to more hotel rooms
Dish Network began offering hotel entertainment in 2017 with an Android TV-powered box that let guests stream and watch live television in the comfort of their own hotel room. YouTube and Sling TV were supported via built-in Chromecast, but Netflix was noticeably missing. Now Dish has Netflix, and will integrate the streaming content into its Evolve system in the coming months.
Researchers create device that opens hotel doors with old key cards
Researchers at cybersecurity firm F-Secure have designed a device that can pull data off of hotel key cards and essentially create a master key for an entire hotel. Alarmingly, the key card doesn't even have to be currently in use. The device can steal data from the card whether it's functional or expired and can give the user access to pretty much any room in the hotel in just a matter of minutes. "It can be your own room key, a cleaning staff key, even to the garage or workout facility," F-Secure's Tomi Tuominen told Gizmodo. "We can even do it in an elevator if you have your key in your front pocket; we can just clone it from there."
Alienware may have created the ultimate gamer hotel suite
In the past, we've seen hotel rooms and even entire hotels specifically designed for those who prefer the orange glow of de_dust2 to a sandy beach. But Alienware's new gaming suite in Hilton's Panama City location might well be the easiest place yet to let a week of your life completely pass you by. Room 2425 offers guests the chance to avoid the rich culture of the Central American capital and enjoy the company of a monstrous Alienware gaming PC, Oculus Rift VR headset and Xbox One Elite. Move between the racing seat centerpiece and beanbags, foregoing the stunning view of the South Pacific Ocean to instead bask in the warm glow of the room's 65-inch 4K TV.
Six innovative tech solutions future-proofing hotel experiences
For the tech-savvy traveller, a hotel room is more than a place to rest at the end of the night – it's a fully operating hub. Whether planning for a business meeting, researching activities or settling in for an evening of entertainment, nothing says 'not staying here again' more than weak connections, cumbersome procedures and crossed wires.
Russia is planning to put a luxury hotel on the ISS
While American private corporations are working to offer paying customers a short trip to space (or the edge of it), Russia is cooking up something grander. According to Popular Mechanics, it saw a proposal detailing Russian space corporation Roscosmos' plan to build a luxury hotel on the ISS. Anybody whose pockets are deep enough to shell out at least $40 million for the experience can stay there for a week or two. An additional $20 million will buy them the chance to go on a spacewalk with a cosmonaut.
Hilton plans to offer a smart hotel room system next year
From a Watson-powered concierge to in-room VR porn, hotels are getting more and more tech-savvy and connected. There's an Amazon Echo in every room when you stay at Wynn's Las Vegas hotel, and more destinations are adding ways to watch your own Netflix and Chromecast when you stay. Now Hilton is ready to roll out a new mobile-centric connected room. The smart room system is currently in beta at one Hilton hotel and set to deploy to several more in the coming weeks. A full deployment to all Hilton hotels is planned for next year.