News Briefs

Property management software Hospitable has launched a fully automated Security Deposit feature that unifies deposit collection, guest identity verification, and chargeback protection into a single workflow built directly into the platform. 

It marks the first time these layers of protection have been combined and automated in this way, with no additional tools, subscriptions, or manual oversight required.

The feature is designed to run in the background from the moment a reservation is confirmed. Hosts simply set the deposit amount per property, and the platform handles the rest. Deposits are requested, held, and released automatically, with no reliance on booking platforms or third-party payment tools.

As part of the process, guests are required to complete identity verification before check-in, adding a critical layer of accountability. This verification is built into the deposit flow, so hosts don’t need to chase guests or use separate screening tools. Check-in instructions are automatically withheld until the deposit and ID checks are completed.

All guest communication is also automated. Hospitable sends professional, branded messages to prompt deposit payments, issue reminders, and confirm the deposit’s release, keeping the guest experience clear and consistent without adding extra work for hosts.

If an issue with a guest arises during a stay, such as damage or missing items, hosts can file a charge request directly from their inbox using a simple form. Most charge requests are reviewed and resolved within a day, with funds returned to the host immediately and without platform mediation or drawn-out disputes. Chargeback protection is included with every deposit, shielding hosts from costly reversals and ensuring funds are secure even if a guest challenges the charge.

Hospitable charges a flat 2% per security deposit, with everything included: automated collection, guest messaging, ID verification, and chargeback protection. The feature is already built into the Hospitable platform and ready to use, making it one of the most affordable and comprehensive solutions available for this level of protection.

While some STR platforms offer elements like deposit handling or guest ID checks, Hospitable is the first to combine all three into a single automated flow built natively into the hosting experience. This gives operators a reliable, hands-off way to protect their properties without slowing down operations.

Pierre-Camille Hamana, CEO and Founder of Hospitable, said: “Security deposits have been treated as an afterthought for too long. Most tools make them difficult to manage or awkward to enforce, so they often get skipped, which leaves hosts exposed when something goes wrong. We’ve built them into the structure of the booking itself. There’s no extra system to manage, no steps to remember, and no need to chase guests. It’s one process, from start to finish, that quietly handles what used to take a dozen manual tasks.”

Launched in 2016 as a time-saving PMS, Hospitable has evolved into a short-term rental super app that goes beyond traditional property management – automating guest messaging with AI, optimizing nightly rates, managing rental agreements and security deposits, coordinating teams, and powering direct booking websites with built-in payments and property protection.

For more information, visit www.hospitable.com. 

Tonic POS has announced an integration with OpenTable, expanding its robust ecosystem of partnerships and delivering enhanced operational insights to its restaurant partners.

This integration enables Tonic POS to share valuable operational data, such as performance of menu items, service speed, and guest spending, directly with restaurants using OpenTable guest management services. Restaurants can now leverage this unified view to better understand their clientele, further personalize the guest experience, and fine-tune their service strategy.

"We are thrilled to partner with OpenTable, a brand synonymous with restaurant excellence," said Gary Liu, Founder and Chief Strategy and Quality Officer at Tonic POS. "We are proud to work directly with OpenTable to deliver a native integration that empowers our restaurant partners to leverage the power of their POS data within the OpenTable platform, unlocking valuable insights that drive operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. By providing a comprehensive view of guest interactions, from reservation to payment, restaurants can elevate their service and build lasting customer relationships."

Key Benefits

• Enhanced Guest Insights: Gain a holistic view of customer preferences and spending habits by linking POS data with reservation profiles.
• Personalized Guest Experiences: Leverage data-driven insights to tailor service and create memorable dining experiences.
• Optimized Operational Efficiency: Understand service timing and menu item popularity to streamline operations and improve table turnover.
• Increased Check Averages: Identify opportunities to drive guest spend and enhance the dining experience.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Make informed decisions about menu planning, staffing, and marketing based on comprehensive guest data.

Tonic POS is available to restaurants using OpenTable in the United States.

Technoheaven (TH) announced the launch of its next generation global bed bank platform, providing travel agents, tour operators, OTAs and DMCs with access to more than 1 million properties around the world.

This latest advanced module from TH follows strategic partnerships with top bed banks around the world, including over 80 suppliers and 15+ channel managers.  Using its dynamic API integration, which facilitates accessibility to global markets,  TH ensures real-time updates, seamless operations and scalable growth.

Plug and Play

The platform’s plug and play architecture enables users to add or remove suppliers seamlessly, while its modular integration system quickly connects with new hotel providers on demand, allowing users to make changes in line with market trends, seasonal demands or regional business shifts. Contracts can be managed with pricing and availability per supplier from a single dashboard.

“Our bed bank module delivers transparency, profitability, and scale” said Vinod Kelwani, CEO of Technoheaven. We have developed a next-generation solution for hotels and travel sellers to manage inventory and worldwide distribution.”

Hotel Mapping

The AI powered dynamic Hotel Mapping tool cleans and standardizes fragmented hotel inventory by identifying and matching the same hotel listed by different suppliers. Duplicate listings are removed and hotel information is standardised enabling travel sellers to  present accurate hotel search results, including:

• Accurate hotel data and geo tags
• Improved price comparison and filtering
• Streamlined booking process
• Faster bookings

Revenue Generation

With the bed bank platform TH has opened multiple revenue streams for travel businesses. Margins can be set for resellers  and commissions earned from every hotel booking. Room rates can be adjusted according to demand and region with agreed API Licensing fees  for new hotels requiring access to the bed bank platform. 

Technoheaven’s  Bed bank solution enables hotel inventory to be distributed  across a global network of B2B buyers, including OTAs, travel agents, DMCs, TMCs  and more from a single platform.

Vinod added “Suppliers can push updates on availability, pricing, and content to their entire distribution ecosystem with no manual intervention, giving them full control over how their inventory is sold. The TH module increases efficiency and boosts sales for suppliers and sellers.”

According to SOCi’s 2025 Consumer Behavior Index, Gen Z is disrupting traditional hotel discovery and loyalty patterns. Instead of relying on one channel, younger consumers are engaging in fragmented, multi-platform research journeys that blend social media, user-generated content, and AI tools. Brand loyalty is fading, especially among 18–34-year-olds, and younger buyers place less importance on legacy brand reputation, prioritizing peer reviews and visual content instead.

SOCi’s CMO Monica Ho notes that “there’s no single source of truth anymore,” emphasizing the need for hotels and retail brands to deliver proof and authenticity across every touchpoint if they want to earn attention and trust.

Why This Matters for Hotel CIOs and CTOs:

• Search is no longer linear: Gen Z doesn’t follow a predictable funnel. Hotels must optimize visibility across TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Google Maps, and more.
• Visual and peer content drives decisions: User reviews and social posts are more influential than brand reputation—IT teams must support marketing’s push for UGC integration and review monitoring tools.
• Loyalty is weakening: Younger consumers are more brand-agnostic, forcing hotels to rethink how loyalty programs are structured and personalized.
• AI isn’t trusted—yet: While Gen Z is experimenting with AI, trust is still low. Hospitality tech teams should ensure AI-driven tools provide real value and transparency.
• Cross-platform consistency is critical: IT leaders should help ensure consistent guest experience and messaging across digital platforms, especially where Gen Z spends their time.

Explore the full report: soci.ai/insights/consumer-behavior-index

Cybercriminals are ramping up activity just as hotels hit their busiest travel season, according to Peak Season, Peak Risk: The 2025 State of Hospitality Cyber Report from VikingCloud Research. The study, based on a survey of hotel IT and security executives, found that 82% of North American hotels experienced a successful cyberattack in summer 2024, and 66% expect more frequent attacks this year, with half anticipating greater severity.

A major concern for 2025 is the rise of AI-powered attacks and deepfakes—nearly half of hotel security leaders aren’t confident their staff can detect them, and 22% believe hackers are outpacing their teams.

Most vulnerable systems include guest-facing tech like payment platforms, POS systems, Wi-Fi networks, and front desk systems. Common attacks include data breaches, phishing, and network misuse, with business impacts ranging from downtime and lawsuits to occupancy drops and even potential hotel closures.

While most hotels are investing in foundational protections like antivirus and firewalls, fewer than half have implemented more advanced tools like penetration testing or ransomware protection, leaving many exposed during peak season.

What CTOs and CIOs Need to Know:

• 🔐 AI attacks are escalating: Nearly half of hotels can’t confidently detect or respond to AI-driven threats—staff training and advanced detection tools are urgent needs.
• 💳 Guest-facing systems are at risk: Payment platforms, Wi-Fi, and front desk tech are primary targets—strengthen segmentation, monitoring, and real-time alerts.
• 🧑‍💼 People gaps matter: Talent shortages and untrained seasonal staff increase exposure—cyber hygiene and access controls are critical.
• 🧱 Basic protections aren't enough: Antivirus and firewalls are table stakes. To withstand peak-season threats, consider penetration testing, ransomware protection, and dark web monitoring.
• 🤝 Third-party risk is rising: Vendors like payment processors and booking engines can be a weak link—review SLAs, audit integrations, and monitor API traffic.
• 💡 Downtime = revenue loss + reputational damage: 44% of hotels experienced 12+ hours of downtime last summer. Proactively test recovery plans and backups now.
• 📊 Budgeting isn’t the barrier—strategy is: Even with growing cybersecurity budgets, many hotels lack a roadmap. Outsourcing to an MSSP may close urgent capability gaps.

Journey, a new loyalty platform designed for independent hospitality operators, officially launched today. Tailored for boutique hotels, luxury resorts, and short-term rentals, Journey provides independent operators with the tools to compete on loyalty and guest experience without sacrificing control or character.

“For independent operators, loyalty has historically meant handing over guests and revenue to third-party platforms,” said John Sutton, Founder and CEO of Journey. “We built Journey to give those operators a way to drive direct relationships, reward their guests on their terms, and compete with global chains without losing what makes them distinct.”

The platform utilizes AI to help properties personalize guest experiences, enhance operations, and drive direct bookings, ultimately reducing reliance on third-party channels and commission-heavy intermediaries. Independent operators have long lacked access to the kind of loyalty infrastructure and technology that branded hotels receive when they join a major flag. Journey addresses that gap. To date, over 1,300 properties have joined the platform, including Nihi Sumba in Indonesia, Onera in Texas, and Dunton in Colorado.

The Journey Hospitality Experience Platform
At the core of Journey is its proprietary Hospitality Experience Platform (HXP), which directly connects with a property’s existing systems, including property management systems (PMS), commerce tools, and messaging platforms. This infrastructure enables real-time personalization and automates key touchpoints throughout the guest journey. AI-powered agents support operators by identifying guest behavior patterns, triggering tailored offers, and orchestrating service workflows — driving efficiency while enabling deeper, more meaningful engagement.

Designed with Both Hoteliers and Guests in Mind
journey combines operational intelligence for hoteliers with the first modern loyalty program for discerning guests:

• For operators, the platform provides real-time guest insights and an AI-powered system to manage offers, dispatch workflows, and personalize at scale.
• For guests, Journey offers a single, flexible currency and tiered status program across a curated network of properties, rewarding direct bookings with 5x the points per dollar and allowing guests to pool or transfer points across the network.

Loyalty hasn’t historically made sense for independents, as the economics and infrastructure simply weren’t built with their unique needs in mind. Taking a page from the airline industry's alliance model, the Journey network creates new value through alignment, not standardization, bringing together properties that share a commitment to craft, character, and guest-driven experience.