UK: In the first of our session focus features ahead of the inaugural STRz Summit in London on Wednesday 18 October, we delve into ‘Pitch Battle: Tech it out’ to see how three companies from across the short-term rental and wider hospitality landscape are using AI and other tech innovations to power their businesses and how it can help property managers and other hospitality providers.
Three entrepreneurs and business thought leaders will take to the stage for eight minutes each to convince the audience that their latest tech innovation will be the game-changer that the short-term rental industry needs the most.
The speakers are:
- Simon Matthews, director of technology, data & OSS, HomeToGo
- James Baird, managing director, resicentral
- Gal Levy, head of engineering, Faye
HomeToGo
Last month, vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo officially launched Modes, described as a “revolutionary new way to find vacation rentals and travel destinations”, with its inaugural AI [artificial intelligence] Mode now available in beta to US and UK users in the HomeToGo app.
AI Mode is a generative AI-powered travel planner that is designed to provide highly personalised recommendations for vacation rentals and destinations through written conversation.
HomeToGo says that it is the first vacation rental-focused marketplace to test and launch an AI product in the vacation rental space, improving the entire experience through curated searches and providing partners with access to more highly qualified leads.
As a collection of curated search experiences, Modes is set to make finding the perfect vacation rental intuitively fast and easy. Each Mode has been created with the intended type of trip or traveller in mind, where multiple tools, filters and specialised views can be activated to display the most relevant offers for individual needs.
AI Mode is the first Mode to be released as part of HomeToGo’s Modes collection and additional rollout will follow. The company says that it plans to offer additional Modes based on the most compelling insights it collects from its power users.
resicentral
resicentral, part of the SDDE Smith Group, builds technology to seamlessly take care of thousands of different tasks and processes through intuitive automation, whether in your own home, a commercial environment, or for a custom application.
The company’s technology can be easily integrated in both new and existing structures to automate and control a wide variety of applications, smart devices and building operations, from air quality monitoring to access control, leak detection, in-room automation and ANPR.
resicentral’s technology is used in a diverse range of settings, including spaces for commercial, residential, assisted living, hospitality and student living purposes.
Its all-encompassing software uses AI and Rule engines to be able to control, report and limit usage of energy, security functions, and ease of use for building management. It also utilises real-time data analysis to constantly monitor for anomalies to alert you to potential issues and optimise your properties energy consumption.
resicentral’s technology offerings include:
- resiCORE: A hardwired ethernet based smart controller with control and monitoring features
- resiAIR: A wifi-based unit that connects to the wifi network to provide functionality for ease of living
- resiEDGE: A small form factor Linux based server that is designed to interface, sensor, control and integrate with third-party systems
- resiNODES: Compact, cost-effective devices that have wifi and bluetooth low energy [BLE] capability, connecting various sensors, controllers and building devices via resiAIR and resiEDGE
Faye
Travel insurtech startup Faye, which raised $10 million in a Series A funding round in May, will delve into how AI is transforming the “archaic” world of travel tech at this year’s STRz Summit.
In a bid to modernise travel, Faye places a specific focus on the utilisation of AI, in the following ways:
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Processing large volumes of enriched travel data [flights, airports, destination data, risks, weather, patterns, history] to enable tailored coverage offerings and real time travel assistance [ie. resolution to common travel hiccups]
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Developing technology that processes claims data, in real-time, in order to massively speed up the claims experience, and allow handling large volumes of customers faster and more accurately [insurance is a regulated industry, so there is going to be a human-in-the-loop until legislation catches up]
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Working to stop fraud in its tracks so people do not need to pay higher premiums to make up for the misdeeds of others. This involves computer vision and machine learning to check documents for authenticity, and an AI that can verify your flight details for you, combing online records and even making a phone call to the airline so you do not have to spend hours on hold.
Since its initial launch in 2019, Faye has made additional enhancements to its offering, including releasing new coverage add-ons such as adventure and extreme sports and vacation rental damage protection. Now available in 48 states, including New York, California, Florida and Texas, Faye says that it is planning to be available soon nationwide across the United States.
The inaugural STRz Summit will take place in London on Wednesday 18 October. See the full event agenda here and book your tickets now at this link.
