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SPONSORED: How Arvoia is changing the hospitality industry

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Technology is revolutionising a lot of different industries, making it easier than ever for businesses to reach their target market and give consumers a better experience.

One Killarney-based tech company, Arvoia, is looking to change the hospitality industry. Arvoia was founded in 2014 and aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to give hoteliers the best chance of increasing customers as well as engagement and revenue.

Rather than just listing room rates by price, the AI-powered platform develops an understanding of each guest's demands in real-time. It then uses this to adjust the hotel's booking engine and website appropriately to prioritise the most relevant rooms, hotel amenities, and content for each potential guest.

This booking engine is already driving greater direct bookings at hotels such as in the UK and Ireland. In one example, the Dalata Hotel Group in Ireland has experienced a steady increase in its average booking value per guest as well as the conversion rate for potential guests over the first three months of deployment.
 

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence, in its most basic form, is a field that combines computer science with large datasets to solve problems. While the term may conjure up images of sentient robots from science fiction, the reality is that AI is increasingly being used in our lives.

AI is also used to describe a number of sub-fields, such as machine learning and deep learning. Artificial Intelligence algorithms are used in these areas to develop expert systems that make predictions based on input data.

In this sense, AI can be incredibly useful for businesses, as predicting the behaviour of potential customers is invaluable. This is what companies such as Arvoia aim to do, giving hotels more information about potential guests and working out what their needs are. This then provides a personalised booking experience. The company is expanding across Europe and also aims to offer its AI platform to US hotels in 2022.

What's next for Arvoia?

Arvoia collects more than two billion data points across a range of different industries. This includes the hospitality sector as well as travel and mobility. The end result is an AI tool that can be applied to a lot of different businesses. For now, the focus is on hospitality, especially after it recently appointed John Burns to its board of advisors.

As a veteran of the hospitality business, John has worked for multinational hotel brands such as Hyatt and Ramada. In addition, he has plenty of experience working for technology companies such as THISCO (now Pegasus Solutions) and INTRICO over 40 years of his career. He was recognised as one of the 10 hospitality gurus influencing the travel industry by Lodging Magazine and is a member of the HFTP's International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame.

The platform is unique from other hotel booking platforms such as booking.com in that it gives hotels independent access to the tools. This means that hotels themselves can make the most of the AI, rather than losing out on revenue to a third-party service.

The AI platform, according to Mike Webster, CEO of Arvoia, is "the world's most advanced AI solution for hoteliers," citing the service's spread throughout European properties. "It has resulted in increased direct customers, revenue, and guest happiness without requiring the hotel to invest in new technology," he explained.

While the hotel industry is the main focus of Arvoia right now, the Killarney-based company could yet move to other sectors too. Restaurants, travel agencies, and airlines could all benefit from AI-powered tools. As the demand for this technology increases, the future looks bright for Arvoia.

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Ireland’s oldest citizen has Killarney connections

Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week. Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections. The previous record […]

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Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week.

Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections.

The previous record was held by 107-year-old Nancy Stewart who died on September 10 2021.

Although born in Belfast, Máirín went to school in the Mercy Convent. Her father was a customs and excise officer and the family moved around a lot eventually coming to Killarney after spells in County Down and Dublin.

Her mother came from the Rathmore area and her father was from Newmarket in County Cork.

She attended the Mercy Convent and has, in previous interviews, recalled growing up on the shores of Lough Lein.

“Neighbours who had three children were given the job of taking me to school,” she said. “They were annoyed because the children were going to school for two or three years but I was put in to the same class as them – my mother had taught me.”

In 2021 she featured in the book ‘Independence Memories: A People’s Portrait of the Early Days of the Irish Nation’, sharing stories of being kept in school in Killarney during an attack on the RIC barracks down the road.

In 1924 she started a degree in science and a diploma in education at University College Cork, before working in the pathology lab in University College Cork’s Department of Medicine for 16 years.

last year she recalled her story on the podcast: ‘Living History – Irish Life and Lore’.

During the broadcast she talked about her parents’ membership of the Gaelic League in 1910; the Spanish Flu in Ireland in 1918; The Black and Tans in Killarney in 1921; the early days of the new Free State; Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in 1932, visiting the Basket Islands in 1929; and working in the UCC medical laboratory from 1932 until 1948.

This week President Michael D. Higgins hosted an afternoon tea event to celebrate the important role that a variety of people have and can play in different communities and Máirín was among the guests of honour.

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Philip is running over 100kms for Cancer charity

Local runner and charity fundraiser Philip Kissane is set for the biggest challenge of his career as he lines up for the Cork City Marathon on Sunday. Phillip has already […]

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Local runner and charity fundraiser Philip Kissane is set for the biggest challenge of his career as he lines up for the Cork City Marathon on Sunday.

Phillip has already completed four half marathons at various locations around Killarney – all in aid of Kerry Cancer Support Group – or the Cancer Bus as it popularly called.

This is the second time that Phillip has run four half marathon and an official race for the charity.

Back in 2021 he finished with 5km Run Killarney event but his finishing race this time around is over eight times the distance at 42kms.

“We are delighted with Philip’s continued fundraising support but also with his awareness raising for the charity,” Breda Dyland, Service Manager Kerry Cancer Support Trust.

“We are getting busier all the time and still get no statutory funding so are dependent on fundraisers like Philip’s to keep us on the road. We have just put our new wheelchair accessible bus on the Cork route so Philip’s funding will be going towards the operation of this vehicle.”

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