The hospitality world just said NamAIste to a revolutionary innovation from India. NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT was officially launched in Kolkata, proudly claiming the title of the world's first generative AI-powered knowledge engine tailored exclusively for the hospitality industry.

The launch marks a milestone moment—not just for India but for the entire global hospitality ecosystem. Built under the visionary leadership of Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of IIHM and a prominent AI evangelist, NamAIste is a game-changer in the way hospitality professionals, students, and educators will learn, research, and make decisions in the future.

“This is not just a tech marvel—it’s the dawn of a new mindset,” said Dr. Bose during his address at the global launch event at the IIHM Global Campus. Broadcast live across countries and time zones, the unveiling resonated deeply with hospitality leaders, educators, and students. “If the US can have Google and China can have DeepSeek, India can — and now does — have NamAIste,” he added.

Proudly Made in India, this first-of-its-kind Hospitality GPT was developed in partnership with Entiovi Technologies, using a Large Language Model (LLM) built specifically for hospitality. It offers real-time insights, global best practices, service innovations, and curated content from over 60 countries—all in a customized, AI-powered interface. The system even demonstrated a query in Bengali returning answers from Japanese culinary documents—earning a thunderous applause from attendees.

Sanjoy Chatterjee, Chairman, NASSCOM Regional Council (East) and Co-founder of Entiovi, emphasized that NamAIste’s uniqueness isn’t just in its technology, but in the depth of its domain-specific knowledge. “The real achievement is building a platform where a student from Bengal can ask about Japanese hospitality and get an accurate, translated, deeply-researched response instantly,” he said.

The platform is designed to empower students, educators, faculty members, and industry stakeholders alike. With features like access to SOPs, training materials, and trend forecasts, NamAIste is set to revolutionize hospitality education and workforce readiness.

Key benefits of NamAIste include:

• Revolutionizing hospitality education and training

• Enabling smart, data-driven decision-making for professionals

• Providing instant access to global best practices and innovations

Beyond the data and tech, Dr. Bose reminded everyone that hospitality will always be a people-first industry. “AI can assist, but it cannot replace the human smile,” he said, striking a perfect balance between technology and tradition.

This launch wasn’t just a product release—it was a proud “Greeted in India” moment. With IIHM campuses erupting in celebration, the initiative has been hailed as a shining example of Viksit Bharat and Make in India, reaffirming India’s growing influence in global innovation.

IIHM has long been known for redefining hospitality education. With NamAIste, it goes beyond preparing students for the industry—it’s equipping them to lead it.

As Dr. Bose aptly summed it up, “This is India’s gift to the world of hospitality.”

Carnival Cruise Line has announced a new partnership with Cantaloupe, Inc., a global provider of self-service commerce technology, to enhance guest experiences at Celebration Key, Carnival’s exclusive upcoming destination on Grand Bahama, opening July 19, 2025. The collaboration brings self-service kiosks powered by Cantaloupe to the island, enabling cashless, quick, and seamless ordering at all food and beverage outlets.

Using Cantaloupe’s advanced point-of-sale (POS) solutions, guests can simply scan their Sail & Sign cards, extending Carnival’s onboard cashless payment system to this new off-ship location for the very first time. This move is aimed at creating a frictionless and familiar environment for travelers, allowing them to enjoy the destination without the hassle of cash or physical credit cards.

“Cantaloupe is excited to power this experience by providing a frictionless, technology-driven solution that will simplify guests’ dining and service experiences,” said Tom Lapham, Senior Vice President of Cheq at Cantaloupe, Inc. He noted that the technology is designed to handle high volumes of transactions with real-time updates, ensuring reliable and efficient service even during peak demand.

Celebration Key, designed as a premier cruise destination, will feature multiple dining and beverage venues where Cantaloupe’s kiosks will be installed, giving guests complete control over their food and beverage purchases.

Richard Morse, Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage at Carnival Cruise Line, shared, “Our collaboration with Cantaloupe is critical to making Celebration Key a destination that is full of fun and takes the worry out of carrying cash for our guests. Through this partnership, we’re able to offer an experience that extends the ease and familiarity of onboard dining to our exclusive destination.”

Cantaloupe’s POS solutions are already known for their high performance in high-traffic venues. With this partnership, the company is marking a significant step in its expansion into the travel and hospitality sectors, reaffirming its commitment to delivering world-class digital and self-service solutions tailored for large-scale operations.

As guests explore the vibrant offerings at Celebration Key, they can now do so with greater freedom and ease, thanks to this strategic technology-driven alliance.

Taking a major leap toward smarter hospitality, Hotelogix, a global leader in cloud-based hospitality technology, has announced the integration of advanced AI features into its trusted Hotel Property Management System (Hotel PMS). This move is set to empower hotels across the world with automation, real-time intelligence, and sharper decision-making, enabling them to deliver more efficient operations and elevated guest experiences.

With AI now woven into the fabric of its platform, Hotelogix is helping properties unlock value across every touchpoint of hotel management. From optimizing metasearch bids and web content for better conversions, to enabling smart inventory tracking, demand forecasting, and resource optimization in F&B operations — the platform is designed for operational excellence.

For revenue management, hotels can now use AI to analyze booking patterns, competitor rates, and market shifts to dynamically adjust pricing — leading to better occupancy and profitability. Reputation management also gets a boost, with AI-driven tools helping hotels analyze guest reviews, understand sentiment, and respond promptly and meaningfully across online platforms.

Marketing and guest engagement go a step further, with tools for personalized upselling, automated WhatsApp campaigns, multilingual websites, and dynamic room upgrades — all driven by intelligent algorithms and data.

Speaking on the innovation, Aditya Sanghi, CEO of Hotelogix, said,

“Imagine a small hotel with a multilingual AI concierge offering 24/7 support and personalized recommendations in the guest's native language. It’s not just about convenience — it’s a smarter, more efficient way to deliver exceptional hospitality.”

According to industry projections, AI adoption in hospitality is set to grow 60% annually through 2033, and Hotelogix is positioning itself as a key enabler of that change — especially for mid-sized and independent hotels looking to compete with larger brands using agile, precise, and scalable technology.

With a presence in 100+ countries and the trust of over 12,000 hotels, Hotelogix is already known for helping hotels transition to the cloud. Now, it’s taking that expertise further.

“We’re working on integrating PMS data-driven agentic AI next,” Aditya added. “This will allow hotels to scale with intelligence, boost yield, and deliver hyper-personalized guest experiences.”

From distribution and revenue to guest services and marketing, Hotelogix’s AI-backed solutions mark a major shift in how hotels will operate in the coming decade — with intelligence at their core.