Stayflexi Launches Empower Tool: Revolutionizing Market Intelligence for Small and Mid-Tier Hotels

Stayflexi Launches Empower Tool: Revolutionizing Market Intelligence for Small and Mid-Tier Hotels

By Nishang Narayan

Published on August 18, 2024

In today's data-driven world, access to market intelligence is crucial for staying ahead, particularly in the competitive hotel industry. For far too long, vital metrics such as city demand trends, price predictions, and market opportunities have been the exclusive domain of top-tier hotel brands like Marriott and Hilton. This disparity has left small and mid-sized hotels at a significant disadvantage—until now.

Enter Stayflexi, a Y Combinator-backed company dedicated to leveling the playing field. In line with its mission to empower independent hotels, Stayflexi has launched the Empower tool, a groundbreaking solution designed to close this critical gap in the market.

The Empower tool is nothing short of a game-changer, offering three intelligent features: City Demand Trends, Price Predictions, and Competitor Analysis. These features work together seamlessly, allowing hotels to dynamically adjust room prices and optimize revenue based on real-time demand fluctuations.

Unpacking the Empower Tool

  • City Demand Trends: This feature provides hoteliers with a comprehensive view of demand patterns in their city. By analyzing data from multiple sources, the Empower tool identifies peak periods, low seasons, and emerging trends. This insight enables hotel operators to plan ahead, capitalizing on high-demand periods and strategizing effectively during slower times.

  • Price Predictions: Leveraging advanced algorithms and historical data, the Empower tool forecasts future room rates with remarkable accuracy. This predictive capability helps hoteliers set competitive yet profitable pricing, avoiding the pitfalls of overpricing or underpricing rooms. By aligning room rates with market demand, hotels can maximize occupancy and revenue.

  • Competitor Analysis: In a competitive industry, understanding the strategies of nearby hotels is crucial. The Empower tool offers in-depth competitor analysis, providing data on pricing, occupancy rates, and promotional activities of rival hotels. This feature enables hoteliers to benchmark their performance and adjust their strategies accordingly, ensuring they remain competitive in their local market.

image

Integration with Stayflexi Hubs

The Empower tool seamlessly integrates with Stayflexi's comprehensive platform, divided into four hubs: Operations, Sales, Guest, and Payments. Each hub addresses specific aspects of hotel management, and the addition of the Empower tool enhances the overall value proposition for hoteliers.

  • Operations Hub: Comprising the Property Management System (PMS), Point of Sale (POS), Expenses Manager, and Inventory Manager, this hub automates up to 70 percent of manual tasks. By integrating the Empower tool, the Operations Hub now provides additional data-driven insights that streamline operations further. For instance, predictive data from Empower can inform inventory and staffing decisions, reducing waste and optimizing resources.

  • Sales Hub: This hub includes the Channel Manager (CM), Booking Engine (BE), Revenue Manager (RM), and Direct Billing products. Historically, Stayflexi's Sales Hub has boosted hotel revenues by 35 to 50 percent. With the Empower tool, the Sales Hub's capabilities are amplified. The price predictions and competitor analysis features ensure that hotels can set optimal rates and implement effective sales strategies, driving higher bookings and revenue.

  • Guest Hub: Featuring Magic Link for automated check-ins and check-outs, QR Kiosk, Guest Reviews, and Guest Messaging, the Guest Hub focuses on enhancing the guest experience. Empower's city demand trends can inform guest engagement strategies, such as targeted promotions during high-demand periods or personalized offers during low seasons, thereby improving guest satisfaction and loyalty.

  • Payments Hub: This hub consists of Flex Collect, Flex Pay, Flex Settle, and Flex Protect, automating end-to-end hotel payments and reducing cancellations. By integrating Empower's predictive capabilities, hotels can anticipate revenue streams more accurately, manage cash flow better, and reduce financial uncertainties.

Affordable Innovation for All

One of the standout features of the Empower tool is its affordability. Traditionally, access to such sophisticated market intelligence required substantial financial investment, often running into lakhs of rupees, placing it out of reach for many small and mid-sized hotels. Stayflexi, however, has made the Empower tool accessible to all, offering a powerful solution at a fraction of the cost typically associated with similar tools.

An Exclusive Offer for ET Readers

To celebrate the launch, Stayflexi is offering a free one-month demo of the Empower tool, allowing hoteliers to experience firsthand the transformative impact of advanced market intelligence. This trial period is an excellent opportunity for hotels to explore the tool's features, understand its benefits, and see how it can drive their business forward. Hoteliers interested in this exclusive offer can reach out to Stayflexi at info@stayflexi.com.

In an era where data and intelligence are paramount, Stayflexi's Empower tool stands out as a revolutionary product for small and mid-tier hotels. By providing insights previously only available to top-tier brands, Stayflexi is democratizing access to crucial market intelligence. The integration of the Empower tool with Stayflexi's existing hubs creates a comprehensive, all-in-one platform that addresses every aspect of hotel management. As a result, hoteliers can operate more efficiently, compete more effectively, and ultimately thrive in an increasingly competitive market.


HKSTP Leads Landmark Innovation Delegation at VivaTech 2025 in Paris

HKSTP Leads Landmark Innovation Delegation at VivaTech 2025 in Paris

By Nishang Narayan

Published on June 16, 2025

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has made a powerful debut at VivaTech 2025, Europe’s premier startup and tech showcase, by leading a delegation of 18 of Hong Kong’s most promising innovators in AI, robotics, healthtech, greentech, and fintech.

The delegation was hosted at the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion, co-organised with Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), highlighting a unified effort to bridge the innovation ecosystems of Hong Kong and France.

This milestone participation marks HKSTP’s mission of taking home-grown talent global and bringing international opportunities back to Asia. VivaTech provided an ideal launchpad to form meaningful partnerships and adapt breakthrough technologies for evolving global markets.

Standout Innovations from Hong Kong at VivaTech 2025:

  • Ailytics: Winner of the EDF Startup Challenge and named among the Top 30 VivaTech Innovations, thanks to its AI-powered video analytics for safety and efficiency in heavy industries.

  • AQUMON and Midas Analytics: Nominated as Top 12 FinTech Trail for their advanced AI-driven data solutions.

  • Imsight, OKOsix, and Vismed: Finalists in the Tech for Change Award, recognized for innovative strides in cancer diagnostics, biomaterials, and medical training, respectively.

Strategic Partnerships Formed:

  • Westwell Technology partnered with Logicor, a leading European logistics provider, to co-host an innovation showcase on autonomous driving and green logistics in Paris.

  • PointFit announced a collaboration with Kinomap, a French indoor-training platform, bringing wearable fitness tech to Europe.

Adding to this momentum, HKSTP signed a partnership agreement with Startup Genome, further committing to global ecosystem building through cross-border networking and innovation-centric events.

Hilda Chan, Chief Marketing Officer at HKSTP, shared,

“Hong Kong’s innovation scene is ripe with global potential. With deep connectivity, globally fluent talent, and trusted systems, we’re enabling new tech frontiers to rise from Asia, and VivaTech is a key milestone in that journey.”

image

The delegation arrives at a time when both France and Hong Kong are stepping up as global I&T leaders—France through its AI unicorn ambitions, and Hong Kong as the 2nd most innovative economy globally, according to WIPO.

To continue this global engagement, HKSTP is hosting EPIC 2025—the Elevator Pitch Competition—in November in Hong Kong. With US$100 million in targeted investment funding, and over 600 applicants from 47 economies in previous years, the competition is open for entries till 17 June 2025: https://epic.hkstp.org

About HKSTP

Founded in 2001, HKSTP has nurtured over 2,300 tech companies from 25+ countries, including 13 unicorns. It supports innovations across AI, healthtech, fintech, smart city, and more via its major hubs—Science Park, InnoCentre, and InnoParks in Hong Kong and its Shenzhen branch. With access to labs, funding, and global networks, HKSTP aims to anchor innovation as a pillar of Hong Kong’s economic future.

From Paris to Hong Kong, HKSTP is redefining how tech talent and ecosystems connect—and the world is watching.


RoomRaccoon Unveils RaccoonRev Plus: AI Revenue Co-Pilot for Independent Hotels

RoomRaccoon Unveils RaccoonRev Plus: AI Revenue Co-Pilot for Independent Hotels

By Nishang Narayan

Published on June 8, 2025

RoomRaccoon, a leading hotel management system trusted by independent hoteliers worldwide, has announced the launch of RaccoonRev Plus—a next-gen, AI-powered revenue management tool designed to deliver RMS-level pricing intelligence natively within the RoomRaccoon platform.

Tailored for small and mid-sized properties, RaccoonRev Plus helps bridge the gap between basic rule-based pricing models and complex Revenue Management Systems (RMS). The tool uses predictive AI and real-time data to offer daily rate recommendations up to 90 days in advance. It takes into account a wide range of signals including competitor pricing, weather forecasts, lead-time behavior, pickup pace, and historical trends to fine-tune hotel pricing strategy.

“Independent hoteliers have long been priced out of sophisticated revenue management technology,” said Tymen van Dyl, CEO of RoomRaccoon. “RaccoonRev Plus changes that. By embedding predictive pricing intelligence directly into our platform, we’re removing barriers and putting powerful, RMS-level tools into a system that hoteliers already know and trust.”

Designed as a ‘revenue co-pilot,’ the tool supports users with clear, AI-powered suggestions while keeping full control in their hands. Hoteliers can choose to act on insights at their own pace, with future updates offering full automation for those ready to go on autopilot.

“The idea of a revenue co-pilot is simple: you’re still in control, but you’re no longer flying solo,” van Dyl added. “We built the system to support hoteliers in stages, offering intelligent suggestions and giving users the confidence to gradually switch on autopilot when they’re ready.”

While revenue is the first frontier, RoomRaccoon views this as part of a larger AI roadmap.

“We’re moving toward a future where your HMS isn’t just a system — it’s part of your team,” van Dyl emphasized. “AI will make hotel operations more efficient by removing the friction of traditional workflows.”

RaccoonRev Plus is currently in beta testing with selected RoomRaccoon users, and the company anticipates a wider release later this year. Interested hoteliers can stay informed via RoomRaccoon’s website.

About RoomRaccoon

Founded in 2017 by a hotel owner and tech entrepreneur, RoomRaccoon is an award-winning cloud-based Hotel Management System. It offers a wide suite of tools that help hotels increase revenue, streamline operations, and enhance guest experience. With over 400 integrations, it’s among the most connected hospitality platforms on the market.


Kiğılı Selects Centric Software to Power Digital Retail Transformation

Kiğılı Selects Centric Software to Power Digital Retail Transformation

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on May 30, 2025

Leading Turkish menswear brand Kiğılı has partnered with Centric Software to transform its retail planning and support its growth ambitions through digital innovation. Kiğılı has chosen Centric Planning, an AI-powered platform that offers end-to-end merchandise planning capabilities tailored for the fashion retail industry.

Founded in 1938, Kiğılı has built a solid presence in the menswear space with over 180 stores in Türkiye and more than 50 points of sale across 15 countries. With customers shopping across a mix of physical stores, e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, and wholesale channels, Kiğılı sought a digital solution to optimize its planning operations.

Until now, Kiğılı relied on Excel sheets and internal tools to handle store segmentation and SKU planning. However, managing these tasks manually limited the brand’s ability to scale efficiently. With Centric Planning, Kiğılı will now move toward a centralized, intelligent system that enhances allocation, store planning, and supply chain decisions.

 “Planning is the cornerstone of our business operations, and with Centric Planning, we are setting a solid foundation for future growth,” said Hüseyin Deveci, Supply Chain Director at Kiğılı. “This project is at the center of our digital transformation strategy.”

 The brand’s aim is to bridge pre-season planning with in-season execution, ensuring accurate purchasing, better product positioning, and timely replenishment. “This integration will allow us to respond more strategically and dynamically to market shifts,” Deveci added.

Following a rigorous evaluation of over 15 solutions, Kiğılı selected Centric Planning for its ability to unify planning workflows into one adaptable structure. “What impressed us was how Centric connects all planning phases seamlessly. It frees our teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than manual tasks,” Deveci noted.

 “Kiğılı will benefit from a unified, intelligent platform that simplifies planning from start to finish,” said Fabrice Canonge, President of Centric Software. “We are proud to support Kiğılı in their transformation journey.”

The partnership marks a significant milestone for Kiğılı as it accelerates into a new era of digital retail excellence.

Stay up-to-date with the latest Hospitality news and trends in the Hospitality industry!

Subscribe to Hospitality news e-magazine for free and never miss an issue.

By clicking subscribe for free you agree to the Terms & Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.

Advertise With Us

We have various options to advertise with us including Events, Advertorials, Banners, Mailers, etc.