XECH is making bold strides in its retail journey with the opening of its latest Experience Centre in Ahmedabad, located at Dhanlaxmi Complex, Ashram Road, Usmanpura. Designed to provide an immersive, hands-on shopping experience, the store caters to walk-in customers, resellers, and corporate buyers alike. This is XECH’s third major retail expansion, following the successful debut of its Hyderabad Experience Centre on 31st May, 2025, at Rudram Towers, PG Road, Secunderabad, and its flagship outlet in Pune which launched on 19th October, 2023.

The Ahmedabad inauguration saw participation from the company’s leadership team and local channel partners, making it a standout moment for tech enthusiasts and the retail community in western India.

Each of XECH’s stores is strategically set in high-growth urban centres, functioning as brand hubs where customers can explore the expanding range of lifestyle tech products, smart gadgets, and premium corporate gifting solutions. With robust expansion plans in place, XECH is targeting a 2X revenue growth this fiscal year, driven by its omni-channel approach, innovative product portfolio, and scalable business model. These Experience Centres are central to XECH’s goal of bridging the digital-physical divide — creating spaces where quality, speed, and tangible engagement meet.

Speaking on the expansion, Mr. Pranay Punjabi, Founder and CEO of XECH Technologies Pvt. Ltd., shared,

“Each city plays a strategic role in our retail vision. Pune gave us our first physical touchpoint, Hyderabad validated our scale strategy in a dynamic tech market, and Ahmedabad will strengthen our presence in western India — connecting us to customers who value smart, dependable tech. These are more than just stores; they’re brand experience hubs where people can interact with our innovations firsthand. We’re focused on making practical, well-designed technology accessible to those who need it — whether at home, work, or in business.”

Shoppers visiting these stores can explore XECH’s entire tech ecosystem, including its bestsellers and upcoming launches, all in an interactive setting. From portable kettles and cordless vacuum cleaners to Bluetooth clocks, eye massagers, tyre inflators, and garment steamers, XECH’s range is sharply focused on addressing real-world needs with intuitive, multi-functional, and thoughtful tech — equally suited for individual users and corporate gifting.

To celebrate the Ahmedabad launch, XECH is offering an exclusive 10% in-store discount throughout July, inviting customers to experience their innovations firsthand.

Looking ahead, XECH plans to continue expanding its retail footprint across India in the coming quarters, building more such immersive spaces that blend tactile experiences with the convenience of modern retail.

Vienna-based AI startup Chatlyn has raised €8 million in Series A funding, as it sets out to build what it calls the "AI brain for hotels"—a powerful communication and operations platform that is transforming how hotels engage with guests across every touchpoint. The round was led by Smedvig Ventures and saw participation from notable investors including AnyDesk founder Andreas Burike, Blaguss Group, and hospitality-focused angels. An innovation grant was also awarded by FFG, Austria's research and development agency.

Chatlyn’s platform is already used by over 1,000 properties across 30 countries, including luxury brands like St. Regis Mauritius, Singer Palace Rome, and InterContinental Vienna. The company recently opened a new Dubai office, strengthening its presence in the fast-growing Middle East market.

"We’re building an AI that understands hospitality like a concierge and never sleeps," said Nicolas Vorsteher, CEO & Co-founder, Chatlyn. "Our goal is to eliminate missed opportunities and bring back meaningful guest interactions—instantly, intelligently, and in over 35 languages."

Solving Hospitality’s €10 Billion Communication Gap

Chatlyn tackles one of the hotel industry's biggest pain points: fragmented guest communication across multiple channels like WhatsApp, Booking.com, Airbnb, SMS, and email. This chaos leads to missed revenue, frustrated staff, and unhappy guests.

Chatlyn consolidates these platforms into a single AI-powered hub that doesn’t just automate responses—it learns the brand voice, understands context, and handles everything from booking inquiries to multilingual review replies.

Innovations Driving Adoption

• AI Visual Webchat: Guests can book rooms via chat, see real-time prices, and complete reservations—all within a conversation.

• 98% Open Rates: WhatsApp-based messaging far outperforms traditional email marketing.

• Full Channel Integration: Only platform that combines Airbnb, Booking messenger, social, email, SMS, and more.

• Language Mastery: Real-time translation in 35+ languages, handling 70%+ of inquiries autonomously.

Industry Voices

"Our AI assistant handles over 70% of queries in English, German, Arabic, and more—freeing our team to focus on delivering exceptional service," said Garry Loefgen, Head of Commercial at InterContinental Vienna.

"Chatlyn is poised to lead hospitality’s biggest transformation since online booking," said Freddie Kalfayan, Principal at Smedvig Ventures.

Roadmap: Scaling Intelligence

The new funds will be used to:

• Develop AI Booking Assistant for seamless omnichannel bookings.

• Expand into APAC, UAE, and wider Europe, cementing market leadership.

• Double the AI and development team, enhancing both platform depth and consultative services for hotels.

"We’re not just automating—our AI anticipates needs and creates magical guest moments,” added Michael Urbanek, CTO & Co-founder.

Fast Facts:

• Funding Raised: €8M Series A

• Properties Served: 1,000+ in 30 countries

• Founded: Late 2022

• Top Integrations: Oracle Opera, Mews, Protel by Planet, Apaleo, Clock PMS

• Recognition: World Travel Awards 2024 – Best Chatbot Solution Provider

• Key Clients: The Royal Stable Dubai, InterContinental Vienna, Le Grand Bellevue Gstaad

Chatlyn’s momentum signals a new era of smart hospitality, where AI doesn’t replace staff—it empowers them to deliver faster, more meaningful guest experiences.

Otelier, the hospitality data platform, has unveiled a revamped version of its budgeting and forecasting solution TruePlan, designed specifically for the hotel industry. With a refreshed user interface and enhanced functionality, the platform aims to help hotel operators replace cumbersome spreadsheets with a more streamlined and collaborative financial planning experience.

Developed in response to customer feedback, the new TruePlan supports real-time data sync, detailed forecasting, and rapid onboarding, enabling hotel finance teams to move “from data to decisions” faster than ever.

Russell Meek, Senior Director of Product Strategy at Otelier, shared, “Budgeting and forecasting should be powerful, not painful. We’ve rebuilt TruePlan to be faster, scalable, and aligned with the real-world needs of today’s hotel finance teams.”

The updated platform allows daily-level forecasting, bulk action tools, and pre-loaded financial drivers relevant to the hospitality industry. It also fosters cross-department collaboration, reducing revisions and delays, while enabling users to shorten budgeting cycles by up to 30%.

Key features include:

• Modern user interface for intuitive use

• Self-service onboarding

• Built-in collaboration tools

• Power BI integration for dynamic reporting

• Integration with PMS, labour, BI, and accounting systems for live data planning

TruePlan is built on Otelier’s centralised integration framework, which ensures synchronised data flow across various hospitality tech solutions such as accounts payable automation, financial reconciliations, and night audit compliance.

This latest launch marks another step in Otelier’s mission to optimise hotel performance, following its strategic partnership with Repay Holdings last year to enhance payment and financial workflows across the industry.

With TruePlan, Otelier is not only improving financial forecasting but also redefining the way hoteliers collaborate and make critical planning decisions.