Choice Hotels has partnered with Google as an early launch partner for hotel booking in AI Mode in Search. U.S. travelers can state preferences in natural language, view visual comparisons, loyalty redemption costs, and complete reservations via Google Pay without leaving Search. The integration leverages Choice's cloud migration, signaling a shift from brand websites to agentic search APIs.
Minor Hotels has successfully deployed Oracle OPERA Cloud across 106 hotels, resorts, and branded residences in 59 countries, and implemented OPERA Cloud Central to centralize reservation management and global distribution. This decommissions property-level servers, unifies multi-brand data layer, and enables rapid integration via OHIP. Next phase will expand to Australia and New Zealand.
A SAP Concur blog post notes the pandemic exposed weaknesses in higher education institutions' legacy systems, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act provides funding to upgrade administrative functions. It says CARES Act funding must be used by December 31, 2021, while the deadline for ARP Act funds is December 31, 2024. It recommends prioritizing student financial aid and campus safety while also improving the systems back-office teams use. It also recommends following the 'paper' trail by shifting from paper to digital documentation for easier proof of funding use, and moving to the cloud, arguing cloud migration is a way to work more efficiently and securely and maximize funding.
The American Rescue Plan Act provides funding for state and local government IT modernization, with a deadline of December 31, 2024. Critical infrastructure projects like cloud services qualify. Travel, expense, and invoice processes are ideal for cloud migration. Automated spend management reduces costs, prevents improper payments, identifies fraud, and improves compliance.