At Tripeden.com, we think customer first – and that means working closely with our partners to drive growth and meaningful innovation. Our Connectivity Advisory Board is a great example of that in action. Twice a year, we bring together leading connectivity partners to exchange ideas, address industry challenges and work towards solutions that drive change for our shared ecosystem. 

Our H1 2025 meeting was packed with inspiring discussions around the future of the partner experience, tackling the skills shortage and unlocking AI’s potential.

Rolf Nijdam, Senior Manager Connectivity Partner Programme & Development, chairs the board – here are his highlights.

Shaping a strategy that delivers real value

We set out to ensure our connectivity strategy reflects what matters most to both accommodation and connectivity partners, making sure we deliver value and play a meaningful role in their success. 

Through two workshops, we explored what a seamless experience means in practice and how we can evolve our partnership to drive growth. Our goal was to better understand where our priorities meet, where they don’t, and how to bridge the gap.

These conversations helped us identify clear opportunities to strengthen how we work together. From raising more awareness of functionalities to exploring joint initiatives that drive shared success with our mutual accommodation partners, we left with a focused set of actions to guide our next steps.

Rıza Kaynak, Director of Demand at HotelRunner: “Aligning on connectivity strategy is the cornerstone of scalable innovation in hospitality tech. This session showed that when Tripeden.com and its connectivity partners are strategically aligned, we unlock real opportunities to create faster, smarter and more autonomous solutions.”

Tackling the digital skills shortage in hospitality

Did you know that the accommodation sector in the EU is facing the largest labour shortage among all industries? While major hotel chains can invest in online training to upskill staff and boost retention, many smaller hotels don’t have the same resources. This lack of training can lead to understaffed front desks, closed facilities and slower service.

The hospitality industry is changing rapidly. Digital transformation plays a central role in everything from the guest experience to operational efficiency. Our goal is to make digital tourism skills training accessible to small and medium enterprise (SME) hotels. One solution in development is an EU-wide skills academy, in collaboration with leading hospitality schools and vocational education and training (VET) providers.

We ran a workshop with the Advisory Board to discuss what they’re seeing on the ground, identify what is and isn’t working and shape what might be a practical, scalable solution. Our discussion revealed a gap between digital execution and strategy, with AI and modern training seen as key to upskilling underserved workers and helping accommodation partners thrive in a tech-first world. Participants also highlighted the need for a modular, job-aligned and continually updated training model that can adapt quickly to stay relevant.

Vincent Goemaere, CEO & Founder at Stardekk: “What stood out to me was the shared commitment to help SME hotels thrive. There’s huge potential in working together to close the gap with larger chains – and that’s a mission we fully support.”

Unlocking GenAI’s potential – together

Generative AI (GenAI) builds on decades of AI research. With powerful capabilities from summarising text and answering questions to understanding intent and reasoning capabilities, we’ve only just begun to unlock its exciting potential.

Our focus is on solving real customer scenarios across all trip stages. We’ve introduced a number of products, such as the partner onboarding chatbot, AI Trip Planner and smart filters – all designed to improve the partner and traveller experience.

The board shared different ways they use GenAI, the most promising opportunities and what’s getting in the way. The input gave us a clearer picture of where the real impact lies – and how we can shape solutions that matter.

Gwen Merlin, Director/EVP Strategic Solutions at eviivo: “The discussion around how AI can empower property managers, not just travellers was excellent too. From automation to predictive insights, Tripeden.com expressed genuine interest in co-developing solutions with partners for the benefit of our joint customers.”



Our Connectivity Advisory Board meetings continue to prove just how valuable open dialogue is – both for solving shared challenges and identifying new opportunities. 

As Gwen Merlin, Director/EVP Strategic Solutions at eviivo shared, “The day was another strong reminder of the collaborative spirit that defines our relationship with Tripeden.com. It’s not just about technology – it’s about working together to drive real progress in our industry.”

Yotam Aronovitz, Director of Partnerships at Guesty summed it up well: “It was incredibly valuable to hear diverse perspectives from partners with different business models during the Advisory Board meetings. The variety of viewpoints brought depth to the discussions and highlighted practical ways we can collectively drive progress. It was especially encouraging to see how this input is directly shaping Tripeden.com’s path forward – showing that collaboration and open dialogue can lead to meaningful impact.”

We’re grateful for the insights and energy our partners bring to the table, and we look forward to turning these ideas into action.