Millennium Hotels & Resorts: Labour, forecasting, scheduling, optimisation and deployment

Context: Millennium Hotels has six properties in Singapore and many more around the world.  As an industry, we have suffered from labour shortages for many years.  With the recovery from Covid underway, we expect this situation only to worsen.  Our sister hotels around the world are also suffering from similar challenges.

Pilot Requirements: We are looking for a solution that will allow us to forecast demand by 15-minute periods and then optimally schedule labour against it including cross deployment to maximize both efficiency and service.  The solution should also allow us to understand opportunities for cross deployment by allowing us to see inversely correlated demand curves.  In addition, it should help us to understand “shrinkage” due to illness so we can account for it in scheduling.  In a perfect world, the tool would inform us of the optimal mix of outsource vs. fixed labour, and it should understand local labour laws or allow for them to be programmed in.  Finally, in a perfect world it would understand what is happening real time to allow us to shift resources to optimize service and productivity.  Finally, as we have a cluster of hotels, we would like to be able to combine this data for all of them to allow for cross deployment between hotels as well between departments.

The tool should allow us to print and communicate schedules and ideally would enable visualization on mobile devices and the swapping of shifts given employees have the same skills.

Technology: AI and Analytics

Millennium Hotels & Resorts: Measuring and reducing environmental impact along supply chain

Context: Millennium Hotels has six properties in Singapore and many more around the world.  Like our parent company CDL, we are very focused on our ESG impact, and we need to find more ways to meaningfully improve our carbon footprint.

Pilot Requirements: Technology, analysis, and data sets that will enable us to accurately understand the environmental footprint of our supply chain / and existing or proposed suppliers and goods so we can measure and reduce our environmental impact more effectively.

Technology: AI and Analytics. Possibly blockchain and IOT could be part of the solution. 

Tribe: Automate tour operator bookings by push communication to internal parties and customer

Context: Tribe is a growing travel company that handles bookings from multiple sources that include third party platforms, direct bookings on our website, phone bookings, and bookings made via whatsapp. Tour operations are largely manually executed by staff that include booking of tour guide, vehicle, and informing vendors of visit mainly via whatsapp or calls. This also includes emails being sent to customers once the tour is confirmed.

Pilot Requirements: PRIMARY NEED: We are looking for a digital solution that is able to take these various information sources and automatically trigger messages (via whatsapp) to confirm a tour booking. These include whatsapp messages to conveyance operators, tour guides, stall/store vendors and in turn capture their confirmation to trigger that the tour is confirmed. After which, a confirmation email is automatically sent to customers and tour operators.
SECONDARY NEED: Going one step further, if the incoming tour bookings via a singular email can be automatically filled into the excel spreadsheet, this will be even better. 
This solution will alleviate much of the booking operations processes that are done manually (which can lead to errors) and automate a chunk of the bookings management processes. This booking management system could also provide for another automated method of notifying customers and or tour operators of bookings (beyond email).

Technology: Unsure but it seems like an API to connect our emails to that of whatsapp push technology and in turn capture the incoming confirmation messages from the various tour parties to trigger a tour confirmation.

WTS Travel: High touch customer engagement platform

Context: With over 15 outlets across Singapore during pre-COVID days, WTS Travel has always placed importance in reaching out to our customers at their convenience. With the decrease of our brick-and-mortar stores, we are aiming to digitalise and seek solutions to replace our physical outlets while still providing personalised services with real-time video conference calls. This solution should value-add to our existing services such that it attracts newer and younger customers with never before seen features.

Pilot Requirements: A one-stop travel platform that can allow customers to communicate with our customer service officers through real-time video conference calls and at the same time complete their booking. This platform should also have a pouch feature that can collate their documents required for their trip. I.e. Travel tickets, hotel vouchers, attraction tickets, itinerary. There should also be a built-in calendar/reminder function so that important dates are saved. This is especially important with the introduction of frequent COVID-19 tests when travelling via the vaccinated travel lane (VTL). The solution should utilize customer data for analytics.

Technology: IoT, Data Analytics

Global Travel: AI to improve staff productivity for corporate travel

Context: For corporate travel, there are many different travel policies to be adhered to, and the current manual flight and hotel recommendation process is time-consuming

Pilot Requirements: AI and chatbot assisted booking system where corporate client info (travel policy, profiles, past bookings/preferences) are saved, and integrated with the global distribution system and flight/hotel suggestions can be generated quickly ,saving time and driving efficiency.

Technology: AI, Chatbot, Traveltech

EU Holidays: Streamline customer data management from booking to CRM

Context: Travel Agencies need to get to know their customers and clients to make better use of their marketing outreach as well as offer more personalised customer service and experience. The process of mapping booking data with CRM data is however very manual and error prone. EU Holidays is looking for a solution that can create personas for targeted & personalised service by combing through and drawing insights from CRM and booking system. This is the  biggest challenge. Traditional Travel Agencies are facing when embarking on a digital journey - The digitalisation of  processes and centralisation of  customers’ data for big data analysis is crucial to enhance customer service, reach and experience using  targeted content.

Pilot Requirements: Bridging of CRM (“HubSpot”)  and booking system (“System Design”, a legacy Singapore designed software that is over 20 years old and hardly goes through any update) to analyse thus create Personas effectively

Technology: Cloud, Data Analysis, AI, Blockchain (additional)

Pelago: Responsive and scalable intelligent support for decision making/bookings by travelers

Context: Pelago is an online travel marketplace that connects travelers to activities and experiences all around the world, helping them to make bookings seamlessly and easily.  Customers face uncertainty and stress when making decisions about upcoming travel, especially if they are unfamiliar with the product/activity or destination. Before committing to purchases, they spend vast amounts of time researching (this may be within Pelago and outside Pelago) in order to gain confidence that a certain product will meet their needs and expectations. This problem is also compounded with additional elements of unfamiliarity, when customers are new to the platform (i.e. Pelago), if the product they are interested in is niche and not yet widely reviewed elsewhere, if they have questions specific to their unique scenarios and needs, or if the information is not clearly indicated on Pelago.

Pelago wants to provide relevant and meaningful assurances to customers so that their concerns are addressed and their purchases can be made with confidence. We want to deliver these assurances in a way that is immediate and responsive, and also empathetic and human.

Pilot Requirements: A solution to help time-pressed customers who may be coming from different countries (i.e. comfortable with different languages) get the info they need in a responsive / immediate way to facilitate the customer journey in these areas (ideally but not necessarily in both): 

• Decision-making (including whether the information/platform they are seeing can be trusted), and
• Booking (e.g. suggesting viable and suitable alternatives if needed or additional complementary purchases).

The solution should enable this in a way that humanises the digital experience with minimal effort from ground staff, due to manpower resourcing challenges and language constraints while scaling up rapidly across geolocations.

Technology: The solution should minimally work on browser-based platforms. The solution can be based on (but are not restricted to) the following technologies:

• Chatbot solutions, virtual assistants
• A.I., natural language processing, machine learning (assisted / unassisted)
• Translation / localisation technologies
• Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality 
• Data Analytics

DreamUs: Ad-hoc, candid image capturing guest interaction

Context: DreamUs Group is the operator behind popular indoor family entertainment center including SuperPark Singapore, Pororo Park Singapore, Tayo Station and Petite Tayo KidsClub. We aim to be the preferred entertainment centre for families. Our target audience includes families with young children, teenagers and playful adults. DreamUs is in the business of happiness and takes pride in providing excellent service and moments for families to build precious memories together.

Pilot Requirements: Being in the business of happiness, DreamUs aims to capture candid moments in real time (in the form of photos or videos) and experiences of their guests to record precious memories built during their playtime in the parks. (As opposed to normal posed photographs typically found in attractions)

Technology: RFID, Facial recognition, Machine Learning, Drone videography, photography.

Gardens by the Bay: High-touch concierge and immersive wayfinding

Context: Part of the Gardens’ Operation Technology Roadmap is to provide a  delightful experience by engaging visitors pre-trip, during visit and post trip.  Visitors usually require assistance in wayfinding and expect quick service to their queries. Gardens currently provides several communication means and channels to visitors through app, web, social media, messaging, call centre and on-site information. However, the responses and information provision to the visitors are usually lacking in speed and integration.

Pilot Requirements: A solution that will:
1. Allow visitors to quickly find their way in the gardens with information  through digital and physical interactions not just in the main attractions but also throughout the gardens and during events. 
2. Provide responses fast and accurately to visitors on their queries and  feedback through various means and channels and allow gardens staff to be able to track and analyse quickly via both mobile and desktop. 
3. Provide concierge services such as those given by the information counters which are currently not in operation since Covid-19 started.

Technology: Mobile, Contactless, Chatbot, IoT, AR, Data Analytics 

Mount Faber Leisure Group: Emission-free electricity generator to power operations of attractions and F&B

Context: Travellers are increasingly becoming sustainability conscious and want to be associated with sustainable tourism brands. Mount Faber Leisure Group (MFLG) is aware of its carbon impact and is looking for solutions to decarbonize its footprint. The Sustainability team of MFLG has ascertained that energy/electricity is a major source of its carbon emissions and exploring alternate sources of energy would be an efficient tool of decarbonization.

Pilot Requirements: We are looking for creative and innovative renewable energy hardware solutions that help to generate electricity in an emission-free manner. The solution should capitalise on our location being on top of Mount Faber Park (nature park) with ample wind, rain, sunshine and footfall from guests. Solutions should also preferably demonstrate circularity within our operations like F&B, Tourism attraction and Cable car. The energy generated must be metered and data should be available seamlessly, preferably via cloud storage.

Some examples might include: 

1. Low velocity wind turbine (able to generate electricity in Singapore’s low wind conditions)
2. Piezoelectricity (using footfall from tourists to generate electricity)
3. Acoustic renewable energy generator (sounds waves near cable car motors/other noisy areas to generate electricity)
4. Biogas energy (using waste from F&B/Building operations to generate energy)

Technology: Sustainable Energy Hardware Technology, Renewable Energy Hardware Technology, Alternate Energy Hardware Technology

Eg: low velocity wind turbine, piezoelectricity, acoustic energy, biogas energy, etc

Singapore Tourism Board: Experiential product offering for wellness providers

• Fitness and Lifestyle: (e.g. innovative fitness tech beyond conventional gyms, experiential tech for sustainable dining experiences)
• Emotional and Mental: (e.g. tech-enhanced mindfulness practice, experiential sleep science in wellness centres or hotels)
• Complementary Health and alternative therapies (e.g. robotics for TCM and Ayurveda)     
• Wellness Resorts and facilities (e.g. wellness tech hardware at wellness centres, experiential tech to elevate spa/medspa)

Pilot Requirements: An innovative B2B2C or B2C experiential product or service that can be offered to wellness and tourism industry partners such as hotels, wellness integrated centres, large-scale wellness boutiques to help rejuvenate tourists and improve their wellbeing. In particular, we are looking for solutions where technology can be harnessed for experiential products/offerings (like during a yoga class, sound healing retreat, spa session, TCM consult). The experience should be attractive enough with a unique selling point, have clear tourism impact and benefit, thereby strengthening the industry partner’s brand association with wellness, and attracting visitors to experience and spend. Conversely, solutions that do not have a destination/experiential element such as apps targeted at personal wellness are not ideal.  The pilot will kick off when STB Wellness Team secures a suitable industry partner for the solution.

Technology: Media Tech, Robotics, Health Tech, Fitness Tech, Experiential Tech, Wellness Tech/Hardware