HII picks LOKAL as official technology partner for hotel AI rollout

Hospitality Innovators, Inc. has named LOKAL Technologies its official technology partner as the Philippine hotel group begins rolling out ely across more than 100 hotels, resorts and accommodations. The move expands a partnership that started in 2018 and puts LOKAL’s AI into HII’s hotel operations to help drive direct bookings and reduce reliance on online travel agencies.

Why it matters: - Hospitality Innovators, Inc. is moving from a marketing relationship to a core technology relationship with LOKAL. - The shift puts AI directly into hotel operations, where faster guest responses and more direct bookings can reduce dependence on third-party booking channels. - LOKAL’s system is designed to answer guests around the clock, in more than 58 languages, and route bookings to the hotel’s own website.

What happened: - Hospitality Innovators, Inc. named LOKAL Technologies Pty Ltd its official Technology Partner. - The agreement formalizes a relationship that began in 2018. - The rollout starts with ely across HII’s hotel portfolio. - HII is a Philippine hotel management group with 16+ properties. - The rollout begins in the Philippines this quarter. - Australia is next in Q1 2027.

The details: - LOKAL has served as HII’s marketing partner since 2018. - In a recent six-month campaign across HII properties, LOKAL cut wasted ad spend by 41%. - The same campaign lowered cost per visitor by 61% and increased clicks by 46%. - LOKAL said that experience in hospitality marketing helped identify hotel problems the company wanted to solve with technology. - HII CEO Luis Monserrat said AI technology can significantly help the group. - ely is built to handle guest messages that arrive at all hours and to reduce lost bookings when guests do not get a timely reply. - ely uses only hotel-approved information. - ely guides guests to the hotel’s own booking page and includes the booking engine. - When a question needs a person, ely hands the conversation to hotel staff. - A hotel website, Google visibility, AI-answer visibility, brand content and plain-English reports all use the same approved hotel information. - LOKAL’s team sets up the system, tests it before go-live, reviews conversations daily and checks weekly for improvements. - The hotel approves the information and runs the hotel. - Across HII’s portfolio, ely starts with website chat and bookings. - Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp support will follow. - ely is going live at 100+ hotels, resorts and accommodations across the Philippines this quarter. - Each property is being set up and run by LOKAL’s team. - The initial rollout includes guest chat, bookings, website, visibility, brand and reports. - Hotels, resorts and venues can join the waitlist at ely.ph.

Between the lines: - The partnership gives LOKAL a larger operational role inside a hotel group it already knew well from years of marketing work. - The product pitch is straightforward: lower labor pressure on staff and push more bookings through channels the hotel controls. - LOKAL is also using HII as a launchpad for broader hotel distribution in the Philippines before expanding to Australia.

What's next: - ely will expand beyond website chat and bookings to Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp. - Planned additions include in-chat booking, PMS connection and voice. - LOKAL says the broader Philippines rollout continues in Q4 2026, with Australia following in Q1 2027.

The bottom line: - HII is making LOKAL part of its operating stack, not just its marketing mix, as the hotel group leans on AI to chase more direct revenue and faster guest service.