News Briefs

BeCause, the Danish start-up breaking down barriers in sustainability data management for the global hospitality and tourism sectors, has introduced Certification Co-Pilot, a new tool designed to streamline the eco-certification process for hotels and certifiers. It allows stakeholders to manage certification applications through a single, automated workflow, reducing manual effort and improving efficiency.  

‍Launched today at ITB Berlin, the tool is currently being piloted by customers in several markets and will be fully available at the end of Q2 2025.  

‍Certification Co-Pilot works by connecting hotels directly to certifiers via the BeCause sustainability hub. Applicants simply need to fill in their application on the platform and transmit it to auditors for evaluation. Feedback is managed within the platform as well, while built-in intelligent prompts help identify potential issues and information gaps before transmission, enabling quicker resolutions and significantly reducing certification timelines.

“By removing these barriers, we are confident that hotels will be incentivized to apply for, and obtain, a greater number of eco-certifications — the key criteria consumers and booking platforms use to evaluate a brand’s sustainability credentials,” says BeCause CEO Frederik Rubens Steensgaard.

Hotels can leverage existing sustainability data across frameworks, calculators and within hotel groups using BeCause’s mapping capabilities. For example, figures used to comply with the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive or carbon emission metrics calculated through HCMI are automatically mapped to the chosen certification and can be applied to the application. This process minimizes duplicate data entries, greatly reducing data collection costs and enabling brands to pursue more ambitious sustainability goals with fewer resources.  

“We are excited to be one of the first certifications available through Because’s Certification Co-Pilot and are proud to advance the digitalization of the certification process, especially helping hotels to a very accessible, fast and smooth process leading to certification,” says Julian Reingraber, Strategic Development Manager at GreenSign, who introduced the tool alongside BeCause during a panel discussion at ITB.  

“By automating key steps, it provides a reliable and efficient path towards hotels realizing their sustainability goals, while also increasing consumer trust and transparency,” he adds.

A Game-Changer for the World of Certifications

‍Without BeCause and Certification Co-Pilot, sustainability data collection is often labor-intensive, limiting access to third-party verified eco-certifications. Through the sustainability data hub, hotels can efficiently collect, validate, and share their data, ensuring compliance and credibility.  

Corporate hotel headquarters can pre-populate preferred certifications for specific regions or business units within Co-Pilot, providing relevant data and monitoring progress in real time via an intuitive dashboard, improving investor and stakeholder accountability.  

“Consumers increasingly want to travel more sustainably but often question the validity of green claims. With Certification Co-Pilot, hotels and travel companies have fewer barriers to securing third-party eco-certifications and meeting the growing demand for more sustainable travel options,” says Rubens Steensgaard.  

BeCause also updates a hotel or tourism company’s certification status in real time, ensuring booking engines have immediate access to the most up-to-date sustainability credentials. This seamless integration eliminates the need for manual updates, giving travellers confidence in their booking choices.

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays and complementary solutions, is delighted to announce that its groundbreaking, ultra low power, 50” Philips Signage 3650 EcoDesign has become the first digital signage display to be awarded EPEAT Climate+ Gold designation, with more models set to follow.

The acclaimed Philips Signage 3000 Series EcoDesign, an ideal solution for hospitality environments – from hotel lobbies to bars, restaurants, cafes, gift shops and more – is PPDS’ debut digital signage offering designed with the company’s evolutionary EcoDesign methodology. This sees the implementation of new manufacturing processes, physical features, materials, packaging, and built in software that are kinder to the environment and deliver better energy efficiency.

Delivering uncompromised high impact 4K performance while consuming 50 per cent less* energy versus comparable premium digital signage models, the Philips Signage 3000 Series EcoDesign has already received among the industry's lowest energy label ratings (E on the 50" model, D on the 55" and C on the 65" models) and was initially awarded an EPEAT Climate+ Silver designation.

EPEAT is the world’s premier eco label for electronics, measuring the social and environmental impacts of products from extraction to end-of-life, while also certifying they have met 100 per cent of the Climate Criteria plus at least 50 per cent of the existing optional criteria. These include:

• Climate: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing supply chain and product use.
• Circularity: How products are designed for reuse and recycling, and which ones responsibly address packaging, water, and waste.
• Chemicals of concern: Eliminating the use of toxic chemicals that are hazardous to human health and the environment.
• Responsible supply chains: The responsible sourcing of materials, fair labour practices, and worker health and safety in the electronics supply chain.

EPEAT helps to support and promote more informed, sustainable-driven buying decisions, providing access to a free online Registry, identifying and detailing products from the broadest range of manufacturers across the globe.

The Gold standard

As a globally recognised leader and advocate for innovating sustainability driven AV hardware and software solutions – including implementing the latest packaging designs and technological breakthroughs into existing products for advanced performance and energy efficiencies – the 50” Philips Signage 3000 EcoDesign meets the most demanding set of criteria for sustainability leadership in electronics, with the 55” and 65” set to follow.

Bart Wouters, International Product Manager at PPDS, commented: “At PPDS, the environment and sustainability are at the core for our product development, from the initial designs, right the way through to manufacturing, delivery, and post installation. With the Philips Signage 3000 EcoDesign Series, we achieved a major industry milestone in gaining EPEAT Climate+ Silver. As with all our products, we continued in our pursuit for more. And now this groundbreaking product achieved even better, with EPEAT Climate+ Gold.”

The best got better

Continuing to innovate, and to overcome the challenges customers are facing in the marketplace, the Philips Signage 3000 Series EcoDesign benefits significantly from PPDS’ ongoing strategy to reduce wastage – including plastic – from its packaging, delivered in 90% recycled and 100% recyclable materials, with the removal of paper-based manuals and instructions.

In addition, all plastic bags have been removed, while the use of polystyrene has been replaced with innovative cushioning made using 100 per cent recycled carton, maintaining the same high levels of safety and protection of the product.

Furthermore, the Philips 3000 Series EcoDesign – part of PPDS’ growing Android SoC family – can be managed either manually, or entirely remotely, using third party software or PPDS’ range of in-house solutions, including the Philips Wave remote device management ecosystem. 

Just getting started

Andrea Barbuti, Global Product Management Lead for EMEA at PPDS, added: “The scrutiny of our products for their sustainability features doesn’t end when we launch a new display. That is still very much the beginning. Tracking the performance of a range, checking the product life cycle, and working for better and more. It is all very much on our radar. With Android SoC, we strive to update and enhance at every opportunity and, as we unearth innovations and methodologies to help enhance performance and energy efficiencies, we work to include these in our existing models, as well as our brand new ones. 

“We are immensely proud the 50” Philips Signage 3650 EcoDesign has been recognised with EPEAT Climate+ Gold certification. My thanks and congratulations go to our full team for the continued hard work in setting new standards and striving for a brighter and more sustainable future in AV.”

Soundtrack Technologies (Soundtrack), the leading music streaming provider for business, today announced a preferred supplier agreement with Accor, a global hospitality group with a portfolio of more than 5,700 hotels and 10,000 restaurants and bars in 110 countries.

The new partnership gives Accor access to Soundtrack’s unmatched catalog of more than 100 million songs and ready-made playlists cleared for commercial use, streamlining the deployment of curated music and ensuring immersive guest experiences across its brands worldwide.

“Our venues are vibrant social hubs that go beyond just providing a place to stay or eat,” said Thomas Lehuede, FF&E and GT Global Category Manager at Accor. “Music plays a crucial role in this experience, and it must evolve with us as we grow. With Soundtrack, we’ve found a partner that gives our hoteliers and restaurateurs the flexibility to create bespoke atmospheres, allowing them to truly express their unique identity.”

Soundtrack’s full suite of made-for-business features includes remote access, multi-zone control, In-store audio messaging, explicit lyrics filters and its AI Playlist Creator.

“This partnership with Accor is a significant milestone for Soundtrack, reinforcing our position as the premier music provider for the hospitality industry,” said Ola Sars, CEO of Soundtrack. “Music is a powerful tool for shaping guest experiences, and with our seamless, fully licensed solution, Accor properties can craft distinctive atmospheres that inspire long-term loyalty.”

For more information about Soundtrack, visit soundtrack.io.

SONIFI is expanding its product offerings with cloud-based communications and phone systems from Ooma. 

Global brands, ownership and management groups, and independent hotels have trusted SONIFI for more than 40 years to deliver the best Wi-Fi, interactive TV, streaming and linear TV to guests. 

To complement their current product lineup, SONIFI has partnered with Ooma to also offer hospitality telephony services that benefit guests, staff and a property’s bottom line. 

Ooma’s cloud-based system is a powerful choice for new-build facilities and a reliable replacement for legacy on-premises phone systems in guest rooms, front desks, back offices and common areas. Ooma’s system portal integrates with a hotel’s PMS and can automate personalized and revenue-driving messages to guests. 

“We are honored and excited that SONIFI has chosen to partner with Ooma for phone and communications services,” said Raj Shah, Ooma’s director of strategic sales. “Ooma offers a broad portfolio of solutions for hotels that preserve room phones while cutting cost and complexity, empower office staff with a full set of unified communications features, and provide turnkey POTS replacement for life-safety equipment such as fire alarm panels and elevator phones.” 

“Our customers rely on SONIFI’s experience and expertise to deliver the best guest technology experiences. Their need for phone services makes perfect sense for us to incorporate Ooma’s expertise to our offerings as well,” said Paul Johnson, SONIFI’s senior vice president of strategic accounts and internet services. “We proudly recommend Ooma to our customers for their telephony needs.”

Yanolja, a global travel technology company, announced its participation in Open AI’s global launch of its Operator research preview. This announcement marks another major step forward in Yanolja’s mission to revolutionize the global travel industry with travel-specific generative AI services based on its own proprietary data and infrastructure.

Operator is an AI agent developed by OpenAI that can go to the web to perform tasks such as inputting, clicking, and scrolling, managing travel bookings and online shopping in a web browser. Operator helps users complete travel bookings and shop online within a browser, and is able to click, scroll and type on its own. 

Initially launched in the U.S. in January, Operator’s research preview has now expanded to more global markets. Yanolja plans to support the enhancement of its services with insights gained from travel-related cases collected during the research preview phase.

“Through our extensive data related to travel, our generative AI can deliver hyper-personalized experiences throughout every stage of a user's travel journey, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty," said Jeff Kim, CEO at Yanolja Cloud. “Additionally, our AI technology will streamline customer service and automate operational processes for travel enterprises, leading to increased efficiency and convenience. We’re committed to accelerating the era of fully automated, personal and AI-driven total travel services, and look forward to our collaboration with OpenAI on enhancing the future of travel.”

Yanolja has been rapidly advancing the development of its AI capabilities. From the initial planning stages, it helps users automatically generate travel itineraries tailored to individual preferences and match the real-time inventory data such as room availability or dynamic price. During the trip, its AI services offer conveniences such as auto check-in/check out with cloud-based kiosks, AI concierge services, and local restaurant recommendations, etc.

As one of the fastest-growing global travel technology companies, Yanolja has achieved remarkable growth, reaching total transaction volume of $19.8 billion in 2024 with 186% growth rate, while operating in 206 countries and connecting 1.33 million hotels with over 20,000 travel sales channels like online booking platforms or tour operators. This reflects its expanding global footprint and technological leadership.

Through collaborations with global AI leaders, Yanolja continues to drive digital transformation in travel, shaping the future of automated and intelligent travel experiences ​for both users and travel enterprises worldwide.