Latest news with #AdamHarris
Irish Examiner
17-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Disability groups challenge Government to 'show me the money' in budget
Will this year's budget translate general election promises on disability services into cold hard cash? Disability groups have essentially said 'show me the money' to Government in a series of pre-budget submissions this week. Inclusion Ireland represents people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Its data shows social welfare supports do not match the needs of 66% of adults with an intellectual disability, so it wants core disability payments raised above the poverty threshold. One in four families said their child received no early intervention therapies. This needs investment in children's disability network teams (CDNTs), the submission recommended. CEO Derval McDonagh said: 'Our community is not looking for short-term fixes; we demand long-term thinking and ambition from our leaders.' Its survey of 1,000 people identified 'significant gaps' between people's lived experiences and what the State is obliged to provide under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Disability Federation of Ireland referred back to the programme for government promise of 'a step change in the supports and services required by people with disabilities". The federation's campaign call is 'deliver the step change'. It also argued for an increase in core social protection rates to reflect the true cost of living with a disability. The Disability Federation of Ireland said councils should be funded to make sure 7.5% of all new housing is suitable for wheelchair users. The CDNTs need at least 75 extra full-time therapists and staff, it said. It also called for more assessment of need funding. Councils should be funded to make sure 7.5% of all new housing is suitable for wheelchair users. The federation pointed out the voluntary charity sector delivers over 70% of disability services here. This needs sustainable, multi-annual funding it said. As I Am, Ireland's autism charity, focused on strategies and policies already in existence but in need of funding to roll-out fully. It called for resourcing of the Autism Innovation Strategy. It echoed calls for a weekly cost of disability payment, and also recommended a 10% increase in disability, carers, and domiciliary care allowances. CEO Adam Harris, brother to Tánaiste Simon Harris, said: 'Budget 2026 must confront the uncomfortable reality that our systems are failing autistic people, from year-long waits for services to social exclusion and financial strain." Norma Foley, minister for children, disability and equality and Hildegarde Naughton, junior minister for disability will soon be sitting in on heated budget discussions. They now have a shopping list prepared by people directly impacted by the reality of disability. Can they deliver the money is the question. Read More Letters to the Editor: System fails people with disabilities
Hospitality Net
26-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Cloudbeds publishes first-ever study on AI hotel recommendations as generative AI reshapes travel industry
June 26, 2025 - San Diego, CA - Cloudbeds, the AI-powered platform fueling hotel growth, has today released The Signals Behind Hotel AI Recommendations, the hospitality industry's first comprehensive study examining how generative AI platforms recommend hotels to travelers. The research comes as AI fundamentally transforms how guests discover and book accommodations. With travelers increasingly turning to AI assistants for personalized recommendations rather than traditional search methods, understanding these algorithms has become critical for hotel visibility and revenue generation. Adam Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Cloudbeds, said: "The rules of travel discovery are being rewritten. Travelers no longer scroll through search results; they ask AI and get one answer. This report is the hospitality industry's first in-depth look at how those answers are made. At Cloudbeds, we're sharing these insights to help hoteliers lead in this new era of travel discovery." Conducted across six global destinations using hundreds of automated queries, the study analyzed 145 consistently top-ranked properties to uncover the key factors driving AI hotel recommendations. The study identifies five strategies for hotels to secure visibility: curating a strategic OTA portfolio, optimizing hotel websites for accuracy and comprehensive detail, prioritizing reputation management across review platforms, expanding digital footprint, and emphasizing unique brand storytelling. Key findings from the study: OTAs dominate AI sources: More than half (55.3%) of all sources cited were OTAs, with Tripadvisor, and Expedia leading citations. More than half (55.3%) of all sources cited were OTAs, with Tripadvisor, and Expedia leading citations. Branded properties have a clear advantage: 72.4% of AI-recommended hotels were branded or large groups, with these properties showing 4.43 percentage points higher visibility than independents. 72.4% of AI-recommended hotels were branded or large groups, with these properties showing 4.43 percentage points higher visibility than independents. Strong reputation is essential: All recommended properties maintained excellent guest ratings and high review volumes across major platforms, with an average sentiment score of 75 out of 100. All recommended properties maintained excellent guest ratings and high review volumes across major platforms, with an average sentiment score of 75 out of 100. Digital presence matters: 98% of recommended properties appeared on YouTube, 97% in travel blogs, and 95% on Reddit, indicating AI values broad online visibility. The study was conducted using AI monitoring tools across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini – platforms that collectively account for an estimated 98% of AI-driven website traffic. Researchers analyzed citation patterns, sentiment analysis, and digital footprints of consistently top-performing properties to identify the key factors influencing AI recommendations. The full The Signals Behind Hotel AI Recommendations report is available for free download at: About Cloudbeds Cloudbeds is hospitality's only intelligent growth engine — a unified platform trusted by the world's most ambitious hoteliers across 150 countries. Built to challenge the limits of outdated tech stacks, Cloudbeds connects operations, revenue, distribution, and guest experience in one powerful, intuitive system. At its core is Signals, hospitality's first AI foundation model, giving hoteliers the power to anticipate demand, run smarter operations, and craft more personal, profitable guest journeys at scale. Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds has earned top honors from Hotel Tech Report (Top PMS, Hotel Management System, and Channel Manager, 2021–2025), the World Travel Awards (World's Best Hotel PMS Solutions Provider, 2022), and Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 (2024). For more information, visit View source
Irish Independent
21-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Assessment of Need waiting list backlog ‘completely unacceptable', autism charity chief says
Adam Harris criticised the fact that only 7pc of referrals have been seen within the legal time limit of six months. 'The reality is that it's taking far too long,' he said. 'The Government is talking about waiting lists for an AON as if it's a charity act or a nice thing to do. There are clear domestic obligations in place that are being breached here. 'Ireland was also the last country in the EU to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UNCRPD, which moves us away from the charity model. So it is also breaching that commitment.' Currently, there are over 15,000 children waiting for an AON, which is used to identify if a child has a disability and what services they need to access. The HSE expects the numbers on the waiting list to soar to nearly 25,000 by the end of the year as it grapples with chronic staff shortages in the disability sector. Mr Harris cited an 'urgent need' to get on top of the backlog, given the lack of key services for children with additional needs. The majority of parents have to fork out up to €1,000 to pay for a private assessment for their child, given the lengthy wait times. It needs to be done right across the education system He said Ireland has the right strategy and legislation, but is falling down in the area of implementation and investment. With regards to a mooted plan to move services like speech and language therapy (SLT) into the classroom setting, Mr Harris said he is 'very supportive' of that. ADVERTISEMENT 'Now that there has been a commitment to roll out a model in that regard, there is a real importance in how we do that. There is a clear benefit in not having to remove a child from a classroom and not being in a sterile setting,' he said. 'But where therapeutic supports are being delivered, it needs to be done right across the education system. 'So I don't just mean in special schools, but also mainstream schools or wherever is the most appropriate place for autistic kids to access them. We need to see a clear rollout on how that would happen and it should be done in a holistic sense.' Mr Harris was speaking as AsIAm and PTSB joined forces to launch the 2025 Autism Friendly Towns initiative. An idea first championed in Clonakilty in 2018, it has since been rolled out to 40 communities around Ireland with hopes of dozens more signing up to the initiative. 'Our ambition is that every community in Ireland would be an autism-friendly town,' Mr Harris said.
Skift
20-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Hotels vs. Online Travel Companies: Who Owns the Customer in the AI Era?
There's been a battle between online travel companies and hotels for decades. There will be no truce in the age of AI. Who owns the customer in the generative AI era: Search companies like Kayak or hotels? In other words, where is the travelers' loyalty and who controls their contact information and payments? That's been a battle between online travel companies and hotels for decades. Cloudbeds CEO Adam Harris described the status as "coopetition" at Skift's recent Data + AI Summit. He said hotels would be "pumping their hands up and down" if Google and the largest ad spenders in travel – namely Booking, Expedia and Airbnb – "all disappeared overnight." The challenge for hotels in the generative AI era is th
Atlantic
17-06-2025
- Business
- Atlantic
The NBA's Parity Paradox
If there were any truth to the running joke—or conspiracy theory—that the NBA rigs games so that big-market teams like the Los Angeles Lakers end up in the NBA Finals, then this year's matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers would be disastrous for the league. In reality, NBA owners have gotten exactly what they wanted. Although television ratings are down, the NBA's plan to bring more parity to the league is working. Two years ago, owners and players signed a new collective-bargaining agreement designed to give more teams, especially those in small markets, a chance at competing for a championship. Under the new CBA, the owners made it more difficult for any individual team to load up with multiple superstars and to keep championship-winning rosters together year after year. This is a sharp departure from most of NBA history. The league had built itself into a juggernaut on the success of big-market teams, traditional dynasties, and superstars who are household names. Parity? That was for the NFL. In the NBA's 79-year existence, the Lakers and Celtics have won 35 championships combined. Golden State has won seven titles, including four during a seven-year span. The Michael Jordan–led Bulls ruled the 1990s by three-peating twice. And the San Antonio Spurs have won five. Adam Harris: Gregg Popovich's life lessons The late 2000s brought on the super-team era. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett teamed up with Paul Pierce in Boston to deliver the Celtics a title in 2008. In 2010, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, then free agents, decided to join Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat. That team went to four straight NBA Finals, winning two of them. James's orchestrating his and Bosh's move to Miami created lasting animosity among NBA owners, who resented the amount of power that superstar players had begun to exercise. Small-market teams, in particular, felt that they were at a permanent disadvantage when it came to attracting top-tier players. Perhaps that was front of mind during the latest CBA negotiations. Welcome to the age of parity in the NBA. Under the current CBA, loading up on superstars doesn't look nearly as attractive as it used to. The culprit is something called the 'second apron,' a spending limit that triggers severe punishment for a team that crosses it, on top of existing luxury taxes. For example, a team that pays its players more than the second-apron threshold can lose the ability to trade future first-round draft picks. If they remain over the second apron for two of the following four years, their upcoming draft position is automatically moved to the end of the first round. These new rules explain why many experts think that Boston, which won the championship last year and seemed poised to establish yet another Celtics dynasty, will make significant changes to its roster this offseason. Between salaries and the luxury tax, the Celtics are looking at a payroll that will exceed $460 million for the 2025–26 season. Its star-packed roster is just too expensive to maintain. 'I think it's a new blueprint for the league,' the Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner told the media after the Pacers eliminated the big-market New York Knicks from the playoffs. 'I think the years of the super-teams and stacking, it's not as effective as it once was.' To Turner's point, the most consequential player in this year's NBA Finals isn't Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or the Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton. It's Paul George, a nine-time All-Star who is currently a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, the team that finished this season with the fifth-worst record in the league. Both the Pacers and the Thunder were able to construct championship-caliber teams by trading George, who spent seven years with the Pacers and two with Oklahoma City. In 2017, the Pacers traded George to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. The Pacers eventually flipped Sabonis for Haliburton, who was previously with the Sacramento Kings and is now Indiana's best player. Meanwhile, the Thunder traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers, who were trying to create their own super-team featuring George and Kawhi Leonard. The Thunder got Gilgeous-Alexander, now the reigning league MVP, plus a trove of draft picks that they have used to select other excellent players. Both teams turned a big-name player into assets that reshaped their rosters, focusing more on depth, youth, and versatility than building a superstar-heavy team. Jordan Sargent: How the economists took over the NBA Another factor pushing in the direction of parity is the rise of international talent. Not too long ago, foreign-born stars were an oddity in the NBA. No longer. On opening night of this season, the league had a record-tying 125 international players on its rosters. The past seven MVP awards have gone to foreign-born players. (Gilgeous-Alexander is Canadian.) The result of adding so much talent without expanding the league is that more teams than ever have world-class players on their rosters, making it harder for any one franchise to consistently dominate. The downside is that there may be some years where the Finals don't have their usual buzz. The owners wanted a more equitable league in which small markets have a better shot at competing and superstars have slightly less power to cosplay as general managers. Regardless of who wins the title this season, for the owners, that might be a fair trade. That's something that doesn't often happen in the NBA.
