Latest news with #Lighthouse
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Lighthouse Unveils Connect AI: Bridging the Divide Between Hotels and AI-Powered Travel Planning
New AI engine enables hotels to be discovered, understood, and booked by AI agents as travel planning shifts to AI-powered platforms DENVER, COLORADO / ACCESS Newswire / June 26, 2025 / Lighthouse, the leading commercial platform for the travel and hospitality industry, today announced the launch of Connect AI, an innovative AI engine designed to seamlessly enable deeper connection between hotels and AI powered search and travel planning platforms. Connect AI addresses two critical industry challenges: AI agents lack the ability to access structured rate, availability, and contextual hotel information; while hotels lack the ability to enable direct booking capabilities and provide real-time information through AI platforms. Consumer adoption of AI has grown faster than any disruptive technology in history, as Mary Meeker recently highlighted with ChatGPT reaching 100M users in less than three months. Yet, despite the rapid adoption of AI for travel planning, hotels are significantly underrepresented in AI-driven search results. According to a recent report by Skift, not a single hotel brand currently appears among the top 10 citations for travel planners in leading AI Overview search results. This lack of discoverability and accessible information presents a significant missed opportunity for hotels to drive direct bookings with a new generation of travelers. Hoteliers face enormous opportunity risk without an AI data and connectivity strategy. Connect AI solves this by creating a comprehensive data bridge between the hospitality industry and the rapidly expanding ecosystem of AI travel planning platforms. 'We're seeing travelers increasingly turn to AI tools for trip planning, and our data shows this shift is accelerating faster than anyone anticipated,' said Juanjo Rodriguez, Head of Marketing & Direct Growth Products at Lighthouse. 'According to Phocuswright research, 50% of travelers plan to use generative AI for leisure travel within the next 12 months. Hotels that connect with AI platforms now will be positioned to capture more value, while those that wait risk missing this transition entirely. Connect AI helps hoteliers get ahead of this curve.' The primary benefits of Connect AI include: Lighthouse is uniquely positioned to address these industry challenges due to its unparalleled scale, data accuracy, and extensive integrations: 'Connect AI represents a new approach to marketing and distribution strategy,' said Sergio Zertuche, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Palladium Hotel Group, a pioneering company in the adoption of this technology. 'We see this as an exciting opportunity to connect with travelers in new ways. With the speed of AI adoption, we want to ensure our properties are discoverable and bookable when guests search through these new channels.' Connect AI is now available to select hotel partners as part of an early access program. Hotels interested in exploring connection opportunities are encouraged to visit: to learn more. Contact InformationAdam Swart Global Head of Brand 917-359-8969 SOURCE: Lighthouse Ltd press release
The Age
7 days ago
- The Age
The unexpected challenges of a luxury lodge trip around New Zealand
I stay in the gorgeous attic suite, The Loft, which includes its own door to Narnia in the cupboard. There are several such witty touches throughout the property, such as the chicken coop named Ota-hen-a. And, past the heated outdoor pool, there's a croquet lawn, of course. Cute, black-nosed sheep occupy one of the paddocks. The 12 hectares of gardens are magnificent, with woodlands, orchards, flower gardens and a vast organic vegetable and herb garden from which chef Jimmy McIntyre draws his ingredients. The cooking is off the charts in terms of flavour, using garden produce such as prosciutto and ham from the farm's pigs and fresh eggs from the chickens. Breakfast is a total delight in the big, country kitchen, with preserves, pickles and chutneys from the garden. Otahuna is famous for its carpets of daffodils in spring. More than a million bulbs have been planted and about 100,000 of these bloom every year. In autumn, formal gardens with their red benches are a riot of reddish colours and mossy greens. After the cosy stay, it's a flight to Wellington and then a quick helicopter transport to Wharekauhau (pronounced foray-ko-ho), a working sheep station with 16 cottages and a villa set atop dramatic 62-metre-tall cliffs overlooking Palliser Bay on the very south of the North Island. Wellington has been nicknamed 'Wellywood' for its vibrant film industry, and the lush neighbouring fields we fly over belong to US film director James Cameron, who has been instrumental (with Peter Jackson) in the industry's boom. The landscape is wrapped in the peaks of the Remutaka mountain range. Wharekauhau was one of the first purpose-built lodges in New Zealand when it opened in 1998. It's now owned by American entertainment mogul William Foley, who loved it so much as a guest that he bought the property in 2010. Foley has a stake in a number of local vineyards in nearby Martinborough, which also produce Lighthouse, the craft gin made by Rachel Hall, New Zealand's only female gin distiller. The lodge, set on 1200 hectares, is supremely comfortable, with plush country house-style interiors by Victoria Fisher. The cottages all have canopy beds, sitting rooms by gas fireplaces, large bathrooms and wide verandas facing the ocean. Because of the spectacular storms in the region, storm watching and stargazing are the lodge's most popular activities. Fine dining and drinking New Zealand's famous wines are too, of course. There's a dedicated edible garden which supplies the chefs – and there's a head forager, Jack Fredrickson, an Australian who ventures far and wide on his quad bike to find wild ingredients for the dishes. The main lodge has room after room of overstuffed furniture and beautiful objects and art, a glasshouse with pool, spa and gym, tennis courts, croquet lawn, games room, library and two restaurants. Every detail is immaculate, in line with the expectations of guests. Walks down country lanes to visit the sheep are invigorating. And then there are activities such as ATV and quad bike excursions on the moody black sand beach scattered with bleached driftwood, and clay pigeon shooting at stations along the river. (When the zombie apocalypse comes, I'm not going to be much help – I hit one target out of about 20.) It's a domestic flight from Wellington to Queenstown and on by car to Blanket Bay Lodge, which sits on the far reaches of Lake Wakatipu, near the village of Glenorchy. With the Southern Alps framed in every window, the setting has an undoubted wow factor and the lodge itself, a lofty chalet lined with recycled wharf and woolshed timber polished with wool lanolin, is as spectacular as the surrounds. It's filled with delightful ephemera – antler chandeliers, taxidermy deer and ducks, displays of birds' nests, saddles, fishing rods and bales of wool – which makes it feel like a cross between a swank Aspen chalet and a hunting lodge. Opened in 1999 and developed by American Tom Tusher, a keen fisherman, the lodge consists of five lakeside lodge rooms and five suites in the main building, plus two chalet suites and an exclusive-use villa with four bedrooms and private chefs on tap. (Kylie Minogue is a past guest, as are a number of movie stars when in New Zealand to shoot Wellywood productions.) There are stone hearths and fireplaces throughout, with afternoon teas, cocktails and delicious, chewy cookies served by the fire. (Each cookie arrives topped with a gilded chocolate 'B' – an example of the superb attention to detail throughout the lodge.) The gastronomy is refined, with dinner an ever-changing five-course degustation sourced from New Zealand regions, such as organic chicken from nearby farms and kingfish sashimi from local waters. As with all the lodges, full farm breakfasts are a highlight of the day. Why venture outside? Well, there's the lakefront and peninsula woodlands and sheep farms to explore on foot, plus the world-famous hiking trails on the Alps. One of the experiences is a jet boat adventure along the Dart River, which is a couple of hours of screaming and getting soaked as the driver does countless 'wheelies' in the cold water. Next time, I'll take a slow boat. The big draw is the great Lord of the Rings landscapes of the Southern Alps and Milford Sound. The way to see it all is by helicopter. Our helicopter lands directly on the lawn, scooping us up and darting along the lake and into the jagged mountain peaks of the Fiordland National Park. The two-hour trip includes a thrilling landing and walk on the ever-shrinking glacier in the peaks. It's not pristine – the ice is still covered with ash from the Australian bushfires in 2018. Then we chopper down to Milford Sound and land at the airport, which is squeezed between mountain and waterfalls, and must be one of the busiest in the world, judging by the number of small planes landing and taking off. Back at the lodge, there's a roaring fire in the hearth, cups of tea and those moreish cookies.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The unexpected challenges of a luxury lodge trip around New Zealand
I stay in the gorgeous attic suite, The Loft, which includes its own door to Narnia in the cupboard. There are several such witty touches throughout the property, such as the chicken coop named Ota-hen-a. And, past the heated outdoor pool, there's a croquet lawn, of course. Cute, black-nosed sheep occupy one of the paddocks. The 12 hectares of gardens are magnificent, with woodlands, orchards, flower gardens and a vast organic vegetable and herb garden from which chef Jimmy McIntyre draws his ingredients. The cooking is off the charts in terms of flavour, using garden produce such as prosciutto and ham from the farm's pigs and fresh eggs from the chickens. Breakfast is a total delight in the big, country kitchen, with preserves, pickles and chutneys from the garden. Otahuna is famous for its carpets of daffodils in spring. More than a million bulbs have been planted and about 100,000 of these bloom every year. In autumn, formal gardens with their red benches are a riot of reddish colours and mossy greens. After the cosy stay, it's a flight to Wellington and then a quick helicopter transport to Wharekauhau (pronounced foray-ko-ho), a working sheep station with 16 cottages and a villa set atop dramatic 62-metre-tall cliffs overlooking Palliser Bay on the very south of the North Island. Wellington has been nicknamed 'Wellywood' for its vibrant film industry, and the lush neighbouring fields we fly over belong to US film director James Cameron, who has been instrumental (with Peter Jackson) in the industry's boom. The landscape is wrapped in the peaks of the Remutaka mountain range. Wharekauhau was one of the first purpose-built lodges in New Zealand when it opened in 1998. It's now owned by American entertainment mogul William Foley, who loved it so much as a guest that he bought the property in 2010. Foley has a stake in a number of local vineyards in nearby Martinborough, which also produce Lighthouse, the craft gin made by Rachel Hall, New Zealand's only female gin distiller. The lodge, set on 1200 hectares, is supremely comfortable, with plush country house-style interiors by Victoria Fisher. The cottages all have canopy beds, sitting rooms by gas fireplaces, large bathrooms and wide verandas facing the ocean. Because of the spectacular storms in the region, storm watching and stargazing are the lodge's most popular activities. Fine dining and drinking New Zealand's famous wines are too, of course. There's a dedicated edible garden which supplies the chefs – and there's a head forager, Jack Fredrickson, an Australian who ventures far and wide on his quad bike to find wild ingredients for the dishes. The main lodge has room after room of overstuffed furniture and beautiful objects and art, a glasshouse with pool, spa and gym, tennis courts, croquet lawn, games room, library and two restaurants. Every detail is immaculate, in line with the expectations of guests. Walks down country lanes to visit the sheep are invigorating. And then there are activities such as ATV and quad bike excursions on the moody black sand beach scattered with bleached driftwood, and clay pigeon shooting at stations along the river. (When the zombie apocalypse comes, I'm not going to be much help – I hit one target out of about 20.) It's a domestic flight from Wellington to Queenstown and on by car to Blanket Bay Lodge, which sits on the far reaches of Lake Wakatipu, near the village of Glenorchy. With the Southern Alps framed in every window, the setting has an undoubted wow factor and the lodge itself, a lofty chalet lined with recycled wharf and woolshed timber polished with wool lanolin, is as spectacular as the surrounds. It's filled with delightful ephemera – antler chandeliers, taxidermy deer and ducks, displays of birds' nests, saddles, fishing rods and bales of wool – which makes it feel like a cross between a swank Aspen chalet and a hunting lodge. Opened in 1999 and developed by American Tom Tusher, a keen fisherman, the lodge consists of five lakeside lodge rooms and five suites in the main building, plus two chalet suites and an exclusive-use villa with four bedrooms and private chefs on tap. (Kylie Minogue is a past guest, as are a number of movie stars when in New Zealand to shoot Wellywood productions.) There are stone hearths and fireplaces throughout, with afternoon teas, cocktails and delicious, chewy cookies served by the fire. (Each cookie arrives topped with a gilded chocolate 'B' – an example of the superb attention to detail throughout the lodge.) The gastronomy is refined, with dinner an ever-changing five-course degustation sourced from New Zealand regions, such as organic chicken from nearby farms and kingfish sashimi from local waters. As with all the lodges, full farm breakfasts are a highlight of the day. Why venture outside? Well, there's the lakefront and peninsula woodlands and sheep farms to explore on foot, plus the world-famous hiking trails on the Alps. One of the experiences is a jet boat adventure along the Dart River, which is a couple of hours of screaming and getting soaked as the driver does countless 'wheelies' in the cold water. Next time, I'll take a slow boat. The big draw is the great Lord of the Rings landscapes of the Southern Alps and Milford Sound. The way to see it all is by helicopter. Our helicopter lands directly on the lawn, scooping us up and darting along the lake and into the jagged mountain peaks of the Fiordland National Park. The two-hour trip includes a thrilling landing and walk on the ever-shrinking glacier in the peaks. It's not pristine – the ice is still covered with ash from the Australian bushfires in 2018. Then we chopper down to Milford Sound and land at the airport, which is squeezed between mountain and waterfalls, and must be one of the busiest in the world, judging by the number of small planes landing and taking off. Back at the lodge, there's a roaring fire in the hearth, cups of tea and those moreish cookies.
Wales Online
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Father of woman shot outside pub ‘spreads message of hope' with documentary
Father of woman shot outside pub 'spreads message of hope' with documentary Just days after Elle Edwards, 26, was killed in the shooting outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, on December 24 2022, her grieving father Tim got in touch with Liverpool actor John May Comedian John May, Tim Edwards the dad of Elle Edwards, composer Paddy Bennet and director Owen Ward (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire ) The father of a woman who was shot outside a pub on Christmas Eve is aiming to spread a message of hope with a documentary following his walk across the country in the aftermath of her death. Just days after Elle Edwards, 26, was killed in the shooting outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, on December 24 2022, her grieving father Tim got in touch with Liverpool actor John May, who was preparing to walk from Lands End to John O'Groats as part of a campaign to end gun and knife crime. Mr Edwards, 53, joined him for the walk at Worcester, initially just to "get out of town", but ended up accompanying him all the way to the top of Scotland, later travelling down south to complete the first leg of the walk. Two years on from their challenge, documentary The Two Of Us is to be screened at the Raindance Film Festival, which starts in London on Wednesday, and the friends say it will tell a story of "brotherhood", grief and strength. Mr Edwards said: "You'll see that when times get really tough, as long you keep going and you keep having that little bit of hope and a bit of strength behind you, and the willingness to carry on and never give up, then you will come out alright the other side." He took on the walk before the trial of gunman Connor Chapman, who was targeting rivals in a gang feud when he opened fire outside the pub, and was sentenced to a minimum of 48 years after being found guilty of Ms Edwards' murder. Article continues below Mr Edwards said walking with Mr May helped him to build a foundation for his future. "I've been through the worst hell you can imagine, there's not a lot else that could really turn me," he said. "I can cope with the day-to-day now through those experiences of walking with John and walking through the country and being alone and having therapy and talking about your feelings." Mr May, 43, who produced the feature-length documentary, said he hoped people would be inspired. The actor, soon to star as Wayne Rooney in a production at Liverpool's Royal Court, said: "The documentary is not really about the walk, it's more about friendship and about men's mental health and grief and how we leaned on each other and perked each other up throughout the walk. "It's about brotherhood more than anything I'd say." The film, put together from vlogs filmed by the pair at the time and interviews once they had returned, shows the highs and lows of the journey – which at one point saw them separating for 10 days after a falling out. Mr Edwards said: "I thought it would be wrong for us to not finish this together so we sorted it out and overcame that, our own personal battles against each other. "I think you need to have that clash, that explosion has to happen so you can then work it out and come back together again. That's the testimony of a true friendship I think. " Throughout the walk, Mr Edwards said he felt there were signs from his daughter – including a white dove which followed him as he walked around Ripon Cathedral one morning. Mr Edwards said: "You grab on to different signs that you hope is Elle watching over you. "It was things like, there were always doves would randomly turn up or I'd be feeling a bit low and I'd be like 'give us a sign Elle will you, give me something to pick me up' and there'd always something random would appear. " Mr May added: "Elle's presence is definitely felt. There's things that happened along the way when he was at a low point and you can see it spurred him on." Mr Edwards said his daughter, a beautician, would be "laughing her head off" to see what he had been doing. He said: "She'd be thinking 'my dad is absolutely mental, what are you doing?' "She'd be proud I think, she'd love the friendship me and John have got and I think she'll be looking down on us going 'well done Dad I'm proud of you'." The film, nominated for best documentary feature and best UK cinematography awards at the Raindance festival, is accompanied by music from composer Patrick Bennett, 20, who has created Elle's Theme, which plays throughout. Director Owen Ward said: "If you're coming in for a true crime documentary, go see something else because that's not what it is. It's about how victims of these horrible crimes carry on in the aftermath. Article continues below "It's giving that sense of hope, of inspiration. If Tim can get through this horrible circumstance, you can get through anything. That's ultimately what it is, it's a film about hope." For Mr Edwards, the documentary is part of his aim to create a positive legacy for his daughter. He said: "It was always about keeping Elle's name alive. So whenever Elle's name was mentioned, it would be mentioned in a positive way and not about what happened to her. That was the goal and still is, it will always be the goal."
ITV News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Father of Elle Edwards shot outside pub ‘spreads message of hope' with documentary The Two Of Us
The father of a woman who was shot outside a pub is aiming to spread a message of hope with a documentary following his walk across the country in the aftermath of her death. Just days after Elle Edwards, 26, was killed in the shooting outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey, Wirral, on Christmas Eve 2022, her grieving father Tim got in touch with Liverpool actor John May, who was preparing to walk from Lands End to John O'Groats as part of a campaign to end gun and knife crime. Mr Edwards, 53, joined him for the walk at Worcester, initially just to 'get out of town', but ended up accompanying him all the way to the top of Scotland, later travelling down south to complete the first leg of the walk. Two years on from their challenge, documentary The Two Of Us is to be screened at the Raindance Film Festival, which starts in London on Wednesday 18 June, and the friends say it will tell a story of 'brotherhood', grief and strength. Mr Edwards said: 'You'll see that when times get really tough, as long you keep going and you keep having that little bit of hope and a bit of strength behind you, and the willingness to carry on and never give up, then you will come out alright the other side.' He took on the walk before the trial of gunman Connor Chapman, who was targeting rivals in a gang feud when he opened fire outside the pub, and was sentenced to a minimum of 48 years after being found guilty of Ms Edwards' murder. Mr Edwards said walking with Mr May helped him to build a foundation for his future. 'I've been through the worst hell you can imagine, there's not a lot else that could really turn me,' he said. 'I can cope with the day-to-day now through those experiences of walking with John and walking through the country and being alone and having therapy and talking about your feelings.' Mr May, 43, who produced the feature-length documentary, said he hoped people would be inspired. The actor, soon to star as Wayne Rooney in a production at Liverpool's Royal Court, said: 'The documentary is not really about the walk, it's more about friendship and about men's mental health and grief and how we leaned on each other and perked each other up throughout the walk. 'It's about brotherhood more than anything I'd say.' The film, put together from vlogs filmed by the pair at the time and interviews once they had returned, shows the highs and lows of the journey – which at one point saw them separating for 10 days after a falling out. Mr Edwards said: 'I thought it would be wrong for us to not finish this together so we sorted it out and overcame that, our own personal battles against each other. 'I think you need to have that clash, that explosion has to happen so you can then work it out and come back together again. That's the testimony of a true friendship I think." Throughout the walk, Mr Edwards said he felt there were signs from his daughter – including a white dove which followed him as he walked around Ripon Cathedral one morning. Mr Edwards said: 'You grab on to different signs that you hope is Elle watching over you. 'It was things like, there were always doves would randomly turn up or I'd be feeling a bit low and I'd be like 'give us a sign Elle will you, give me something to pick me up' and there'd always something random would appear.' Mr May added: 'Elle's presence is definitely felt. There's things that happened along the way when he was at a low point and you can see it spurred him on.' Mr Edwards said his daughter, a beautician, would be 'laughing her head off' to see what he had been doing. He said: 'She'd be thinking 'my dad is absolutely mental, what are you doing?' 'She'd be proud I think, she'd love the friendship me and John have got and I think she'll be looking down on us going 'well done Dad I'm proud of you'.' The film, nominated for best documentary feature and best UK cinematography awards at the Raindance festival, is accompanied by music from composer Patrick Bennett, 20, who has created Elle's Theme, which plays throughout. Director Owen Ward said: 'If you're coming in for a true crime documentary, go see something else because that's not what it is. It's about how victims of these horrible crimes carry on in the aftermath. 'It's giving that sense of hope, of inspiration. If Tim can get through this horrible circumstance, you can get through anything. That's ultimately what it is, it's a film about hope.' For Mr Edwards, the documentary is part of his aim to create a positive legacy for his daughter. He said: 'It was always about keeping Elle's name alive. So whenever Elle's name was mentioned, it would be mentioned in a positive way and not about what happened to her. That was the goal and still is, it will always be the goal.'
