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The goal of Origins is to create value for our users by providing educational resources and actionable insights.
Origins ResearchCreepz: Everything You Need To Know
https://twitter.com/crypto__kermitCreepz by Overlord is a multimedia entertainment NFT brand that encompasses TV animation, streetwear fashion and blockchain gaming. The brand takes inspiration from Pokemon's blueprint to create an entire entertainment ecosystem of different games, digital experiences, animated series, and merchandise. This article will examine what Creepz and the Overlord is, the power of lore and high conviction buyers, as well as dive into the factors that push Overlo...
Origins ResearchNFT Burn-Redeem Mechanisms
https://twitter.com/RamiWritesIntroductionBurning or redemption mechanisms (Burn-Redeems) offer a twist to NFT collecting, making the act more interactive than has been the case historically. Many NFTs have just been held or sold previously, but can now be spent as well, and the past weeks have consequently seen many burns as a result. This write-up defines the types of burn mechanisms, their history (longer than you might expect), and a perspective on their future. Enjoy.Article OutlineHisto...
Origins ResearchSappy Seals: From Memes to Leading Content Creation in Web3
https://www.twitter.com/crypto__kermitSappy Seals is a Web3 brand that has successfully demonstrated the importance of communities in building a strong brand in the NFT space. In this article, we will cover the Sappy ecosystem: Sappy Seals, Pixlverse, and Pixl Labs. It will explore how the strength of community, and memes, can propel a brand to become a leading content creator incubator in the Web3 space.Article OutlineBackgroundThe Sappy Seals CultureThe Power of MemesUpcoming Updates To Loo...
The goal of Origins is to create value for our users by providing educational resources and actionable insights.
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As is the case with any industry, there are sector specific challenges depending on the nature of the underlying business. The hotel industry suffers from seasonality, irregular cashflows, supply chain management and customer loyalty, to name a few. This article will take a look at these problems and assess how blockchain and NFT’s plug a gap in solving some of these headwinds.
Industry Background
Industry Challenges & Blockchain/NFT Solutions
Real World Case Studies
Risk Considerations
Closing Remarks
The hotel sector is extremely sensitive to customer sentiments given the direct impact on the brand value. As such each hotel customer base, and hence user experience, needs to be taken into consideration when reviewing the following content, which is general in nature.
There are several large players within the market that may benefit from an infrastructure upgrade to integrate this new technology. Conversely, the independent hotels may be better suited to outsourcing a blockchain model to a third party given these potential large up front infrastructure costs.
Diagram 1: Number of Properties by Hotel Chain
According to Statista, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had the largest number of hotel properties as at September 2021. Despite Wyndham having the highest number of properties, Marriott has the most guest rooms (estimated at 1.4m) with the Hilton in second (circa 1m).
Occupancy rates vary historically by region from 50-80% with a significant reduction during the Pandemic which has put a huge strain on business cashflows.
Diagram 2: Average Occupancy Rates by Region
PWC have since forecast occupancy rates to return to circa 60% (UK) in 2022 which is broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels. While this is promising, there is certainly a huge amount of scope to embrace web 3 technology and increase occupancy levels further, or at a minimum lock in cashflows in advance to alleviate liquidity concerns that may exist post-pandemic.
Diagram 3: PWC Occupancy Rate Forecast 2022
The larger the hotel chain, the more complex the supply chain model, loyalty program, ability to maintain high occupancy rates and ability to consistently deliver a high quality of service. This is where blockchain tech can alleviate these challenges.
New skill requirements: New jobs will be created and required to maintain the blockchain network. Data scientists will likely be required to provide insights on the on-chain data which can also double up as being an in-house specialist for the larger hotel chains. For the smaller more niche hotels approaching NFT data analytic specialists may be a more cost effective means of transitioning to adopting the “Information Age”. Alternatively you could outsource this to a third party blockchain / NFT data analytics specialist.
There may be a requirement for treasury management expertize with guest rooms being sold in advance. A greater amount of up front sales will lead to large amounts of surplus cash that will need to be managed within short term liquid financial instruments to ensure the funds are not eroded over time and are maximized in terms of purchasing power.
Global open order book: Prices paid for the NFT (representing a guest room) are transparent (unless OTC). On chain sales data can be interrogated to assess how secondary market price action impacts the price of the room as the date approaches for when the room is intended to be occupied. Additionally, hotels will be able to monitor the price action of a room on the secondary market should a well sought after event arrive in the area. Rather than charging a standard price for the room, it can then establish what premium can be added in extreme peak periods or in the event a similar hyped event recurs.
TUI Group: BedSwap, a TUI subsidiary, uses a blockchain-enabled system that maintains records of hotel bed inventories in real-time. This bed inventory can then be offered across markets in an instant, without a requirement for an intermediary (e.g. Expedia) to manage the information. This disrupts the existing Web 2.0 status quo and cuts down on costs that would ordinarily be paid in commissions to these third parties.
In fact, BedSwap is not the only TUI initiative involving blockchain. TUI houses all of its contracts with suppliers and customers on a private blockchain and is considering moving some of this information to a public blockchain to enable agents and customers to access it and make the interactions more seamless.
Webjet: Webjet is the world’s second largest accommodation supplier to the travel industry through its WebBeds division. It recently acquired a 51% stake in blockchain based travel marketplace “Locktrip”. They are also associated with the development and launch of the “Hydra” blockchain. The blockchain based platform is expected to allow users to save up to 60% on their bookings by cutting out the middlemen - disintermediation at it’s finest.
Winding Tree: Winding Tree has built a decentralized travel marketplace on the Ethereum blockchain. It connects buyers and suppliers in a peer-to-peer environment, thus removing the middleman.
It’s important to establish the specific risks and rewards that are transferred at the point of selling the NFT. It is likely that the hotel will continue to be responsible for the service upon arrival and that the the only risk transferred is the fair value / price action of the hotel guest room NFT on the secondary market place. The space is nascent and hence legal frameworks are not fully setup, but would be reasonable to look at the NFT as a smart contract as opposed to a normal written contract. Legal counsel would need to be engaged in this regard, particularly for large hotels across multiple jurisdictions.
Infrastructure and education of hotel staff on how to verify the NFT as being legitimate would be necessary. Infrastructure could be implemented to do this on their behalf, no different from checking a QR code of a ticket to entry at a festival.
There can be a negative public perception of NFT’s in the media. If the hotel’s reputational risk is high and could deter custom then this should be taken into consideration, or at least monitored until this perception changes.
It relies on NFT’s being easily tradable on secondary markets. Decentralised marketplaces like Winding Tree or BedSwap are examples but require adoption in order for activity and volume to occur. It may not be appropriate for these sorts of NFT’s to be traded on the likes of Opensea but there are other decentralised marketplaces such as Looksrare that are an option, provided that the customers know to look there for NFT’s representing guest rooms.
Customers need to have a certain level of technological literacy. Coinbase has a more user friendly wallet compared to Metamask and as time passes the user experience for these applications will become more seamless. Understanding the target market will be necessary in this regard, or keeping a mix of traditional bookings and Web 3.0 bookings could be a pre-requisite to maintain occupancy numbers or customer retention until older bookings systems are phased out.
Blockchain and NFT use cases are continually being discovered. The rate of adoption for this technology (during the Information Age) is faster than the adoption rate of the internet. While the headwinds and up front investment are currently sizeable, it is likely we will see a seamless transition as time passes.
Those who integrate the technology into their businesses early will be able to maintain a competitive advantage as the benefits from enhanced data analysis, security and verifiability prevail.
At Origins, we leverage data-driven decision making, educational resources, and proprietary analytics to remain ahead of the curve with respect to blockchain tech and specifically NFTs. To find out more, please visit our website or Twitter.
To purchase a pass, please visit our Opensea page.
As is the case with any industry, there are sector specific challenges depending on the nature of the underlying business. The hotel industry suffers from seasonality, irregular cashflows, supply chain management and customer loyalty, to name a few. This article will take a look at these problems and assess how blockchain and NFT’s plug a gap in solving some of these headwinds.
Industry Background
Industry Challenges & Blockchain/NFT Solutions
Real World Case Studies
Risk Considerations
Closing Remarks
The hotel sector is extremely sensitive to customer sentiments given the direct impact on the brand value. As such each hotel customer base, and hence user experience, needs to be taken into consideration when reviewing the following content, which is general in nature.
There are several large players within the market that may benefit from an infrastructure upgrade to integrate this new technology. Conversely, the independent hotels may be better suited to outsourcing a blockchain model to a third party given these potential large up front infrastructure costs.
Diagram 1: Number of Properties by Hotel Chain
According to Statista, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had the largest number of hotel properties as at September 2021. Despite Wyndham having the highest number of properties, Marriott has the most guest rooms (estimated at 1.4m) with the Hilton in second (circa 1m).
Occupancy rates vary historically by region from 50-80% with a significant reduction during the Pandemic which has put a huge strain on business cashflows.
Diagram 2: Average Occupancy Rates by Region
PWC have since forecast occupancy rates to return to circa 60% (UK) in 2022 which is broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels. While this is promising, there is certainly a huge amount of scope to embrace web 3 technology and increase occupancy levels further, or at a minimum lock in cashflows in advance to alleviate liquidity concerns that may exist post-pandemic.
Diagram 3: PWC Occupancy Rate Forecast 2022
The larger the hotel chain, the more complex the supply chain model, loyalty program, ability to maintain high occupancy rates and ability to consistently deliver a high quality of service. This is where blockchain tech can alleviate these challenges.
New skill requirements: New jobs will be created and required to maintain the blockchain network. Data scientists will likely be required to provide insights on the on-chain data which can also double up as being an in-house specialist for the larger hotel chains. For the smaller more niche hotels approaching NFT data analytic specialists may be a more cost effective means of transitioning to adopting the “Information Age”. Alternatively you could outsource this to a third party blockchain / NFT data analytics specialist.
There may be a requirement for treasury management expertize with guest rooms being sold in advance. A greater amount of up front sales will lead to large amounts of surplus cash that will need to be managed within short term liquid financial instruments to ensure the funds are not eroded over time and are maximized in terms of purchasing power.
Global open order book: Prices paid for the NFT (representing a guest room) are transparent (unless OTC). On chain sales data can be interrogated to assess how secondary market price action impacts the price of the room as the date approaches for when the room is intended to be occupied. Additionally, hotels will be able to monitor the price action of a room on the secondary market should a well sought after event arrive in the area. Rather than charging a standard price for the room, it can then establish what premium can be added in extreme peak periods or in the event a similar hyped event recurs.
TUI Group: BedSwap, a TUI subsidiary, uses a blockchain-enabled system that maintains records of hotel bed inventories in real-time. This bed inventory can then be offered across markets in an instant, without a requirement for an intermediary (e.g. Expedia) to manage the information. This disrupts the existing Web 2.0 status quo and cuts down on costs that would ordinarily be paid in commissions to these third parties.
In fact, BedSwap is not the only TUI initiative involving blockchain. TUI houses all of its contracts with suppliers and customers on a private blockchain and is considering moving some of this information to a public blockchain to enable agents and customers to access it and make the interactions more seamless.
Webjet: Webjet is the world’s second largest accommodation supplier to the travel industry through its WebBeds division. It recently acquired a 51% stake in blockchain based travel marketplace “Locktrip”. They are also associated with the development and launch of the “Hydra” blockchain. The blockchain based platform is expected to allow users to save up to 60% on their bookings by cutting out the middlemen - disintermediation at it’s finest.
Winding Tree: Winding Tree has built a decentralized travel marketplace on the Ethereum blockchain. It connects buyers and suppliers in a peer-to-peer environment, thus removing the middleman.
It’s important to establish the specific risks and rewards that are transferred at the point of selling the NFT. It is likely that the hotel will continue to be responsible for the service upon arrival and that the the only risk transferred is the fair value / price action of the hotel guest room NFT on the secondary market place. The space is nascent and hence legal frameworks are not fully setup, but would be reasonable to look at the NFT as a smart contract as opposed to a normal written contract. Legal counsel would need to be engaged in this regard, particularly for large hotels across multiple jurisdictions.
Infrastructure and education of hotel staff on how to verify the NFT as being legitimate would be necessary. Infrastructure could be implemented to do this on their behalf, no different from checking a QR code of a ticket to entry at a festival.
There can be a negative public perception of NFT’s in the media. If the hotel’s reputational risk is high and could deter custom then this should be taken into consideration, or at least monitored until this perception changes.
It relies on NFT’s being easily tradable on secondary markets. Decentralised marketplaces like Winding Tree or BedSwap are examples but require adoption in order for activity and volume to occur. It may not be appropriate for these sorts of NFT’s to be traded on the likes of Opensea but there are other decentralised marketplaces such as Looksrare that are an option, provided that the customers know to look there for NFT’s representing guest rooms.
Customers need to have a certain level of technological literacy. Coinbase has a more user friendly wallet compared to Metamask and as time passes the user experience for these applications will become more seamless. Understanding the target market will be necessary in this regard, or keeping a mix of traditional bookings and Web 3.0 bookings could be a pre-requisite to maintain occupancy numbers or customer retention until older bookings systems are phased out.
Blockchain and NFT use cases are continually being discovered. The rate of adoption for this technology (during the Information Age) is faster than the adoption rate of the internet. While the headwinds and up front investment are currently sizeable, it is likely we will see a seamless transition as time passes.
Those who integrate the technology into their businesses early will be able to maintain a competitive advantage as the benefits from enhanced data analysis, security and verifiability prevail.
At Origins, we leverage data-driven decision making, educational resources, and proprietary analytics to remain ahead of the curve with respect to blockchain tech and specifically NFTs. To find out more, please visit our website or Twitter.
To purchase a pass, please visit our Opensea page.
As is the case with any booking confirmation, there is a risk of a scam ticket being purchased. The NFT’s provide the ability to verify the legitimacy of a booking. However a paying customer may not realise that the NFT they purchased was from an unverified collection and may complain upon arrival. The hotel’s reputation may be on the line and hence a compromise may be required depending on the specific circumstances. Should there be some due diligence undertaken by the secondary market places? This would need to be established between the hotel and marketplace as part of the distribution agreement.
Competitive advantage may be a consideration with regards to data being on the public blockchain. TUI Group currently use a private blockchain which can be closed to the group and also a select few third party suppliers to prevent too much data being publicly available.
As is the case with any booking confirmation, there is a risk of a scam ticket being purchased. The NFT’s provide the ability to verify the legitimacy of a booking. However a paying customer may not realise that the NFT they purchased was from an unverified collection and may complain upon arrival. The hotel’s reputation may be on the line and hence a compromise may be required depending on the specific circumstances. Should there be some due diligence undertaken by the secondary market places? This would need to be established between the hotel and marketplace as part of the distribution agreement.
Competitive advantage may be a consideration with regards to data being on the public blockchain. TUI Group currently use a private blockchain which can be closed to the group and also a select few third party suppliers to prevent too much data being publicly available.
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