HiJiffy’s 2021 wrap up

What happened this year?

Looking back, 2021 has been a year of change, growth and hard-work. 

This year the hospitality industry has had just glimpses of improvement and constant waves of uncertainty that kept everyone alert. But despite the unstable scenario, at HiJiffy maintained a clear vision and continued pursuing our ultimate goal: to connect people with the travel industry.

Now, more than ever, technology is opening up the path to a new era of travelling; a new way that insists into having a more automated, contactless, yet personalised travel journey. However, we can’t forget that the core of this industry is made of people and experiences. 

That is why throughout this year, 2021 we have been working very closely with hoteliers, partners and other hospitality experts that helped us moving forward to continue supporting the repositioning of the industry into the first place again.

January

HiJiffy kicked started the year by partnering  with TesiPro, a solution founded by hoteliers to provide hoteliers with the right tools to optimise hotels operations. HiJiffy’s integration is allowing hoteliers using Tesipro services to ensure 100% digital and automated communication with their guests powered by AI technology.

February 

HiJiffy was recognised with the Seal of Quality by the European Union and increased the funds from 1M Euros to a total of 1.8M Euros to continue turning our vision into reality. This honour was kept humbled throughout the year and many projects and initiatives root from this recognition. In 2022 we will see the impact of this achievement aligned with the new trends in the industry. 

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March 

We partnered with Travel Tech and participated in our first event for the USA and Canada markets. The online event was a success and  covered critical topics like “How can AI improve your guest’s experience before, during & after your stay?”
Moreover, HiJiffy Integrated that month with SIHOT, a leading international provider in hotel management software, to reach more hoteliers to support with HiJiffy all-in-one communication solutions. 

April

HiJiffy and Neobookings partnered to level up the booking experience with communication automation, omnichannel presence and AI support. Linking forces with Neobookings got us closer, especially to hoteliers in Spain using their technology. 

In addition, HiJiffy also participated in the event hosted by AHRESP – Associação da Hotelaria, Restauração e Similares de Portugal, with a panel that tackled The Impact of Technological Innovation on the Future of Hospitality and Catering.

May 

We participated in one of the most significant tourism events, to showcase the power of a chatbot in tourism, FITUR. HiJiffy partnered with Triptease in this event to connect with hoteliers, finally, in person. It was a milestone for the hospitality industry. Hoteliers, partners and other travel related experts were eager to grow and to learn from each other how to best push forward the development of this industry, and although it was a exceptional and circusmcribed event, was yet empowering to see the eagerness amongst the sector.

June

A new feature is out: An all-in-one communication platform. HiJiffy launched a new functionality that harmonises incoming data through multiple channels meaning that whether guests contacts you on Facebook Messenger first, and later through Web Chat, HiJiffy’s system will be able to aggregate all past conversations in one place.
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Moreover, HiJiffy connected the Virtual Concierge with our French and Spanish PMS partners, Medialog and Acigrup. This way, Hoteliers were able to use our tools to elevate their guest’s stay through a simplified and streamlined communication experience.

July

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The HiJiffy team was rocking it!

1. We announced the partnership with Roiback, strengthening our link with the Iberian market.

2. Tiago Araújo, CEO at HiJiffy, participated in the High-Level Forum for Sustainable Tourism 2021, talking about the pace of technology and the development of the hospitality industry. 

3. Alice Costa was nominated for the award of the lead designer at The Portuguese Women in Tech.

4. Francisco Nogueira participated in the biggest hospitality education forum worldwide! 🌏 The Travel Tech APAC 2021 talking about recent innovations can speed up travel recovery.

August

HiJiffy launched its integration with Instagram (using the Instagram DM feature) and Google Business! We were able to increase our reach by offering hoteliers the possibility to directly connect their booking engines with their guest’s favourite platforms. With this update, hoteliers have an increased chance to generate direct bookings and a better opportunity to reach and communicate with their guests!

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September

More features were launched! Upon industry requests, HiJiffy launched a new Email Automation feature that allows hoteliers to centralise their email communication and automate their responses to not miss any incoming requests again.

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In addition, HiJiffy was selected as one of the Top 20 innovative Portuguese startups in the tourism industry by NEST Centro de Inovação do Turismo.

October

The HiJiffy team packed up and flew over to Spain, France and the UK to join the top events happening this month.

• Independent Hotel Show in London, UK 🇬🇧
• Food Hotel Tech in Nice, France 🇫🇷
• TecnoHotel in Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸

That month we also launched a new Website! HiJiffy renovated its website so you can navigate better and reach our team. 

November

We continued on the road, and HiJiffy connected with hoteliers, partners and other tech providers internationally. For that, we participated in: 

• World Travel Market in London, UK 🇬🇧
• Food Hotel Tech in Paris, France 🇫🇷
• Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville, Spain 🇪🇸

HiJiffy launched its New Widget – The new UX/UI widget design was updated to improve guests experience and provide an enhanced tool to hoteliers. We have proof of increased engagement and better performance of HiJiffy’s AI-powered solutions with the new design. 

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December

HiJiffy was able to grow the team this year by +150%, bringing key talent to the table that supported and promoted the growth of HiJiffy.
This, was also a key component to the overall +100% growth in revenue that HiJiffy achieved! We were able to reach more clients, with better support and an elevated product that understands directly the needs of hoteliers.

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Tiago Araújo, CEO at HiJiffy says: “ 2021 was a year of hard work, growth and commitment. We had a clear goal: to support hoteliers with the right tools to bring back the hospitality industry to be number 1. We are ending the year with a smile knowing that the HiJiffy family continues growing and we feel stronger than ever to make the most out of 2022.”

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>> See also: HiJiffy’s 2020 in review