AI-up: More hospitality venues sign-up to AI startup Urbanary

Urbanary, an AI-driven platform launched to lend a helping hand to the hospitality sector in Leeds earlier this month, has had a host of new venues sign-up as partners, including Leeds Food Tours and Be At One.

The mobile-optimised platform allows individuals to plan a perfect night out in the city, taking into account age, preferences and mood to give a personal experience.

Urbanary was launched in Leeds at the beginning of December, but has already proved extremely popular, with 5,800 website interactions in its launch week, with an average user’s time-on-site of more than five minutes. This initial success has led to a raft of new venues signing up as partners to the project.

James Mills, founder of Urbanary said: “The initial response to Urbanary’s launch has blown me away. I came up with the idea as I wanted local hospitality venues to succeed, so it’s great to see such a wide range of venues large and small sign up within the first few weeks.”

“Search is rapidly changing and AI is featuring more prominently in consumer habits. This is both an opportunity for hospitality business, but it can also be a huge worry. Finding a way to let businesses of all types become more visible to their customers is precisely what Urbanary is all about.”

Ellen Miller, founder of Leeds Food Tours, said: “Working with Urbanary felt like a natural fit for us. We want to help people discover Leeds through its established and thriving food scene and Urbanary’s model will help people do just that. It’s great to see a platform that supports local venues and encourages people to explore beyond their usual spots.”

Calin Dormand, assistant general manager at Be At One bar on Greek Street, Leeds, said: “Urbanary is putting our guests first by simplifying how they discover venues in Leeds. It has been built on a genuine passion for hospitality and the people behind it. At a time when the industry needs support more than ever, the platform uses AI to help guests make confident choices, drive meaningful footfall and keeping the joy of a night out alive.”

While Christmas, New Year and the wider festive period can be the busiest time of the year for the hospitality sector, this is starkly contrasted with a lull in the early part of the calendar year. Factors such as Dry January, Christmas credit card bills and bad weather make it a particularly tough time for the sector.