This month at MIPIM, HI HEUTE editor-in-chief Thorsten Müller spoke to Dennis Kasch, regional manager for Yardi, about the latest developments in digitisation, real estate and Yardi.
HI HEUTE: What is Yardi focusing on at MIPIM this year? Are there any differences compared to last year?
Dennis Kasch: We’re continuing to focus on how our unified platform serves as a single source of truth across various sectors and regions, offering enhanced visibility and control through integrated AI and analytics. We’re also showcasing Yardi’s AI Roadmap and how our single solution streamlines operations, delivers full portfolio visibility and enables data-driven decisions to cut costs, boost revenue, and enhance asset performance.
We are also excited to further develop our innovative technology for flex offices, coworking, and residential real estate. This is in addition to our continued growth in the commercial real estate verticals and with fund administrators.
HI HEUTE: What special plans does Yardi have for this year?
Dennis Kasch: We have new products launching this year as well as great updates to our existing suite. For example, we have just introduced new updates to CommercialCafe, our solution designed to simplify life for tenants and property managers. With a self-service portal and a mobile app, tenants can easily make lease payments, submit maintenance requests, and access retail sales data online. CommercialCafe now supports multiple languages, including German, French, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, and Czech. This means that email templates can be translated into these languages to ensure seamless communication with tenants across different regions.
HI HEUTE: Do you have new offers for your customers?
Dennis Kasch: This year, we are launching a few new products in the European market, such as Yardi Acquisition Manager. With this solution, you can optimise your real estate acquisition process with a centralised deal management solution and gain insights into decision-making to maximise ROI. It’s designed specifically for real estate professionals to help streamline deal pipelines and achieve better outcomes. Acquisition Manager connects with Yardi Voyager so you can seamlessly add newly acquired properties and portfolios once acquired or leverage existing property data for dispositions.
HI HEUTE: To what extent has the topic of AI become part of your day-to-day work, especially in cooperation with the retail real estate industry?
Dennis Kasch: AI is still a big topic in real estate. At Yardi, we acknowledge this enthusiasm but focus on demonstrating how AI can provide tangible, real-world benefits for real estate professionals. I think this is a great example where Yardi uses new technologies to develop real solutions for real issues. Our AI Roadmap includes additional solutions to help streamline the management of real estate, and we will continue to introduce more AI solutions in the future. For instance, Yardi Voyager 8, Yardi Virtuoso and RentCafe Chat IQ. Virtuoso Assistant enables clients to ask Voyager for help with data in their Voyager database so they can find the information they need faster. In addition, RentCafe Chat IQ is a smart bot that can chat, email, text, and call prospects and residents, improving the customer experience and freeing up teams to focus on high-priority tasks.
HI HEUTE: Has the HI sector taken a step forward in digitisation after several years?
Dennis Kasch: Yes, the HI sector has made significant progress in digitisation over the past few years. In a recent Yardi survey, we discovered that 67.2% of participants need improved insights into their asset and facility management operations. In 2022, only 21.2% said they needed these insights, which demonstrates a push for technology.
Today, shopping centres and retail parks are adopting smart building technologies, such as IoT sensors, AI-driven energy management, and automated climate control, to improve efficiency. Furthermore, retail property owners are using big data analytics and AI-powered forecasting to optimise rent pricing, predict foot traffic, and enhance tenant mix.
There are still challenges, such as regulatory complexities, unwillingness to adopt new technologies and even retail market uncertainty. However, the HI sector has significantly stepped up its digitisation efforts, particularly in proptech, AI-driven analytics, logistics, and blockchain innovations. While challenges remain, the shift toward data-driven, sustainable, and omnichannel retail spaces is clear.
Technology such as Yardi’s streamlines investment, asset, and property management processes and reduces the total cost of ownership. It also ensures compliance with regulations and scalability. Businesses today know that technology is required to run their business better and the ‘Cost of Doing Nothing’ with technology is escalating as AI continues to grow. The fusion of real estate and technology is rewriting the rules and digitalisation is crucial for continued growth – embracing these technological advancements is not just an option, it’s necessary to thrive in the ever-evolving world of real estate.