Expert Views (6)
View all Answers
EHL HumanX Summit Sharpens the AI Debate, Hotels Are Doing AI Backwards, APAC Luxury Deals Surge 77%
Tuesday leads from EHL Lausanne, where the HumanX Summit sharpened the AI debate, alongside a sharp take on AI strategy and surging Asia Pacific luxury deals.
Cybersecurity in hospitality: what every hotelier needs to know
Mews CEO Matt Welle and two cybersecurity experts warn that hospitality is an underinvested, high-value target for cybercrime, urging hoteliers to adopt passkeys, SSO, and business continuity plans.
Latest
Most hotels are doing AI backwards
A five-step framework urging hoteliers to identify high-friction, measurable workflows before selecting AI tools, rather than deploying technology in search of a problem.
By Vassilis Syropoulos, CEO and Head of Product, Juyo Analytics
HumanX Summit 2026, Day One: Seven Things That Actually Stood Out
Day one coverage from the HumanX 2026 summit at EHL Lausanne distills ten cross-industry interviews into six arguments: AI consensus, luxury redefinition, labor honesty, guest memory, divergent threat readings, and broken metrics.
Why hospitality agentic platforms are the future of hotel technology
Agentic platforms act as an AI orchestration layer above existing hotel systems, letting staff interact via natural language to execute multi-system workflows in seconds without replacing current tech investments.
By Alan Young, VP, Strategy | Hospitality, Infor
Recent Appointments
View AllBorrowed trust.
Consumers trust AI least for travel yet AI-referred bookings are growing 111% YoY with cart values nearly twice traditional traffic, creating a high-stakes "borrowed trust" dynamic hotels must understand.
By Markus Busch, Editor/Publisher, hospitality.today
Davenport Hotel Unveils Latest Milestone in Multi-Year Renovation, Establishing New Legacy for the Historic Hotel and Downtown Spokane
The Davenport Hotel, one of the West’s first luxury hotels, celebrates the completion of refreshed guest rooms as part of its multi-year, multi-phase renovation, which artfully pay homage to the hotel’s rich history. Following the arrival of a new Lobby Bar and Emporium in 2025, the reimagined guestrooms herald a new era for the hotel’s longstanding legacy as a hospitality landmark in downtown Spokane and a defining icon of the Great American West.
Two new signings as Valor expands African portfolio
Valor Hospitality signs two South African properties: a 102-room Tapestry Collection by Hilton in KwaZulu-Natal (2028) and a lifestyle aparthotel in Cape Town (2027), expanding its 100+ hotel African portfolio.
Three Existing Radisson Blu Meetings and Events Hotels in Norway to Join Radisson Hotel Group’s Verified Net Zero Hotels Program
Three Radisson Blu hotels in Bergen, Trondheim, and Tromsø will join Radisson Hotel Group's Verified Net Zero program by summer 2026, bringing the total to four certified properties in Norway.
Minor Hotels Opens the First Colbert Collection Hotel with Porta Rossa in Florence
Minor Hotels, a leading global hotel owner and operator, announces the launch of Porta Rossa Hotel Firenze, Colbert Collection, marking the first hotel to open under the new Colbert Collection brand worldwide. Located on Via Porta Rossa, in the heart of Florence's historic centre, the hotel officially debuted on 12 May 2026, following a comprehensive renovation to transform it into a flagship of the brand.
Supplier News
View allAway from Home, Yet at Ease: Creating Continuity and Community for Extended-Stay Guests
Hotels targeting long-stay guests are investing in communal spaces, local identity, and routine-supporting amenities to reduce isolation and create a sense of belonging.
The quiet evolution of revenue management
Lybra Tech's Zenit RMS positions itself as an AI agent that builds pricing through sequential reasoning rather than post-hoc explanation, adapting to each hotel's strategy over time.
Why Hotels Are Moving Toward Unified PMS and POS Platforms
Hotels running disconnected PMS and POS systems face fragmented guest data, manual reconciliation, and revenue blind spots as ancillary services grow in commercial importance.
The hotelier’s guide to growing group business in 2026
A practical guide for hoteliers on winning group business in 2026, covering proposal quality, planner relationships, and data-driven targeting of corporate and SMERF accounts.
Shiji Expands Global Distribution Reach for Japanese Hotels through Partnership with JR Systems’ Rakutsu with
Shiji's Horizon Distribution integrates with JR Systems' Rakutsu with channel manager, giving Japanese hotels access to 300+ travel agencies and OTAs worldwide, with a focus on Asian inbound markets.
Balancing Operational Budgets: Strategic Approach for the Hotel Industry
The article outlines strategies for balancing rising labor costs with operational budgets through predictive analytics, technology automation, and tiered service models during staffing shortages.
Where Family Journeys Begin: Animal-Shaped Wooden Key Cards and Playtime Unplugged Moments
GCSTIMES animal-shaped wooden key cards double as play prompts for children, assigning each animal a simple offline activity to make family stays more memorable and screen-free.
Shiji and dailypoint Launch Real-Time Integration to facilitate single source of guest truth in hotels
Shiji and dailypoint's two-way PMS-CDP integration automatically syncs guest profiles in real time, reducing manual data entry and enabling personalized service and GDPR-compliant marketing.
Shiji and dailypoint
The Great Customer Experience Game: Customer Service Without Winners and Losers
Author proposes a self-scoring gamification model for customer service where employees compete against their own past performance, not colleagues, to build better habits and culture.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Hospitality in the GCC: Hotel Owner and Investor Sentiment on the U.S.-Iran Conflict
HVS surveyed owners and investors representing 160,000 GCC hotel rooms, finding cautious but intact long-term confidence despite the 2026 U.S.-Iran conflict disrupting aviation and traveller demand.
By Hala Matar Choufany, President - HVS Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Dubai, HVS
Technology, Managed Travel and Hotel Distribution Gaps Stall Progress Toward the “Perfect Business Trip,” According to New GBTA Research
A GBTA survey of 269 corporate travel buyers finds 58% say AI has had little impact on their programs, 61% struggle with global program management, and 72% cite hotel pricing disparities as a top pain point.
AHLA Statement on Passage of the Los Angeles Minimum Wage Amendments
AHLA CEO Rosanna Maietta welcomed LA City Council amendments to the hotel minimum wage law, calling it necessary relief amid rising costs and declining travel demand.
FHS Saudi Arabia pre-event feature: hospitality investment outlook
FHS Saudi Arabia (22-24 June, Riyadh) previews the Kingdom's 358,000-room pipeline and investment outlook, featuring perspectives from Wyndham, The First Group, Amsa, and Ewaa Hotel Group.
Welcoming Guests with Space
Research shows that overcrowded hotel rooms with excess pillows, documents, and amenity trays hinder guests' ability to personalise their space, reducing psychological ownership and satisfaction.
By Lee-Keng Ng, Associate Professor, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
Hermitage Hotel & Resort: Starhotels brings the Italian villeggiatura to Forte dei Marmi
Some places do not reveal themselves at first glance, Hermitage Hotel & Resort is one of them. It is not from the street that it makes its impression, but upon arrival, when the space suddenly opens up and the noise gives way to the quiet of the greenery. In Forte dei Marmi, where everything may seem already known, there is still a place capable of surprise: more than one hectare and a half of private gardens unfold as an unexpected oasis, a hidden retreat that has long defined the identity of this historic Versilia address.
The AI Concierge has checked in: how artificial intelligence is amplifying efficiency across the entire traveler journey
AI is reshaping every stage of the hotel and travel journey, from intent detection and influencer conversion to dynamic pricing, GEO, and post-stay re-engagement, demanding integrated data infrastructure to compete.
By Anurag Jain, Executive Vice President, RateGain
Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques Debuts Design Shop, A New Era of Hotel-Inspired Living
Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques launches Design Shop, a hotel-inspired home décor line anchored by W Hotels and Westin collections, with JW Marriott and destination-themed drops planned for late 2026.
Asia Pacific luxury hotel transactions surge 77% between 2017-2025
JLL reports luxury hotel transactions in Asia Pacific hit $2.1 billion in 2025, with luxury deals now accounting for nearly 20% of all hotel transactions, up from 8% in 2017.