G Wellness Company Limited, a subsidiary of MP Trading Group, is proud to announce its strategic partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company, to debut the first internationally branded resort in Banjul, The Gambia, under the globally recognized Ramada by Wyndham brand.
Thinking about technology in hospitality, I often reflect on how it used to feel like something separate, an add-on. Today it is woven into everything we do, especially in something as crucial as managing our talent. And with artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI tools, grabbing headlines, we are entering a new era in how we think about and handle our people strategies.
Believe it or not, this isn’t another late night monologue about AI sentience or the metaverse melting our brains. This one is about something simpler and, honestly, more urgent. It is about consulting, what it is, what it is not, and why it is time we stopped treating it like an Instagram filter for our careers. Somewhere between rooftop selfies and recycled slide decks, the core of this job got lost. So whether you are thinking of becoming a consultant or about to hire one, consider this your cheat sheet. No fluff, no pitch, just the truth.
Hospitality is undergoing a fundamental transformation - driven not only by digitalization and artificial intelligence, but by a new understanding of what human-centered service means in a tech-enabled world. Based on insights from the FutureHotel Innovation Network at Fraunhofer IAO, this article explores how hotels are shifting from standardized procedures toward more adaptive, emotionally intelligent service models. Automation is not replacing humans - it’s freeing them to do what they do best: create genuine, meaningful guest experiences. In this new era, technology doesn’t undermine hospitality’s human core; it enables its renaissance.
Hospitality is on the edge of its next great transformation, and this time it is not mobile driving the change. It is AI. Just look at the numbers. In April 2025, ChatGPT recorded over five billion visits, while traffic to Google declined. This shift marks more than a trend. It signals a complete rethinking of how travel is researched, planned, and booked. And at the center of it all is Agentic AI, the technology that may soon redefine the entire guest journey, from inspiration to reservation.
Let’s be honest. Hotel tech is a mess. Not a quirky, fix-it-with-duct-tape mess, but a full-on, integration-induced identity crisis. Every time a vendor tries to connect to a PMS, a developer cries. The industry has spent years chasing standards, frameworks, and white papers, only to end up with a Frankenstein stack of systems that barely speak to each other. And for what? So we can proudly say we built a digital house of cards that collapses the moment someone updates an API?
Luxury in hospitality is no longer defined by marble floors or high thread count sheets. It is measured by how seamlessly your digital ecosystem meets guest expectations. The modern traveler is not impressed by a fruit basket or a bathroom phone. They are looking for instant connectivity, intuitive digital touchpoints, and a smooth journey from booking to check out. In this new era, your hotel’s ability to deliver digitally is not a bonus. It is the baseline.
It’s easy to think wellness is just another bolt-on, like bath salts or green juice in the minibar. But the truth is, wellness isn’t just a trend. It’s a trillion-dollar shift in how people travel, spend, and stay. And if you are in hospitality, it’s your business to care. Not just in the fluffy “feel good” sense, but in a data-driven, revenue-boosting, loyalty-building kind of way. Because when guests start choosing hotels based on how they feel after check-out, you will want to be the one showing them measurable results.
Hospitality Tech Vendors: one-stop-shop or best-of-breed plug-in?
From a technology perspective, the hospitality industry will continue to have a PMS-centric hotel tech stack approach. Today's PMS is the hotel 's command center for rooms and F&B management, sales and catering, distribution, availability, pricing, reservations, guest interactions, issue resolution, housekeeping, reporting, billing, guest communications, etc. and is often described as the central nervous system of the hotel operations.
Your take is spot on, and it echoes the reality I've seen play out time and again in the trenches of hospitality tech. The debate isn't really about "all-in-one" versus "best-of-breed"—it's about how we work together to deliver actual results for hotels and their guests.
If you’re flipping through this publication in search of buzzwords and hype, I’ll save you some time… this isn’t that kind of yearbook. HYB Technology 2025 is where we talk about what’s working, what’s not, and what’s just been duct-taped together for the 20th year in a row.
A very topical question which also came up at the HFTP Barcelona CIO Summit recently. There was no single answer as it will always depend on the particular situation. For a small hotel/BnB, a combo PMS/POS/IBE product like Avon Data, Heart or BookAssist may suffice and would do a very good job.
In a word, yes. All the major players in industry are working towards a hospitality 'platform' solution. Yes, you may be able to purchase the pieces separately, which is purely commercial. But they are designed and intended to support across business operations.
Rwanda’s Travel & Tourism sector broke all records in 2024, with its contribution to the economy, employment and domestic and international visitor spend all reaching record levels.
Research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed Kenya’s Travel & Tourism sector is set to contribute a record KSh1.2TN to the economy this year, a record 24% above 2019 levels and equivalent to more than 7% of national GDP.
Mahali Mzuri, Sir Richard Branson's luxury tented safari camp in Kenya's famed Maasai Mara, and part of the Virgin Limited Edition collection, has officially re-opened following a full interior re-design. The re-opening is welcomed in time for guests to take their front row seats for the annual Great Migration, which typically occurs during July and August.
Since when it's a good thing for the government to determine commissions in the private sector? Commissions are charged in many industries: from insurance to sales to real estate. Why doesn't the government regulate them all? And why decrease the commissions by 25% and not by 19.5% or 26.8%?
I firmly agree that, in many cases, the fees are excessive and that OTA's have exploited the industry's vulnerabilities—particularly targeting independent hotels and softer brands. That said, I do not believe government intervention in commission structures is the answer.
It certainly sounds appealing at first. Let's protect the poor hotels from high commissions but if we've learned anything from economics it's that government price controls tend to create more problems than they solve. Take the example of rent controls.
Hotel Eden Roc in Ascona, Switzerland has reopened its doors after undergoing seven months of extensive renovations of its main building. Perched on the shores of Lake Maggiore, the property has unveiled an array of new rooms and suites, and a transformed lobby, facade, and Garden of Eden boasting Mediterranean charm and unrivaled lakeside views.
Cape Town's hospitality and real estate industries are experiencing remarkable growth, reinforcing the city's current status as Africa's premier destination for tourism and investment. This surge bodes well for the upcoming Future Hospitality Summit Africa, the continent’s most influential hospitality & tourism investment conference, which comes to “The Mother City” on June 17-18.
New data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed South Africa’s Travel & Tourism sector is projected to reach a major milestone this year, set to support more jobs than ever before, but wider data points to a sector still in recovery mode.
"Hand-thought is the new hand-built. In luxury, human-curated service — powered by AI — is the next premium." The CIO role has moved far beyond infrastructure. We’re no longer just maintaining networks — we’re shaping the future of the guest experience.
"Forget the hype — the true power of AI lies in the back office, not in guest-facing gimmicks." Technology has become central to our business planning. IT is no longer a support function — it’s a strategic pillar. I’m increasingly involved in shaping commercial roadmaps, evaluating distribution platforms, and making long-term investment decisions.
Every department is becoming its own tech expert — our job is to enable, not dictate." We’re witnessing a cultural shift in how technology is adopted within hospitality businesses. End users are increasingly tech-literate — they’re evaluating tools on their own, consulting peers, and coming to IT with clear preferences.