Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2025 - Technology Edition

The Next Service Era: Hospitality Boosting Through Automation and Digitalization

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.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vanessa Borkmann
By Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vanessa Borkmann, Research Director and Head of the FutureHotel Innovation Network, Fraunhofer IAO
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vanessa Borkmann

Based on research from the FutureHotel Innovation Network.

Hospitality service, long known as “a people’s business,” is entering a transformative phase – one that’s powered by technology and digitalization. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation gain momentum across the industry, we’re not only looking at faster check-ins and smarter booking tools, but also at a fundamental shift in how service in hospitality is conceived, delivered, and experienced.

Read the full article on hotelyearbook.com

The Hotel Yearbook 2025 - Technology Edition

The HOTEL Yearbook Technology 2025 delves into the transformative power of data in the hospitality industry, exploring how the "everything-data decade" is reshaping the landscape. This year's edition brings together perspectives from global hotel brands, technology providers, consultants, and academics to answer a critical question: How can hotels harness technology to drive real, sustainable success?

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vanessa Borkmann
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vanessa Borkmann
Research Director and Head of the FutureHotel Innovation Network, Fraunhofer IAO

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vanessa Borkmann is a leading expert in hotel innovation and future-oriented urban systems. As founder of the FutureHotel Innovation Network (since 2006), she has shaped numerous forward-thinking hospitality concepts, including the FutureHotel Showcase, the Urban Living Lab, and co-developed pioneering hotel brands such as Hotel Schani Vienna and projects for the TUI Group.

Fraunhofer IAO
School-University

Im Mittelpunkt der Tätigkeiten am Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation IAO stehen Fragestellungen rund um den arbeitenden Menschen. Wir suchen nach Lösungen für eine lebenswerte Zukunft, für Innovation und Wachstum und für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung von Umwelt und Gesellschaft. Insbesondere unterstützen wir Unternehmen dabei, die Potenziale innovativer Organisationsformen sowie zukunftsweisender Technologien zu erkennen,...