The Future of Hotels: Social Vibes Supported by Robots and Technologies

Dr. Meng-Mei Chen, Author of Hospitality Vibes and Associate Professor at EHL, imagines a near future where travel journeys are stitched together by AI, robots, and smart environments, but the real magic of hotels comes from “vibes hosts” who curate social connection, shared hobbies, and meaningful moments between guests. She argues that as agentic AI, IoT, and robot-as-a-service quietly handle logistics and chores, hotels can evolve into social hubs where people choose to stay not for the tech, but for the relationships and community they experience.

Imagine planning a vacation where everything just flows. You tell your virtual assistant you want a week away with your partner. Instantly, it suggests three perfect destinations, tailored to your travel history and even your biometric signals during past trips. You pick your favorite, and your assistant takes care of the rest—bookings, preferences, and sharing your global traveler ID so every company along your journey knows exactly how to make you feel at home.

When you arrive, a driverless car is waiting. Insurance is calculated on the fly, based on real-time traffic and weather. At the hotel, there's no check-in line—just walk straight to your room, already set up to your liking, thanks to your personal data. The room's environment keeps an eye on your comfort and health, and if anything seems off, your wearable device quietly alerts your doctor's AI assistant. Even the shower cleans itself, ready for your next use.

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The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

The hotel industry in 2026 finds itself at the meeting point of powerful, converging forces: rapid technological progress, climate urgency, shifting guest expectations, labour market disruption and economic realignment. This edition of The HOTEL Yearbook looks at how hotel organisations respond, not by choosing one direction over another, but by designing integrated strategies that combine digital and human, global and local, automation and empathy. A large share of this year’s contributions focuses in particular on artificial intelligence and its growing influence across almost every segment of hospitality, confirming AI as one of the defining themes of this moment. Bringing together expert voices from around the world, the publication explores strategy, technology, sustainability, finance, asset management, food and beverage, human resources, design and more, all through the lens of intentional hybridity in an age of convergence. The message is clear: in 2026, hybridity is no longer optional; it is strategic, and it will be the leaders who approach it with real intention who shape the future of our industry.
www.hotelyearbook.com/edition/2026.html