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Asia Pacific - Latest

Development Pipeline

Centara Expands Vietnam Portfolio with Stunning New Coastal Address

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is proud to unveil the first details of Centara Hotel & Residences Van Don, a new bayfront destination set to open in Q4 2026. Marking the group’s second property in Vietnam, this hotel brings Centara’s warm, Thai-inspired hospitality, world-class service, and Signature Experiences to one of the country’s most promising coastal locations. Set within the Ao Tien High-Class Port and Tourism Urban Area, the property enjoys uninterrupted views across the serene waters and limestone formations of Bai Tu Long Bay. Just 15 minutes from Van Don International Airport, the hotel offers convenient access to both natural landmarks and key transport hubs, positioning it as an ideal base for leisure and business travellers alike. Designed for couples, families, groups, and extended stays, the hotel offers 481 rooms and suites across 12 categories. Every room is equipped with a kitchenette, modern décor, and functional layouts for added flexibility and comfort throughout their stay. Beyond accommodation, Centara Hotel & Residences Van Don introduces an all-in-one lifestyle offering, from diverse dining experiences spanning Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese, and international flavours to versatile MICE venues, including two ballrooms and multiple meeting rooms. Guests will also enjoy both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a Kids’ Club, fitness centre, and SPA Cenvaree, along with family-friendly activities, premium shopping, and curated bay tours. To stay tuned for more details about Centara Hotel & Residences Van Don, please visit  https://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centara/cvd

Centara
Van Don Special Zone, Vietnam
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

Beyond Bias: AI and the Reconstruction of Perception

Rita Jusztina Varga raises an uncomfortable question the industry is only beginning to grapple with: when AI summarizes guest reviews at scale, whose experience actually gets represented? Drawing on her own decade-old stay as a case study, she argues that AI bias in review aggregation systematically amplifies certain voices while quietly erasing others — and that the hospitality industry urgently needs to rethink how it collects, segments, and trusts feedback data.

Rita Jusztina Varga
By Rita Jusztina Varga, CEO, RAIZUP
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

How Brand Identity Evolves in an AI World

Martin Soler argues that AI does not threaten brand identity by making bad content — it threatens it by making an overwhelming volume of acceptable content, which over time erodes the distinctiveness that makes a brand worth remembering. In a world of infinite iteration, he contends, consistency and taste become scarcer and therefore more valuable, not less.

Martin Soler
By Martin Soler, Partner, Soler & Associates
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

Post‑Stay, Pre‑Loss: Rethinking Travel Agent and OTA Commission Reconciliation

Sean Anderson makes the unglamorous but financially compelling case that post-stay commission reconciliation is one of the most overlooked revenue levers in hospitality. Using the example of a 400-property European group quietly overpaying up to $40,000 a month simply because no one was checking, he argues that the post-stay funnel deserves the same operational discipline as guest acquisition — because the money is already earned, and much of it is silently leaking away.

Sean Anderson
By Sean Anderson, Chief Revenue Officer, RobosizeME
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

Digital Labour: Rethinking Work in Hospitality

Stanislav Ivanov reframes the automation debate by shifting the unit of analysis from jobs to tasks — and in doing so, arrives at conclusions that challenge common assumptions. Physical tasks, he argues, are often harder to automate than cognitive ones, which means low-paid housekeepers may be safer from replacement than high-paid marketing managers, and the future of hospitality labour is not fewer people but differently assembled teams of humans and machines.

Stanislav Ivanov
By Stanislav Ivanov, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, ROBONOMICS: The Journal of the Automated Economy
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Development Pipeline

Beckons Announces Plans for New Ultra-Luxury Lodge at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa

Beckons, a curated portfolio of luxury lodges in the world's most remote and remarkable places, has today announced plans for a new, ultra-luxury lodge set amongst the iconic red sand dunes of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa. The retreat is the first new build for the portfolio since the brand's launch in March 2026. Plans have been approved following ecological, heritage and sacred sites assessments and consultation with Traditional Custodians*. Further details, including the lodge name and opening date, will be announced as construction timelines are finalized, however the lodge is currently projected to open in early 2028.

Beckons
Petermann, Australia
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

Let’s Get Rid of the CIO

Mark Fancourt delivers a blunt, experience-backed argument against the industry's growing temptation to hollow out technology leadership in the name of AI efficiency. With 37 years in hospitality and 13 as a CIO, he makes the case that adding AI on top of fragmented, underfunded, and poorly governed tech stacks does not simplify anything — it compounds the chaos, and removing the people who understand the system is precisely the wrong response.

Mark Fancourt
By Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

Why AI in Hospitality Is Really About Human Sustainability

Davide Bernasconi reframes the AI conversation in hospitality around a problem the industry rarely names directly: operational hypercomplexity. As hotels become more digitally interconnected, the cognitive load placed on staff has quietly become unsustainable — and the most important thing AI can do is not replace people, but give them their cognitive bandwidth back.

Davide Bernasconi
By Davide Bernasconi, Co-Founder & COO, Hoxell
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Development Pipeline

ITC Hotels Signs Welcomhotel Mysuru, Karnataka: A New Address for Immersive Cultural and Leisure Experiences

ITC Hotels Limited today announced the signing of a management agreement for Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels Mysuru, a 99-key hotel in the culturally rich city of Mysuru, Karnataka. The signing marks another significant milestone in ITC Hotels’ growth strategy and further strengthens the presence of the Welcomhotel brand across key business and leisure destinations in South India.

ITC Hotels
Mysuru, India
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

The Biggest Opportunity for Longevity Amenities at Hotels Is in the Guestroom

Adam Mogelonsky makes the case that the longevity revolution is no longer a luxury niche but a structural shift in guest expectations and that the most overlooked opportunity lies not in spas or fitness centers, but in the guestroom itself. For time-poor travelers who rarely make it to hotel amenities, the room is the only wellness touchpoint that reaches everyone.

Adam Mogelonsky
By Adam Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

Creating Atmosphere: Design, AI, and the Human Experience of Hospitality

James Watson argues that AI's most promising role in hospitality design is not to generate atmospheres autonomously, but to give human designers the precision and responsiveness needed to make spaces that genuinely breathe — adapting in real time to occupancy, mood, and moment. The risk, he warns, is not that AI replaces designers, but that without strong human vision guiding it, it flattens the industry into an algorithmically pleasant, characterless sameness.

James "Eightch" Watson
By James "Eightch" Watson, Designer & Creative Director, FAKE MOON
Development Pipeline

Find Your Way Amidst Ancient Wilderness: Auko Eco-Wellness Lodges Opens in Phong Nha from 20th July

Set along the Son River and embraced by the limestone peaks of Phong Nha–Ke Bang UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the world's largest cave system including the legendary Son Doong caves, Auko Eco-Wellness Lodges is set to open its doors on 20 July 2026, as a new expression of regenerative hospitality in Vietnam. This summer marks the perfect moment to be among the first to find your way.

Lumina
Phong Nha, Vietnam
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

True Recognition at the Front Desk: A More Personal Check-In

Alan Young argues that voice recognition technology at the front desk is not a cost-cutting measure but a means of restoring something the industry has been quietly losing: the agent's attention. By offloading administrative commands to speech, the technology frees staff to do what no system can replicate — make a guest feel genuinely seen upon arrival.

Alan Young
By Alan Young, VP, Strategy | Hospitality, Infor