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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
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
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

The Lobby Boy v2031 or How Hotels Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the HXO

Terence Ronson looks ahead to 2031, when frictionless automation will have made most hotels equally smart, equally efficient, and equally forgettable — and argues that the competitive differentiator will be a new role he calls the Human Experience Orchestrator. Part behavioral psychologist, part operational commander, the HXO is the person who reads the AI's outputs and then decides, with genuine human judgment, what to actually do with them.

Terence Ronson
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
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Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

AI Adoption Is Accelerating. Here’s How Hotels Are Keeping Pace

Catherine Donaldson takes a decidedly practical approach, moving past the philosophical debates about AI in hospitality to focus on where it is already delivering measurable results today. From AI voice agents answering calls around the clock to agentic workflows that coordinate operations without manual handoffs, she maps five proven use cases and makes the case that the performance gap between adopters and laggards is already widening.

Catherine Donaldson
By Catherine Donaldson, Director of Marketing, Canary Technologies
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

The Execution Layer Hotels Are Missing, and Why It Matters Before Agents Arrive

George Roukas identifies the layer most hotel AI strategies are skipping entirely: execution. Brands can build sophisticated loyalty programs and accept intent-rich bookings from AI agents, but if the operational infrastructure cannot reliably deliver what was promised — the right room, the right amenities, the right moment — none of it compounds into loyalty. His argument is that an ontology-based digital twin of hotel operations is what closes that gap, and that now is the time to build it.

George Roukas
By George Roukas, President, GAIPAN
Development Opening

Radisson Hotel Group expands French Riviera footprint with Cannes Seaside opening

Radisson Hotel Cannes Seaside welcomes guests to one of the French Riviera's most iconic destinations. The contemporary 100-room hotel marks the latest addition to Radisson Hotel Group's growing portfolio in France, combining Radisson's signature hospitality with relaxed Riviera charm and offering effortless access to Cannes' celebrated beaches, cultural landmarks and year-round events.

Radisson
Cannes, France
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Development Opening

Hotel & Spa des Beaux-Arts, a member of Radisson Individuals, introduces an authentic boutique escape in Bourges

Hotel & Spa des Beaux-Arts, a member of Radisson Individuals, is a 52-room boutique lifestyle hotel located in the historic center of Bourges, France. Blending the elegance of a heritage property with contemporary comfort, the hotel offers a dedicated wellness spa, refined social dining, and an authentic gateway to one of France's most celebrated cultural destinations. The opening strengthens Radisson Hotel Group's presence in France while introducing the Radisson Individuals brand to the Centre-Val de Loire region, a destination renowned for its medieval heritage, artistic legacy, and growing appeal among travelers seeking authentic, experience-led escapes.

Radisson Individuals
Bourges, France
Development Renovation

The Badischer Hof is back – historic Grand Hotel reopens for business

A piece of hotel history is set to return. The Badischer Hof in Baden-Baden will reopen for business today and start to welcome guests again. The hotel, which is able to look back on a rich tradition, will commence operations under the Leonardo Hotels name as part of the Leonardo Limited Edition brand, a carefully curated collection of individual hotels characterised by their history and character and by their link to the respective destination.

Leonardo Limited Edition
Baden-Baden, Germany
Development Opening

The Destination by Hyatt brand expands Greek footprint with the opening of Parian Chronicle Hotel Paros

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today celebrated the opening of Parian Chronicle Hotel Paros, a 50 room contemporary Cycladic retreat on the island of Paros, Greece, managed by SWOT Hospitality. The hotel blends the cultural heritage of the island with upscale leisure offerings and private outdoor space. This marks the Destination by Hyatt brand's second property in Greece and its first property on a Greek island, a milestone in the brand's growing footprint, now spanning 25 hotels and resorts in nearly 10 countries globally. The opening represents a meaningful step for the brand in an increasingly attractive European market, where in 2025 Greece's inbound tourism reached an all-time high, attracting 37.98 million visitors. [1]

Destination Hotels
Kampos, Greece
Development Opening

Annua Signature Hotels Unveils Gran Hotel Margalida, Mallorca

Today, ANNUA Signature Hotels opens the doors to Gran Hotel Margalida, the brand's fifth and most eagerly anticipated destination to date in the heart of Mallorca. Following the celebrated openings of César Lanzarote, Son Xotano in Mallorca, and Amagatay and Morvedra Nou in Menorca, Gran Hotel Margalida marks a new chapter for ANNUA shaped by cinematic design, elemental beauty and immersive, slow-paced luxury.

ANNUA Signature Hotels
Banyalbufar, Spain
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition

The Agentic Hotel: How Open Infrastructure Turns AI Into Operational Performance

Stephan Wiesener argues that the hospitality AI conversation has moved past experimentation into a harder question: what infrastructure actually allows AI agents to take reliable action across real hotel operations? Through concrete case studies from citizenM, THE FLAG Zürich, and Cocoon & Eckelmann Hotels, he makes the case that open, API-first architecture is the unglamorous foundation on which everything else depends.

Stephan Wiesener
By Stephan Wiesener, Founder & CTO, Apaleo GmbH