The Shepherd Mayfair to open on 1 September 2026
The Shepherd Mayfair, the new boutique hotel opening on 1 September 2026 in Shepherd Market, reveals the first menu from its signature restaurant, Fayre.
Europe - Latest
Grand Prix drove Monaco ADR and RevPAR to record-highs
Monaco hotels hit all-time highs in ADR (EUR 3,944.81) and RevPAR (EUR 1,031.52) in June 2026, fueled by the Formula 1 Grand Prix shifting from its usual May slot.
Bad Bunny and BTS boosted Madrid hotel room rates
CoStar data shows Madrid hit record June ADR of EUR199.97 and RevPAR of EUR164.32, driven by Bad Bunny's 10-night stadium run and BTS's Arirang World Tour shows.
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition
Afterword: Loving the Alien. Hospitality at the Edge of the Human Era
There is a tendency, whenever a new technology emerges, to describe it using the language of those that came before it. The automobile was initially called a horseless carriage, early cinema was dismissed as photographed theatre, and the internet was variously described as a global library, a digital encyclopedia, an electronic newspaper, or, in one now-famous 1995 Bill Gates television appearance, something that even David Letterman struggled to distinguish from a particularly sophisticated radio.
By Simone Puorto, Head of Emerging Trends and Strategic Innovation, Hospitality Net
INNSiDE by Meliá Debuts in Malta with the Opening of INNSiDE by Meliá Bugibba
Meliá Hotels International announces the opening of INNSiDE by Meliá Bugibba on 12 July 2026, marking the debut of its lifestyle-led INNSiDE by Meliá brand in Malta. Located in the heart of Bugibba Square and just steps from the seafront, this new hotel brings the brand's lifestyle-driven approach to one of the Mediterranean's most vibrant destinations, offering contemporary accommodation, destination dining, wellbeing facilities and social spaces.
Choice Hotels International Expands Ascend Collection with Opening of Liberté 33 in Poznań, Poland as Demand for Flexible Franchising Continues
Choice Hotels International®, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world’s largest hotel franchisors, has added Liberté 33 in Poznań to its Ascend Collection, marking Choice Hotels’ arrival in one of Poland's most vibrant cultural and commercial destinations.
By Max Starkov
Expert Views (24)
Ira Vouk, Hospitality Tech and AI Consultant, Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
The reality is much more complex than black and white. There are already many humanless hotels (mostly in Asia). So there will be: - regional differences in approach to human vs machine balance - variations between different segments (short-term rentals adopted self-service from the get go, many limited service hotel properties followed, but we won't expect to see if in the luxury segment any time soon, maybe never) It will be a spectrum.
Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH
In the future, a purely automated, no-human operational model will increasingly become the way of things. For this to fully materialize, our industry and our customer will have accepted all forms of artificial intelligence—both soft and hard.
Erik Muñoz, Business Development Director EMEA, TrustYou
No. Humanless hotels will become more common, but they are unlikely to become the norm.Automation and AI are excellent for repetitive tasks like check-in, payments, and guest requests, helping hotels reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition
The Remains of the Stay: Memory, Identity, and the Afterlife of the Guest
Edmondo Grassi approaches the post-stay phase as a sociologist rather than a technologist, and the perspective is unsettling. When a guest checks out, he argues, their stay does not end — it migrates into a data infrastructure that remembers with absolute precision what the guest themselves only vaguely recalls, raising a question the industry rarely asks: who has the right to hold that memory, and on whose behalf?
By Edmondo Grassi, Assistant professor (RTT) in Sociology, San Raffaele University of Rome
The Death of the Department: Why the Hotel Org Chart Is a Revenue Structure, Not a Guest Structure
A hospitality educator argues that traditional hotel org charts fragment guest value across siloed departments, and proposes practical steps including RevPAG tracking, cross-functional teams, and realigned incentives.
By Julia Krebs, Senior Lecturer and Hospitality Consultant, Les Roches
Nammos Hotels & Resorts and Smokva Bay Partner to Create a Landmark Mediterranean Lifestyle Destination in Montenegro
Nammos Hotels & Resorts and Smokva Bay have announced a landmark partnership to develop Nammos Resort Montenegro, a fully integrated luxury lifestyle destination located at Smokva Bay on Montenegro's Budva Riviera.
BWH Hotels GB nears 300 new bedrooms at mid year point following year of strong hotel signings
BWH Hotels GB has signed six new hotels in 12 months, adding 291 bedrooms, with Royal Maritime Hotel generating nearly £50,000 in new business in its first month.
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition
The Ethics of the Traveler: Responsibility in an Intelligent Ecosystem
Jonathan MacDonald reframes the post-stay phase (typically dismissed as administrative afterthought) as the moment where the ethical stakes of AI-mediated travel become most visible. Once a guest checks out, their experience dissolves into data, and the central question becomes not what they remember, but who owns the narrative, and on what terms.
By Jonathan MacDonald, Founder, SELF
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Technology Edition
Panem, Circenses, and Prompt Engineering: What Ancient Rome Already Knew About AI
Andrzej Wajda traces the AI revolution back to Antiquity, arguing that what we call automation today is structurally indistinguishable from what ancient Romans achieved through slavery — and that Aristotle essentially predicted it. The real lesson for hospitality, he contends, is not technological but perennial: if you cannot manage people and operations well today, no tool, ancient or artificial, will save you.
By Andrzej Mateusz Wajda, Hospitality consultant & Sociologist, Wajda Hotel Consulting
Fortuna of Cappadocia, Autograph Collection Opens in Cappadocia, a Distinctive Destination Rooted in Heritage Region
Fortuna of Cappadocia, Autograph Collection has opened in the heart of Cappadocia, the iconic region in central Türkiye. The distinctive new hotel joins Autograph Collection Hotels, Marriott Bonvoy’s diverse portfolio of more than 300 independent hotels, each celebrated for its independent character and story.
MGallery Collection and Colossos SA announce a new hotel in Rhodes, an exceptional adults-only retreat overlooking the Aegean Sea
MGallery Collection, Accor's portfolio of distinctive boutique hotels, and Colossos SA, a leading family-owned hospitality company with a long-standing presence on the island, announce the signing of an agreement for the first MGallery Collection hotel in Rhodes. The new adults-only hotel is currently under construction and is scheduled to welcome its first guests in Spring 2027.
Discover MGallery Collection's New French Oceanfront Sanctuary on Île d'Oléron
This July, MGallery Collection, a portfolio of storied boutique hotels, unveils Bel Hotel Oléron Thalasso & Spa - MGallery Collection, an oceanfront sanctuary designed for reconnection. Nestled between fragrant forests and the Atlantic's silver-blue horizon, the property graces the storied plage de Gatseau on Île d'Oléron, the celebrated French island off the country's western coast. At Bel Hotel Oléron Thalasso & Spa - MGallery Collection, every detail has been curated to stir the senses and slow down, inviting guests into a world where nature and serenity is not merely the backdrop, but the beating heart of the experience.
What happens when hoteliers decide to break the mold – and the front desk?
Three European hoteliers share how they eliminated or reinvented the front desk, with approaches ranging from full automation at Limehome's 13,000 rooms to a human-first model at a 14-room property outside Amsterdam.
Stuck in the Middle: How Hospitality Workers in Greece View Working Conditions
A national survey of 451 Greek hospitality workers finds formal employment standards often exist on paper but fail in practice, with low pay, unpaid overtime, and weak worker voice widespread across the sector.
By Dr. Charalampos (Babis) Giousmpasoglou, Principal Academic in HRM, Bournemouth University
Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere: Now Open – A Landmark for Luxury in Northwest England
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a global luxury brand part of the Accor group, proudly announces the opening of Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere. A breathtaking countryside estate rooted in heritage, Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere offers 116 beautifully appointed bedrooms, including 23 spacious suites, exceptional elevated dining experiences including Gordon Ramsay at The Mere, an 18-hole championship-level golf course, and a sanctuary of elevated wellness experiences at Fairmont Spa. The opening marks the brand's fourth hotel in the UK alongside The Savoy, A Fairmont Hotel; Fairmont Windsor Park; and Fairmont St Andrews.
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.
By Rita Jusztina Varga, CEO, RAIZUP