Hospitality technology companies around the country are busy gearing up for HITEC, the world's largest hospitality show, which convenes this year in New Orleans. With over 400 technology companies (418 to be precise) set to show off their newest products, services, and innovations, this year is sure to be an exciting one, and an inspiring, if not overwhelming, venue to learn about the latest advances and innovations in our industry.

Each year we at ALICE run an analysis on the companies attending. Here are some of the findings:

The Categories

This year, as was the case in 2015, companies in attendance span a wide range of product categories, including finance, reservations, marketing, hardware, and guest management. In 2015, the majority of companies at HITEC were hardware (27.98%), media solutions (10.8%), and back office companies (8.59%). This year looks to share a similar makeup. The majority of companies coming this year will focus on hardware (28.8%), technology services (9.6%), and media solutions (8.6%). Although there are slight differences in category representation, no single product category has broken out this year (sorry beacons and robots…maybe next year).

The Newcomers

There are many returning companies from last year's conference, along with a large number of interesting new companies. Some exciting newcomers that will be at HITEC this year include Ariane Systems, Wandering WiFi, and GoodData. Using booth size as a (somewhat questionable) proxy for company success and/or ambition, these newcomers have remarkably large booths.

Another exciting new company that will debut at HITEC is Proxce, which provides a proximity-based identity management solution that lets hotels provide services like mobile check-in and keyless entry to guest rooms. We enjoyed meeting their team at last month's Lion's Den event at ARDA.

Another HITEC newcomer that really shot to prominence last year is Triptease, with European hotels going wild for their Price Check, an on-site price comparison tool that helps consumers see they are getting competitive pricing on Brand.com.

Newcomer Agilysis, who have released a new shiny new PMS to compete with Oracle, is another company surrounded by a lot of good buzz. If you haven't met either of these companies yet, they are definitely ones to add to this year's list of can't-miss companies at HITEC.

A company that needs no introduction, but is attending HITEC for the first time is Tripadvisor, which is heading to New Orleans to tout their new-ish direct booking tools.

Bigger Booths Than Last Year

Some returning companies of note include Regatta Travel Solutions and Monscierge. These companies boast noticeable increases in booth size, which might indicate considerable company growth. These are just a small sample of the notable companies one should explore.

Going Big

The following companies have exceptionally large booths at HITEC this year:

After the conference, it's definitely worth it to explore the city of New Orleans. Bourbon Street is covered with lively bars, restaurants, clubs, and entertainment. The streets are filled with history and iconic buildings. In particular, we recommend checking out Pat O'Brien's for an amazing piano bar, Cochon for a classic southern dinner, and Café Du Monde for mouthwatering beignets!

Headed to HITEC? Share with us the companies you're looking forward to meeting!

And while you're there, we invite you to stop by our own (pretty big) booth (#1945) to learn how ALICE can improve your guest service, cut costs and drive revenue at your hotel.

Lola Feiger
Marketing Lead
ALICE

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