What I Saw at HITEC 2026 That Nobody Else Is Talking About
The author argues that HITEC 2026 overlooked a key market gap: back-office AI that reduces overhead and drives margins, while vendors focused almost entirely on guest-facing tools.
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The Illusion of Labor Cost Control in Hospitality
Hotel operators who hit labor budgets may still suffer hidden inefficiencies; the article argues that labor precision and real-time demand alignment matter more than payroll control alone.
By Anna Ransom, Vice President, Unifocus
The Guest Has a Companion Now
UBTech's consumer humanoid robot launch signals a shift in guest expectations that hospitality must address, as home companion AI sets a new relational benchmark hotels are unprepared to meet.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
How Multi-Location Hospitality Groups Are Finally Getting Control Over Team Communication
A promotional explainer arguing that hospitality groups should replace personal messaging apps with dedicated work chat tools, citing data ownership risks and multi-property communication gaps.
By Rebecca Lazar, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Zenzap
What Your Hotel Day Is Really Costing You
Hidden operational costs from scheduling lag, cross-department misalignment, and management coordination fatigue compound daily, often invisible in traditional retrospective reporting.
By Anna Ransom, Vice President, Unifocus
Mews named preferred PMS supplier for Resorts of Ontario
Mews becomes the sole preferred PMS supplier for Resorts of Ontario, giving 100+ independent resorts and lodges across the province access to its cloud-native platform.
Shiji Unifies Housekeeping Workflows with Tasks per Room in Daylight PMS Mobile App
Shiji's Daylight PMS now embeds task management directly into the housekeeping mobile app's room-level view, letting attendants handle cleaning and guest requests in one screen without switching between systems.
The Real Role of Technology in Hospitality Isn’t What You Think
Meyer Jabara Hotels outlines its in-house technology management model, arguing that owning the full IT stack, from network infrastructure to cybersecurity and help desk, is a competitive advantage for hotel operators.
By Ted Jabara, Senior Vice President of Technical Systems, Meyer Jabara
Keycafe Brings Automated Hotel Key Management to HITEC 2026 with New Mews and Cloudbeds Integrations
Keycafe will demo automated key management at HITEC 2026 in San Antonio, including a live Mews PMS integration and early access preview of a Cloudbeds integration for contactless, reservation-triggered key access.
Destination AI and Hospitality Net Host A Webinar on the Current State of Robotics in Hospitality
A live webinar on June 25 will gather hospitality operators and robotics leaders to discuss ROI, adoption barriers, and real-world deployment of robots across U.S. hotels.
News / supplier
Shiji and FreedomPay advance all-in-one payments strategy for global hospitality operations
Shiji and FreedomPay are combining Infrasys POS and Astral Payments into a single Android-based mobile device, letting hotel staff manage orders and payments in one workflow across F&B and other revenue centers.
What 200 Restaurants Taught Him About Running Hotels: Christian Hürlimann on HotellerieSuisse
HotellerieSuisse director Christian Hürlimann draws on 20 years overseeing 200 catering outlets to argue that empowering middle managers, using AI for back-of-house efficiency, and trusting staff to resolve guest issues are the keys to better hotel leadership.
The ROI of Self-Service Check-In: A Practical ROI and Risk Assessment Framework for Hospitality Operators
Kiosk.eu makes the case for self-service check-in kiosks, outlining ROI drivers including labour cost reduction, ancillary upsell revenue, and a payback period of months to under one year.
By Dipesh Bharambe, Digital Marketing Specialist, Kiosk Embedded Systems GmbH
Luxury U.S. Hotel Group Increases Monthly Time Savings To More Than 3,000 Hours With RobosizeME Automation
A U.S. luxury hotel group using RobosizeME automation surpassed 3,000 hours saved per month across finance, reconciliation, and back-office functions, exceeding its 600-hour target by 5x.
AI Agents: The 20% Gross Operating Profit boost hotels are sleeping on
The article argues that deploying networks of specialized AI agents across scheduling, pricing, maintenance, and guest services could lift hotel GOP margins by 19–25%, offering a structural edge for early movers.
By Alexander Sassen and Tobias van Dijk
AI in Hospitality: The Confidence Gap
A new h2c study finds 86% of European hotel chains use AI but 80% lack a formal strategy, with skills gaps and poor data infrastructure blocking meaningful outcomes.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
How to Ensure Your Guest Experience Doesn't Break Down Behind the Scenes
Poor system integration is the top tech pain point for hotels, with 68% reporting delays or cost overruns, as siloed platforms hurt staff productivity and guest experience.
By Priya Rajamani, VP of Implementation & Support, Stayntouch
Snapfix Launches AI-Powered Housekeeping Module to Transform Hotel Room Turns in Real Time
Snapfix launches an AI-powered housekeeping module with live PMS integration, auto-scheduling, and cross-department visibility, claiming up to 25% labor cost savings and rooms ready two hours earlier.
Hotel design and technology are inseparable
Industry experts at HT360 Hospitality Leaders Forum argue technology must be embedded from the earliest design stages, not retrofitted, with real examples showing AI and integrations doubling F&B conversion rates.
By Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
Humanizing Hospitality: Why Choosing a Technology Partner with Heart Brings Many Happy Returns
As the 2026 tradeshow season opens, the article argues that hotel technology must be evaluated on how well it supports frontline staff, with multilingual interfaces, mobile-first workflows, and vendor partnership as key criteria.
By Scott Schaedle, Chief Executive Officer, Quore