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Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

Beyond “No-Reply”: The Missing Link in Hybrid Hospitality

Ben Jost, Co Founder and CEO of TrustYou, explains that hybrid hospitality will only work when hotels fix the “conversation gap” created by no reply emails, siloed channels, and systems that do not share context. He describes how an AI powered “AI Operator” sitting on top of unified communication and guest data can turn every email, chat, and call into one continuous, informed dialogue, reducing staff workload and making the guest experience feel faster, more personal, and truly connected.

Benjamin Jost
By Benjamin Jost, Co-Founder and CEO, TrustYou
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

The Anti-Strategy Strategy: How Doing Less Will Win 2026

Julia Krebs, Senior Lecturer and Hospitality Consultant at Les Roches Marbella, argues that the stand-out hotels of 2026 will be the ones that dare to do less, not more. Her “anti-strategy” swaps add-ons and AI hype for staff-led revenue insight, fixing basic integrations, owning slow days like Tuesday, and turning the luxury of less into a clear commercial advantage.

Julia Krebs
By Julia Krebs, Senior Lecturer and Hospitality Consultant, Les Roches-Marbella
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

SX = GX. Square!

Mark Fancourt, Co Founder and Principal Consultant at TRAVHOTECH, argues that the guest experience can only be as strong as the staff experience behind it, and that 2026 must be the year the industry finally treats SX = GX = $ as a real strategy, not a slogan. He calls out fragmented tech, context switching, and poor visibility as design failures that exhaust teams, and makes the case for tri-discipline leadership, integrated systems that give staff a 360° guest view, and tech that amplifies human service instead of replacing it.

Mark Fancourt
By Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH
Development Opening

Paraiso de la Bonita Just Changed the Meaning of All-Inclusive Luxury with the Opening of The Reserve

A new level of ultra-refined hospitality has arrived at Paraíso de la Bonita, A Luxury Collection Resort, Riviera Maya, Adult All-Inclusive, Member of the Royalton Reserve Collection, with the introduction of The Reserve at Paraiso de la Bonita, an oceanfront building dedicated to the resort's most exclusive suites. Conceived as a more private, spacious, and elevated way to experience the resort, The Reserve at Paraiso de la Bonita brings the Royalton Suites & Villas vision to life through residential-style accommodations, expansive outdoor living, and a deeper sense of intimacy with the Caribbean Sea.

Royalton Reserve Collection
Puerto Morelos, Mexico
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

The Future of Hospitality Is in a Fine-Tuned Blend of Humans and Technology

Max Starkov argues that guests are already comfortable with “human-less” service in accommodations, and hotels should respond by using AI, robotics, mobile, and cloud tools to do more with fewer staff while keeping a warm human face where it matters most. Using vacation rentals as proof that self-service works at scale, he links accelerated tech adoption to solving labor shortages and rising costs, and predicts a major staffing reduction by 2030 as automation moves from the back of house into core operations. 

Max Starkov
By Max Starkov, Hospitality & travel technologist and digital strategist, Hospitality Net
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

It’s Time to Rewrite Hospitality’s Story for the Next Generation

Christina Reti, Founder and CEO of CDR Global, reflects on why hospitality keeps losing young talent to misconception rather than reality. She argues that hotels remain one of the rare industries where starting at the bottom can lead to global leadership, but only if the sector updates its message and its internal practices, with clearer growth routes, stronger coaching, and workplaces that feel modern, purposeful, and human.

Christina Reti
By Christina Reti, Founder & CEO, CDR Global
Development Opening

Kadun, a Boutique Hotel by Mexico Grand Hotels, Debuts in Cabo San Lucas

Mexico Grand Hotels, the hospitality group behind several of Los Cabos' premier luxury resorts—announces the debut of Kadún, a new 110-room boutique hotel to downtown Cabo San Lucas. Opening just steps from the Cabo San Lucas Marina and El Médano Beach, Kadún merges contemporary luxury with the creative and cultural spirit of Baja California Sur, offering travelers an elevated yet soulful retreat in one of the region's most dynamic locations.

Mexico Grand Hotels
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
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Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

Beyond the Room: What the Next Era of Hotel Growth Will Look Like

Emily Weiss, Senior Managing Director and Travel Industry Lead at Accenture, argues that the industry cannot rely on higher ADRs to grow as RevPAR growth slows and costs rise. She explains how hotel brands are already shifting toward revenue beyond the room and stay, using retail and e commerce, bundled experiences, and next generation loyalty to keep guests engaged before, during, and after a visit. The message is clear: winners in 2026 and beyond will build lifestyle ecosystems that fit into how guests live and shop, not just how they sleep.

Emily Weiss
By Emily Weiss, Global Travel Industry Sector Lead, Accenture
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

Can we please not say Hybrid, please

Hybrid is hospitality's buzzword du jour—but what if it's a dead end? Matthias Huettebraeuker, Hospitality Strategist & Senior Executive Advisor, argues that "hybrid" represents terminal thinking, not transformation. Instead of reassembling old boxes, he proposes three conditions for discovery: convergence, fluidity, and versatility. The key metric? Engagement—and redefining hospitality around how much of someone's life we hold space for.

Matthias Huettebraeuker
By Matthias Huettebraeuker, Hospitality Strategist & Senior Executive Advisor, Matthias Huettebraeuker
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

Context-Driven Hospitality: The Next Evolution

Rok Kokalj, Co-founder and CEO of Nevron, describes “context-driven hospitality” as the next step for an industry facing uncertainty and rising complexity. He argues that hotels should move from binary thinking to hybrid intelligence, building clear identity and purpose first so technology, especially AI agents, can support human connection and turn back-end complexity into front-end simplicity that feels seamless for guests.

Rok Kokalj
By Rok Kokalj, Co-founder & CEO, Nevron
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

How AI is Powering Efficiency and Imagination in Hospitality Design

Lisa A. Haude, Principal-Interior Designer at Studio RYS, shows how AI is becoming a practical creative partner in the studio. She describes using AI to speed up drafting, modeling, admin work, and BIM based visualisation, letting designers test more ideas, reduce errors, and give clients richer, real time ways to see and shape a project. Her main point is that AI should stay in the background as a tool for precision and sustainability insight, while the human side storytelling, taste, and emotional sense of place remains what makes hospitality design truly memorable.

Lisa A. Haude
By Lisa A. Haude, Principal-Interior Design, Studio RYS, Studio RYS (formerly RYS Architects)
Development Renovation

Hyatt Announces Newly Enhanced Secrets Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort Following Extensive Renovation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) has announced the reopening of Secrets Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort, an adults-only, all-inclusive haven, following a transformative renovation. These new updates reaffirm Hyatt's commitment to mainstay destinations and elevate the refined experience guests have come to know from the Secrets Resorts & Spas brand.

Secrets Resorts & Spas
Cancún, Mexico
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Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

Why Presence is the Next Amenity

Susie Arnett of Six Senses explains that as hotel service becomes more automated, the real value of hospitality moves back to the human relationship between guest and host. Drawing on lessons from retreat centres, she shows why future staff must act more like guides than service workers, and why training should focus on presence and emotional intelligence so guests feel truly seen, not just served.

Susie Arnett
By Susie Arnett, Director of Wellness Programming, Six Senses
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

Bringing it All Together: How All-Inclusive Resorts Changed the Narrative

As all inclusive resorts shed their old value only reputation and reemerge as serious players in the upscale leisure space, Ricardo Orozco Arce of The Villa Group shows how the category’s revival is powered by “hybrid by design” thinking. He maps the unlikely pairings redefining the model luxury and explains how blending these forces can broaden appeal, deepen loyalty and keep the guest experience feeling effortless and worth it at every step.

Ricardo Orozco Arce
By Ricardo Orozco Arce, Vice President Operations, The Villa Group
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

The Growth Code: Why Human Investment is the Ultimate Advantage in an AI Era

As hotels race to automate, Tanja Stegmüller, co-founder of TRUSTmenti, makes the case that resilience will come from intentional hybridity: blending digital efficiency with human wisdom, global standards with local soul, and automation with empathy. She lays out a ten point playbook for building hybrid leaders, learning ecosystems, and people centred cultures, arguing that technology can handle tasks, but only humans can deliver judgment, emotion, and the moments that define great hospitality.

Tanja Stegmüller
By Tanja Stegmüller, Co-Founder, TRUSTmenti
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

Closing the personalization gap: Why hotels still struggle to connect online promises with offline reality

Hotels have perfected AI powered personalization online, yet the experience often falls flat on property because guest insights stay trapped in fragmented systems and are not translated into simple, actionable cues for front line teams. Floor explains how unified data layers, predictive and agentic AI, and open standards like MCP could finally bridge this digital physical gap, as long as hotels pair the tech with training and a culture that turns insights into meaningful moments.

Floor Bleeker
By Floor Bleeker, Board Member, Advisor, Investor and Consultant, IN2 Consulting
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition

AI Adoption in Hospitality: Meet People Where They Are

AI may be rewriting hospitality’s playbook, but the toughest part of adoption is not the software, it is the quiet anxieties it triggers on the front line. By tracing three common fears that surface whenever AI enters the workplace, Lynn Zwibak shows how leaders can turn resistance into readiness and make change something teams help build rather than brace against.

Lynn Zwibak
By Lynn Zwibak, Founder & CEO, Zwibak | Commercial Strategy
Development Renovation

RIU Hotels Sees Out 2025 by Reopening the Riu Jalisco Following a Full Refurb

RIU Hotels & Resorts has reopened the doors of the iconic hotel Riu Jalisco, located in Riviera Nayarit, following the completion of an ambitious renovation project. The establishment has undergone an extensive transformation to add a variety of new dining options, as well as create a special area for the youngest members of the family that includes a splash pad with slides. In parallel to the refurbishment, work was carried out to extend the hotel and add 120 rooms in a newly constructed area.

RIU
Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico