In November, Simone Puorto, Head of Emerging Trends & Strategic Innovation at Hospitality Net, will speak at BTO 2025 in Florence, alongside Romy Abbrederis and Alessio Re. His talk, titled “Zero-Click, Zero-Friction: Rethinking Hospitality from Discovery to Operations?”, will explore the future of hospitality in an age of radical digital transformation.
The Hospitality Professionals Association (HOSPA) has announced further details for HOSPACE 2025, as anticipation builds for what promises to be a landmark 20th edition of the UK’s leading hospitality conference.
Ask any hotelier what frustrates them about technology, and you’ll hear a familiar refrain:
Last week, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) and Hospitality Upgrade successfully hosted 80 chief information officers (CIO) and hospitality industry professionals for two days of high-level exploration of tech and business trends impacting the hospitality space. In its 23rd year, the CIO Summit was held Sept. 3–5 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. In its two decades, the CIO Summit is known as a unique, invitation-only event for CIOs from hotel brands, management companies, cruise lines, gaming and independent hotels. The Summit program offers a mix of expert-led sessions and fun social activities that highlight the host city’s local treasures.
The rapid development of emerging technologies is reshaping industries around the world, including the tourism sector. The European Travel Commission (ETC) has today published the findings of its European mapping study on artificial intelligence use within National Tourism Organisations (NTOs).
The Future Hospitality Summit – FHS World is giving hospitality brands and technology start-ups a unique opportunity to promote their business and connect with investors with PitchPoint, one of a host of new features at FHS World 2025.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, world-renowned hospitality brand and one of Accor's leading luxury brands are setting a new standard for sound across Fairmont's 96 hotels and resorts globally through a newly curated partnership with Devialet. The global leader in luxury sound technology will further elevate Fairmont's signature guest experience, with cutting-edge audio innovation. Serving as the sound solution provider across Fairmont's iconic global destinations, Devialet will further develop a series of guest touchpoints at partner properties including enhancing the Fairmont Gold, in-room and in-lobby experiences; providing a hand-picked range of audio products available for purchase at the Fairmont Store; as well as Making Special Happen in audio through special Fairmont pop-ups and events throughout the year.
The OpenTravel Alliance (OTA), the leading data standards organization for the travel industry and a member of the Linux Foundation, today announced it has joined the Overture Maps Foundation (Overture), another Linux Foundation initiative focused on building reliable and interoperable open map data for global use. By joining Overture, OTA will work with another leading consortium to resolve one of the travel industry’s most persistent challenges: standardizing location data across the highly fragmented ecosystem of travel providers, platforms, and markets by establishing open, interoperable mapping frameworks.
Rotana, one of the region’s leading hotel management companies, has announced the rollout of a next-generation operational platform across its hotel portfolio — marking a major step in its journey toward fully digitised, data-driven hotel operations.
RestAssure, the industry’s first non-insurance guest protection platform, has recently launched–and is looking for partners in the industry exactly like yourself. We are a transformative solution built to empower hotel owners nationwide to take back control of operational costs and protect guests in real-time, and restore profitability and peace of mind in an evolving hospitality landscape.
This article presents the second part of a large-scale study led by HES-SO Valais-Wallis in 1500 hotels across six European countries (1st part on AI published last 9th of July here).
The Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA), the foremost organization dedicated to advancing the world of independent boutique and luxury lodging, proudly announces Romeo Bravo Software (RBS) as the newest member of its exclusive Inner Circle Club (ICC) program.
Leaders from across the hospitality sector say the industry is approaching an inflection point where technology will shift from a back-office support act to a center-stage driver of guest experience and operational success.
ProVision Partners (“ProVision”), a leading global strategic growth marketing, technology, and commercial services advisory firm to the travel and hospitality industry, today announces the appointment of Jason Doebrich as Strategic Advisor, Technology. A longtime hotel technology leader, Doebrich brings more than 20 years of brand-side experience leading IT strategy and innovation for some of the most recognized names in hospitality.
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) and Hospitality Upgrade are thrilled to announce Bob Flores, former chief technology officer (CTO) for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as the keynote speaker for the upcoming and highly-anticipated CIO Summit. Following his CIA career, Flores founded Applicology, Inc. and is a visionary leader at the intersection of cybersecurity, intelligence, and advanced technology.
Tech-Enabled Hospitality: Strategies to Elevate Guest Experience and Operational Efficiency, the much-anticipated book by hospitality-technology authority Jessica Gillingham – is officially on sale today (UK).
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has released Artificial Intelligence Transformation Guide for Caribbean Tourism: Version 2.0, an expanded and updated resource that helps Caribbean hospitality and tourism stakeholders use AI in a practical, people-first way, while preserving the warmth and cultural richness the region is known for.
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) and Hospitality Upgrade are honored to announce Zaira Valls as the recipient of the 2025 John Cahill Student Seat for this year’s CIO Summit. This distinguished recognition is awarded annually to one exceptional student from a hospitality program who demonstrates academic excellence, leadership, and a passion for innovation in hospitality technology.
Extended Stay America®, the leading mid-priced extended stay hotel brand family in the United States, today announced the launch of Client Connect, the first business travel program designed exclusively for extended stay business travelers. The new program brings together the company's comprehensive suite of business travel services under one unified program, offering personalized partnerships, competitive rates and streamlined booking solutions.
The spirit of innovation was on full display at HITEC ’25, where D3x and Yipy were crowned winners of the Nextwave Seed Investment Challenge. The competition, co-hosted by Techne Infiniti Ventures: Where AI Meets Hospitality and Growth Advisors International Network (GAIN), spotlighted early-stage companies using artificial intelligence and focused innovation to drive hospitality transformation.