Reflections from HITEC 2026 show hoteliers are not seeking more technology but simpler, better-connected systems backed by partners who reduce complexity and stay engaged post-implementation.
Folio joins Avendra International's eProcurement Partner Network, giving hotels access to 5,000+ contracted suppliers and $20.5B in purchasing power, with one client lifting program participation by over 10%.
The AI Hospitality Alliance launched with 12 founding partners spanning PMS, revenue management, marketing, and guest experience tech, united around education, governance, and open AI standards for hospitality.
Vacatia used Cloudbeds Open API to connect proprietary timeshare tech with a unified hotel platform across 60 resorts and 11,000+ units, reducing tech fragmentation and laying groundwork for AI adoption.
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.
Expedia Group's Explore 2026 partner conference revealed that AI is now embedded across traveler experiences and partner workflows, yet 70% of travelers still prefer trusted travel companies over AI chatbots for bookings.
A HITEC 2026 recap identifies agentic governance, Agent Management Platforms, and Guest Success Management Systems as the defining trends, with AI shifting from point tools to enterprise-wide orchestrated workflows.
HITEC 2026 drew 6,100+ professionals to San Antonio's Henry B. González Convention Center, featuring 400+ exhibitors across 85,000 sq ft and a strong focus on AI, cybersecurity, and digital guest engagement.
Revinate's Ivy is trained on 17 years of hospitality data and 1.1 billion guest profiles, currently powering chat resolution and call scoring, with planned expansion into automated guest communications.
Marriott's AI-powered conversational search tool launches in beta on Marriott.com and its mobile apps, with a full global rollout to 283 million Bonvoy members planned later in 2025.
GratifID launched TIPMO at HITEC San Antonio, an NFC-based cashless tipping platform that delivers tips instantly to hospitality workers via a digital wallet, with analytics tools for operators.
Inn-Flow is showcasing expanded AI and automation capabilities at HITEC 2026, including a new procurement module from its Lilo acquisition, an AI-assisted inventory tool, and proactive BI alerts for accounting and labor.
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.
Canary Technologies' new Agentic Sales Coordinator autonomously handles hotel group and event sales workflows from first inquiry to confirmed booking, debuting at HITEC 2026 in San Antonio.
Cloudbeds and Tripleseat have launched a two-way integration connecting event sales with Cloudbeds' new Groups Events module to automate group workflows and reduce manual data entry for hotel teams.
dormakaba will exhibit at HITEC 2026 in San Antonio, showcasing digital key, cloud access management, and staff keycard solutions, including its Google Wallet hotel key deployment at Resorts World Las Vegas.
UrVenue will exhibit its experience commerce platform at HITEC San Antonio (June 16-18, Booth #538), showcasing tools to manage and monetize non-room inventory and previewing its AI and Model Context Protocol strategy.
Agilysys will lead three sessions at HITEC 2026 in San Antonio covering AI-driven personalization, resort experience merchandising, and data-connected workforce strategy.
Shiji and FreedomPay are combining Infrasys POS and Astral Payments into a single Android-based mobile device, letting hotel F&B staff handle ordering and payment in one workflow without switching systems.
Otelier will demo TruePlan at HITEC 2026 in San Antonio, highlighting new features including Critique, a workflow for contextualizing variances and forecast changes across hotel portfolios.