AI is set to transform the hospitality industry significantly in the coming year, driving innovation and efficiency across various aspects of operations. Here are some key areas where AI will make a notable impact:
The question needs to be reworded to ask how Generative AI (Gen-AI) will transform the industry, as Predictive AI (P-AI) has been core to revenue management / pricing systems for decades. P-AI has also been fundamental to RPA - Robotic Process Automation - which links disparate systems that may not have APIs.
Let’s start with the second question. First, you need an AI strategy, and an AI strategy holds or falls apart with your data strategy. To use AI, you need to work with good, clean data. For example, suppose your systems are littered with duplicate profiles.
Just as the hospitality industry evolves, so too must the format of its conventions, especially one as influential to the hospitality industry as HITEC. This year, the senior team at HFTP has expanded the tradeshow’s depth and impact with the inaugural HITEC Technology Investment Conference, taking place immediately after the main event on Thursday, June 27 and Friday, June 29. While it’s been in the making for a long time, we couldn’t have hoped for a better year to debut this addition.
Nomadix® Inc., bringing connected experiences to life, today announced the company will demonstrate its newest suite of cloud, software and networking solutions at HITEC Charlotte, June 24-28, 2024, in booth #1445. The company will also showcase its TV Casting, Cloud Telephony, Staff Safety Buttons, Passpoint, Payments Gateway and Voice Assistants, and will discuss its expansion into additional vertical markets.
Meetingmax, a leading provider of room block management software, proudly announces the launch of Hyperbook. This groundbreaking upgrade sets a new standard for housing software in the event industry. This revolutionary enhancement offers a modernized user experience, unparalleled speed, and robust future-proofing for high-traffic event launches.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Questex have announced an updated slate of speakers and events for The Hospitality Show (The Show), the world’s premier hospitality operations and technology event, which will be held Oct. 28-30 in San Antonio, Texas.
Growth Advisors International Network (GAIN) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), the largest collection of independent luxury properties, with over 400 member hotels in over 80 countries. Together, LHW and GAIN aim to provide technology assessments tailored specifically for LHW member hotels who want to get the most out of their on-property technology investments, ensuring they continue to deliver unparalleled luxury experiences.
Safemark, a global leader in guest room safe solutions for the hospitality industry, is thrilled to announce a new exclusive distribution agreement with Marshall, a renowned name in audio technology. This partnership allows Safemark to offer Marshall's acclaimed Homeline speakers, including the Acton III, Stanmore III, and Woburn III, exclusively to its United States hospitality customers. These products, "NEVER STOP LISTENING," and feature re-engineered technology that delivers a wider soundstage for an immersive audio experience.
I believe there will be a large shift over a long period of time. However there's a visual aspect of information that doesn't exist in a query type conversational level. Visual and sound create the emotional reaction. So generative on an "answer my question" level I think yes, but not on an inpirational level.
I agree that we're witnessing the rise of a new, AI-driven interface to the internet, which will expand but not entirely replace today's web interface. GAI chatbots are the first step, worrying Google about the future of its profitable search engine.
In a word, no. Conversational interfaces have their place, but they would add friction to airline, hotel, and restaurant searches. Amazon some years back tried to promote and monetise voice search via its Alexa devices, but no one was interested.
Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of hospitality software solutions and services, today announced two executive speaker sessions, one at the HFTP HITEC event June 24 – 27 and one at the HITEC Technology Investment Conference (HITEC IC) June 27 – 28, both to be held at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
Internationally recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, and humanitarian José Andrés has been announced as the opening keynote-session speaker for the second iteration of The Hospitality Show, produced by Questex and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). Additional speakers and programming updates will be announced in the coming months.
The Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, the premier event focused exclusively on independent boutique hotel investment, will take place next week on June 5, 2024, in New York City at The Florence Gould Hall beginning at 8 am. This one-of-a-kind conference promises a day of insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and unparalleled industry expertise tailored specifically to the needs and interests of boutique hotel owners, operators, and investors.
As I sat across a video call interviewing Arian Lewis, one of the founders behind Kiln, a lifestyle-focused coworking brand, I couldn’t help but notice the perfectly curated room in the background behind him. I had recently visited that very Salt Lake City Kiln location and was impressed not only with the beauty of the spaces but also with the small details, including the way all the cushions were gently plumped in the exact same way, reminiscent of a high-end hotel lobby. Refresh rooms, music studios, podcast rooms, and warm meeting spaces that felt like you were walking into your very own living room peppered the high-ceilinged, art-infused environment. Everything about this coworking space, from the distinct lighting in each space, down to the books on the coffee tables, seemed intentionally handpicked to spark conversation and evoke specific human interactions.
Oh, that's a good one! I think the problem with our industry is that we tend to fear data as the nemesis of the 'human touch' (whatever that means). Henri is right about hierarchical organizational structures. I live by a quote from Ed Catmull, who says: 'If there is more truth in the hallways than in meetings, you have a problem.' Apparently, this seems to be a recurring theme in our industry, and I think data scientists are feared because they can show that the Emperor actually has no clothes.
Any hotel group which values the direct channel (brand.com) already knows that data science has been at the core of digital marketing in hospitality for many years. It's fundamental to customer segmentation, targeting and results measurement.
The data fragmentation in hospitality is a huge challenge the industry faces today. Guest and operational data lives in multiple "data islands" that do not talk to each other: PMS, CRS, WBE, CRM, ORM, CMS, DMS, Social Media and BI.
Data science is an area of expertise that needs specialists, similar to other areas like design and creativity. Typically, most companies have outsourced these non-core functions; in the case of creativity, to ad agencies, for example.
Docyt, the frontrunner in AI-driven accounting automation technology, is partnering with x·quic™ on a bundled services offering that empowers hotel owners and franchisees to seamlessly integrate Docyt’s real-time bookkeeping capabilities with x·quic OTA Savings. The combined solution uses AI-driven workflows to streamline financial management and maximize hotel profitability, from single locations to expansive franchise operations.
InnSpire, the leading provider of innovative hospitality technology solutions that help drive seamless, world-class guest experiences for some of the world’s most iconic hotels and brands, has announced that its advanced IPTV, InnSmart and InnCast guestroom entertainment solutions have been successfully deployed at one of the world’s most exclusive private members clubs located in New York City. The InnSpire solutions were implemented in the property’s luxury suites in October 2023, as part of a technology upgrade designed to cater to the evolving needs of the club’s discerning tech-savvy members.
HOUSTON - WorldVue, the trusted platform for guest-centric technology such as video entertainment and wireless connectivity, and OpenWiFi, a community-developed open-source platform designed to lower the cost of developing and operating Wi-Fi networks, are excited to spotlight their first joint installation, bringing a better Wi-Fi experience to The Emory apartment community in Historic Downtown Plano, Texas.
How will we roll out AI tomorrow morning and this next year? There are two answers here:
Behaviors of guests & sorting of all offerings (room, packages, meals, drinks, activities) based on previous behaviors. Much of this if done on a per person can be done using general purpose AI along with a just in time promp injection model.
PMS data is only one source of first-party data, and it's actually quite limited because it focuses only on past guests. A richer set of data is built when combining PMS with CRM data and direct website behavior data. Once powered by that dataset, some key practical applications are: Benchmarking: create automated competitive sets for each hotel and find opportunities for improvement.