Innovation

🏌️ Streamsong Resort in Alpharetta, Ga., selected Agilysys Golf and Mobile Caddie App for enhanced scheduling, gaining over 20 hours of weekly efficiency. The app synchronizes tee sheets in real-time, benefiting both staff and guests. Streamsong Loopers, a rebrand of the app, manages over 200 caddies and supports seamless onboarding. Inspired by Streamsong’s success, other KemperSports properties, including Wild Spring Dunes and Rodeo Dunes, are considering adoption.

🤖 Aramark Healthcare+ partners with ABB Robotics and WellSpan Health to introduce RoboEatz's Autonomous Robotic Kitchen (ARK) in hospitals. ARK, a 400-square-foot space, uses robotic arms to prepare four customized bowls simultaneously, offering up to 80 ingredients. Orders can be placed via app or kiosk. Aimed to support overnight staff meals, ARK enhances efficiency and access. Some hospitals supplement with smart vending machines and AI-driven 24/7 convenience stores.

🛅 HSMAI Europe partners with TrustYou for two years, starting in 2026, to enhance guest intelligence and reputation management. TrustYou will sponsor the HSMAI Europe Commercial Strategy Conference on January 15, 2026, at InterContinental London Park Lane during Commercial Strategy Week (January 14-16). This partnership includes local events, educational programming, and data insights initiatives under "HSMAI Data Insights Powered by TrustYou." This collaboration aims to boost guest-experience insights and commercial strategies in Europe's hospitality sector.

💻 SaaS and agents merge in 2026, with non-adapters facing extinction. Google dominates, OpenAI shifts towards social features. AI enables personalized entertainment, nutrient cocktails, and agent crypto wallets. Invite-only web resurfaces due to bot concerns. Browsers synthesize answers from multiple sources. AI-integrated devices reduce smartphone reliance. Universities adapt curriculum, dropping computer science for agent-focused studies. Sovereign AI trade wars begin, and manual trades thrive amid automation. Wealth creation accelerates by identifying AI-mispriced assets.

🍳 Megumi Robinson, Vice President at Belle Communication, highlights the benefits of partnerships between celebrity chefs and onsite foodservice operations, noting that such collaborations can accelerate innovation and introduce global flavors. Over the past decade, these partnerships have become more intentional and impactful. Google searches for "chef partnership" have surged by 1,400%, indicating a significant trend. Robinson emphasizes the value of deep collaborations where chefs serve as advisors, enhancing corporate culinary teams.

🛩 Travel Unlocked conference, 12/11/25, Paris. Agentic Hospitality views it as a pivotal moment for travel infrastructure, focusing on API-driven, seamless experiences. After launching in New York, it now unifies airlines, mobility, accommodations, and more. APIs are key, aiming to reduce integration costs and enhance global travel connectivity. Supported by Booking.com and OpenTravel Alliance, the event fosters collaboration and technical progress. Agentic's platform integrates conversion intelligence and other tools for improved hotel performance.

📲 MCP, or "Middleware Control Platform," is a new hotel tech innovation that could revolutionize revenue generation by simplifying data integration. It acts as a switchboard, connecting AI agents and chatbots to hotel systems like booking engines, PMS, and CRM. MCP doesn't store data, eliminating sync and GDPR concerns, and offers a unified language for requests. Although early in development, MCP could streamline access to fragmented hotel data, potentially creating new direct revenue streams without relying on OTAs.

📰 Google dominates the metasearch sector as Kayak and others lag behind. For hotels, focusing on Google Hotel Ads, rate parity, and retargeting is key. Banks like Capital One could reshape travel transactions through "paymentification," but innovation remains slow. MCP (Model Context Protocol) could revolutionize hotel tech by serving as a data switchboard, enhancing integration and direct revenue streams. LinkedIn's shift away from AI-written content suggests a return to human engagement. The hospitality tech landscape is evolving with new standards and strategies.

🏨 Ennismore generates over 60% of revenue from sources outside accommodation, like F&B and coworking spaces. Staypineapple’s Boston property’s Trophy Room bar highlights community integration, enhancing reputation without room bookings. RevPAG measures guest interactions beyond room stays, requiring integrated tech systems. Swiss Hotel Apartments and Strawberry use connected systems for personalized experiences. Paradise Resort Gold Coast increased revenue by selling additional experiences. Emphasizing guest value, not just rooms, fosters long-term loyalty and diversified income.