Innovation

Blog Post Excerpt 📑 At HITEC 2026, from June 15-18 in San Antonio, dailypoint will demonstrate new capabilities in hospitality data management. The company integrates the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Zapier, connecting over 9,200 apps for hotel automation. This enhances data accessibility and operational efficiency using AI like ChatGPT. Dr. Michael Toedt, CEO, highlights reduced data fragmentation, while Alexander Knoedel, Manager, emphasizes improved data quality and decision-making.

💰 In April 2024, wholesale food costs rose by 4.7%, driving up hotel operational expenses. Strategic purchasing can save hotels 15% on F&B through group purchasing organizations (GPOs), food waste reduction, and vendor consolidation. Remington Hospitality cut food costs by 3-5% via waste tracking. Standardizing housekeeping supplies saved HEI Hotels $98,000 annually. Implementing technologies like Horecafox and Alif optimizes inventory. Effective strategies target a 12–18% margin on housekeeping costs, fostering profitability.

🤖 In a recent BBC’s The Life Scientific episode, physicist Jim Al-Khalili recounted being reprimanded by a chatbot. Professor Helen Hastie from the University of Edinburgh, a leading expert in human-robot interaction, emphasizes calibrating trust in robots, not maximizing it. At the National Robotarium, in Edinburgh, her lab developed a robot receptionist and a Robo-Barista studied over six weeks to understand human-robot trust dynamics in hospitality. The emphasis is on appropriate trust levels.

📈 40% of travelers utilize AI for trip planning, with 60% of the travel industry testing AI strategies. Hoteliers should adopt Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) akin to SEO for AI-powered searches. Core elements include rich content, conversational keywords, positive reviews, and continuous updates. This strategy enhances bookings, average daily rates, upselling, reputation, and loyalty. GEO is an evolution, not a revolution, benefiting early adopters with AI-driven traffic.

📈 Over 35 DMO chiefs in the Matador AI Council discuss AI strategy focusing on change management and culture. Key themes include updating the organizational chart, involving entire teams, and increasing CEOs' AI competency. The Matador/2050 City AI Roadmap aids departments in maximizing AI use. Staff prefer tools like ChatGPT over Microsoft 365 Copilot. CEOs who actively adopt and communicate AI strategies see a higher adoption rate, reaching 79% with managerial support.

📈 At HITEC week, attendees are advised to ask vendors key questions to evaluate AI technologies. Questions include: How accurate is it? Who's using it in production? How is accountability managed? What is the blast radius without human oversight? Details on data access, retention, and system training are also crucial. Investigate deployment costs and the AI's response to uncertainty. Assess long-term ownership and data usage in training models. Shortlist vendors who address these questions well.

Booth 2821, HITEC, Texas – June 15, 2026 – Access Hospitality has launched Access Evo, a new AI-powered intelligence layer that connects CRS, CRM, RMS and Booking Engine data into a single operating…