Innovation

📈 AMSTERDAM, 2026: Mews' Hospitality Industry Outlook highlights AI's pivotal role in reshaping the hotel industry. With a focus on AI-ready systems, hotels must adapt or risk losing ground. AI aims to transform booking into a seamless conversation and automate tasks, changing staff roles. The report details five shifts, including enhanced guest relationships via direct channels and the evolution of staff roles. Key steps include assessing tech stacks, creating AI-ready content, piloting AI projects, and fostering team buy-in.

📈 Hotels in Europe faced a heavy reliance on OTAs, with 77% of online bookings in 2024 coming through these platforms. The solution lies in utilizing Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), enabling hotels to reduce OTA commissions, enhance personalization, and boost direct bookings. CDPs provide integrated guest data, turning anonymous visitors into known contacts and tailoring marketing efforts. This approach not only saves costs but also strengthens guest loyalty and improves revenue through better data-driven strategies.

🤖 AI offers transformational potential for hospitality, automating tasks like scheduling, and enhancing employee wellbeing. Yet, adoption lags due to outdated systems and leadership mindsets. A Singapore hotel improved staff communication using an AI chatbot, and Marriott's AI tools boosted employee retention. The industry’s conservative nature hinders innovation, with many hotels still using manual processes. Embracing AI could redefine guest experiences, as evident in other sectors. Leadership must shift from fear to curiosity to lead change.

🎁 87% of shoppers plan to spend the same or more during the 2025 holiday season, driven by higher prices rather than confidence. 66% have adopted generative AI recently; 46% will use AI tools for Black Friday. Heavy AI users report a 70% reduced need to contact customer service. In travel, 36% use airline AI, and nearly 60% are comfortable with AI-led planning. The survey, conducted in Aug-Sept 2025, polled 7,500 shoppers across ten countries.

📅 Younger professionals dominate corporate travel, with Gen Z and Millennials seeking wellness and sustainability. By 2030, Gen Z will add over one billion to the workforce, preferring hotels with gyms and co-working spaces. Research shows two-thirds of UK Gen Z value sustainability, compared to 34% of Baby Boomers. Adaptation is key, as BWH Hotels saw a 19% increase in events. Initiatives like Planners Advantage and wellness options at UK hotels support evolving needs.

📈 Lighthouse and HotelSpeaker's partnership boosts hotel profitability and loyalty. Lighthouse's AI platform increases user revenue by 19% and saves 10 hours monthly through smart pricing and operations automation. HotelSpeaker enhances booking rates by up to 24% with multilingual, personalized guest interactions, improving team efficiency by 2.5×. Independent hotels benefit from combined services at preferential rates, optimizing booking management and guest engagement. Lighthouse serves over 70,000 hotels in 185 countries, offering real-time data and market insights.

🤖 AI is reshaping hotel operations globally. Pertlink Limited, founded on October 23, 2000, in Hong Kong, offers a blueprint emphasizing five pillars for AI integration: strategy, empowerment, clean data, disciplined pilots, and guest impact measurement. The guide aims to merge high tech with hospitality's human touch, avoiding common pitfalls. Pertlink's expertise helps hotels enhance guest experiences through technology, serving as a global leader in hospitality IT consulting.

📊 In 2025, sales leadership is shifting dramatically. Traditional obedience to "proven" strategies no longer works due to changing customer demands and economic uncertainty. Innovative leaders break norms, focusing on authentic conversations, empowerment, and creativity. For example, a hotel reduced its sales cycle by 30% and improved conversion rates by 18% by adopting virtual meetings and community engagement. Key strategies include questioning defaults, prioritizing humanity, experimenting, empowering trust, and redefining success.