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It is an attractive idea. It sounds reassuring, balanced, and consistent with the service ethos of the hotel industry. It is also increasingly incomplete. The more honest reality is that if artificial intelligence succeeds in reducing administrative burden, predicting guest needs, streamlining workflows, and eliminating routine service interactions, then hotels will not automatically use the recovered time for more human contact. In many cases, they will reallocate that time, further compress labor, redesign roles, or reduce headcount altogether. That is not cynicism. It is economics. And in today’s market, economics matter more than sentiment. The operating environment has changed. Hotels are under pressure from every direction. Labor costs continue to rise. Reliable labor is harder to attract and harder to retain. Room rates are not always keeping pace with inflation and operating costs. Many markets are saturated with brands competing for similar demand pools. In some locations, demand is uneven or simply not as strong as forecasts suggest. Against that backdrop, the traditional labor model becomes increasingly difficult to sustain. For a long time, hospitality has used people to compensate for broken processes, disconnected systems, weak forecasting, manual workarounds, and service designs that rely too heavily on human effort. In a world of tighter margins and labor scarcity, that model starts to fail. This is where AI becomes structurally important. Not because it is fashionable or creates marketing headlines, but because it offers the possibility of removing the hidden operational drag that hotels have tolerated for too long. The wrong question The industry often asks: if AI gives staff time back, how can they spend more time with guests? That is the wrong question. The better question is: if AI reduces the need for routine human intervention, where does human labor still create enough value to justify its cost? That is a much tougher question, because it forces operators, owners, and brands to confront a reality many would rather soften with more romantic language. The future of hospitality is not about preserving human interaction everywhere. It is about identifying where human interaction still matters enough to be worth paying for. Not all guests want more human contact This is another truth the industry sometimes avoids. Many guests do not want more interaction. They want less friction. They want mobile check-in, digital keys, accurate billing, fast service recovery, immediate answers, minimal waiting, and fewer unnecessary touchpoints. Many are perfectly happy to interact with a screen, an app, a kiosk, or an automated workflow as long as the experience is simple, reliable, and fast. In fact, for a growing segment of travelers, excessive human interaction is not a premium. It is a burden. That does not mean human service is obsolete. It means the industry must stop assuming that more staff contact automatically equals better hospitality. For many guests, the better experience is not more attention. It is easier. What AI really does When AI is applied well, it tends to do four things. First , it removes repetitive effort. It helps

The Hotel Association of New York City Foundation (HANYC Foundation), the philanthropic arm of the Hotel Association of NYC, today announced a $15,000 grant to the New York City Police Foundation to advance public safety initiatives and support safer environments for hotel guests, hospitality employees, and communities across New York City. This marks the second grant the HANYC Foundation has awarded to the New York City Police Foundation, further building upon their ongoing work. The funding will support Crime Stoppers , a longstanding public safety program since 1983 that provides a secure, anonymous channel that offers cash rewards for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of dangerous offenders. The program recently expanded its criteria to include human trafficking cases, which is an issue of particular importance to the HANYC Foundation and its member hotels. “Our hotel teams are on the front lines every day, welcoming guests from around the world, and they want to be part of keeping New York safe,” said Heather Davis, Chair of the Hotel Association of New York City Foundation and Senior Vice President of Operations at Aimbridge Hospitality. “Public safety starts with people paying attention and feeling empowered to act. By supporting Crime Stoppers and educating our employees on the anonymous tip line, we’re giving them a clear way to speak up when something doesn’t feel right—and that matters for our guests, our teams, and ultimately our city.” The HANYC Foundation works with philanthropic and civic partners to address critical challenges facing New York City—including public safety, sanitation, and immigration—while reinforcing the hospitality industry’s role as a civic leader in supporting a safe and thriving city. Through targeted grants and collaboration, the Foundation aligns industry resources with initiatives designed to deliver measurable impact across the five boroughs. “The NYPD Crime Stoppers Program has been an invaluable crime-fighting tool for more than four decades, helping to solve more than 5,600 violent crimes,” said Susan L. Birnbaum, President & CEO of the New York City Police Foundation. “Because the rewards are funded by donations to the New York City Police Foundation, supporters like the HANYC Foundation are vital to its continued success. Thanks to their generosity, the range of cases eligible for Crime Stoppers rewards has expanded to include human trafficking, further enhancing the program’s ability to protect vulnerable individuals and strengthen community safety. We are grateful to the HANYC Foundation for their commitment to helping safeguard New Yorkers and the millions of visitors to our city each year.”

The dynamic hospitality brand announces its ambitious opening pipeline across genres - hotels, gastronomy, entertainment and wellness, transforming some of Europe’s most storied destinations through culture, craft and a clear sense of place. La Capitana in Magliano , Italy will expand the brand’s presence in Tuscany as a working agricultural retreat and wine estate LA ROQQA and Isolotto Beach Club in Argentario will continue to draw travelers to the Tuscan Coast, while the refurbishment of Torre di Cala Piccola and the start of the Ex-Cirio project will further the brand’s connection to the port of Argentario Historic hotel Hasselbacken in Stockholm will become Miramis’ Swedish flagship following a landmark transformation of the heritage property Backstage Hotel , Cirkus Arena and Gasometer in Stockholm will enhance the growing portfolio in the next phase of development Miramis announces its international expansion and evolution as an emerging hospitality platform encompassing hotels, culinary, entertainment and wellness. With roots in Sweden and Italy, Miramis’ focus is on developing hospitality experiences that tell authentic stories of people and place, with an emphasis on local, community-driven initiatives. Its growing portfolio reflects a considered approach to expansion with a small number of destinations, each developed with depth, purpose and long-term perspective. This philosophy is shaping the brand’s growing portfolio, which, most imminently, includes the transformation of Stockholm’s historic Hasselbacken, the addition of Gasometer and a new agricultural estate, La Capitana , in Tuscany - anchored by the existing LA ROQQA and Isolotto Beach Club in Argentario. A Foundation in Place | Miramis x Italian Hospitality The Miramis journey began in Porto Ercole with LA ROQQA and Isolotto Beach Club, establishing a model where hospitality, gastronomy and social energy come together in direct dialogue with the surrounding landscape. Running through the entire portfolio is genuine connection and shared discovery - fittingly, the boutique hotel was born from family memories of summers in Argentario. Mixing contemporary design with 1960s La Dolce Vita inspiration, LA ROQQA sits within its surrounding community with a palette that reflects the characteristic hues of Porto Ercole. Isolotto Beach Club, meanwhile, transformed the only sandy stretch of coastline into a gathering place for locals and travelers alike. Furthering its presence in Italy, Miramis will travel inland to the valleys and hills of Tuscany with La Capitana, in 2027, a countryside estate in Magliano that will become a defining project for the brand. Agriculture and cultivation guide the story here: the estate fosters olive oil production and a winery, and will play host to travelers in just 12 carefully designed suites. La Capitana is conceived as a place for slow living, an opportunity to embrace local traditions and attune to the rhythm of seasonal change. Proceeding with intention, La Capitana will guide the brand toward deeper engagement with the land, craft and Tuscan traditions. The architectural vision for La Capitana is led by renowned Italian architect Marco Casamonti, whose approach brings a contemporary sensibility to the rural landscape, grounding the project in both tradition and modernity. Miramis’

Most sales leaders don’t wake up trying to underperform. Yet many do. Not because they lack ambition, experience, or intelligence but because the way sales leadership has been practiced for years is no longer structurally sufficient for the world we’re in. The environment has changed. Quietly at first. Then all at once. Buyers are more informed. Markets are more volatile. Technology is faster than teams can adapt. Trust has become fragile. And attention is scarce. In this context, sales leadership can’t survive as a collection of tactics or quarterly pushes. It has to function as a stack layered, intentional, and designed to hold pressure. That’s the idea behind what I call the Modern Sales Leadership Stack™ . Not a trend. Not a buzzword. A leadership operating model for durable revenue. Why Sales Leadership Needs a Stack For years, sales leadership was measured primarily by outcomes: pipeline, close rates, growth percentages. Those metrics still matter but they are lagging indicators . What they don’t show is why results fluctuate wildly from quarter to quarter, even when teams are working harder than ever. In many organizations today, you’ll see: Strong talent working in conflicting directions Expensive systems producing noisy data Leaders reacting to results instead of shaping conditions Sales teams telling different stories to the same market On the surface, these look like execution issues. In reality, they’re structural leadership gaps . High-performing leaders aren’t doing more. They’re stacking better . The Modern Sales Leadership Stack™ (Framework) 📌 Save this post — this framework is designed to be revisited, not skimmed. The stack consists of four interdependent layers. Miss one, and the entire structure weakens. 1️⃣ Strategy: Direction Before Motion Strategy is often mistaken for ambition. In reality, it’s discipline. Strong sales leaders are explicit about: Which markets deserve focus and which don’t What value they defend, not just what they sell How pricing reflects confidence rather than concession Without strategy, activity scales confusion. With strategy, effort compounds. When direction is clear, execution becomes simpler not easier, but cleaner. 📊 Suggested visual: Market focus matrix (core vs distraction segments) 2️⃣ Systems: Enablement Without Chaos Most organizations don’t have a technology problem. They have a governance problem . CRMs, AI tools, dashboards, automation these are powerful only when leadership defines: What matters What doesn’t And how decisions are made The goal of systems isn’t visibility for its own sake. It’s clarity at the point of action . Well-designed systems remove friction. Poorly governed ones create it. 📊 Suggested visual: Before/after workflow simplification chart 3️⃣ Signal: Leading Indicators Over Lagging Panic Most sales teams manage outcomes. Elite leaders manage signals . Signals tell you: When demand is shifting Where buyers are hesitating Why velocity is changing before numbers collapse These signals don’t live in one report. They live in patterns — across pipeline behavior, buyer engagement, pricing resistance, and sales conversations. When leaders learn to read signals, they stop chasing quarters and start shaping trajectories. 📊 Suggested visual: Signal vs lag indicator comparison table

For twenty years, the hotel industry has gotten very good at selling rooms. Search became seamless. Pricing became dynamic. Booking became instant. What once required a travel agent and a phone call can now be completed in seconds. From the outside, it looks like the problem has been solved. It hasn’t. Because this was never just a distribution issue. It is a travel value chain issue. And two of the most important parts of that value chain were never fully built to scale: group travel and vacation packages. Before 2008, you could already see where things were headed. The industry had found its rhythm selling individual rooms, one night at a time. Everything else operated on a different track. Group travel ran on RFPs, manual workflows, and negotiation cycles that had little connection to real-time inventory or pricing. It worked, but it was never designed to scale efficiently. Vacation packages were shaped by a different constraint. For years, the only real control sat with the airlines, which required packages to include multiple travelers on a single itinerary. That limitation confined packaging to a narrow segment of leisure demand and kept hotels from truly owning the product. These were not just inefficiencies. They were structural boundaries. Since then, the industry has evolved in every visible way. Better systems. Better interfaces. Smarter pricing. But the underlying structure did not fundamentally change. Groups are still largely driven by RFPs instead of transactions. Packages still exist more as a channel construct than a hotel-controlled product. The surface improved. The foundation stayed the same. The industry has not ignored this. Efforts like Groups360 , backed by Hilton , Marriott International , and IHG Hotels & Resorts , are pushing toward real-time availability and a more transactional model for groups. It is a meaningful step forward. But it also reveals the real issue. Group travel is not a room product. It is rooms, meeting space, food and beverage, and destination services. Transportation. Activities. The full experience. What we call a group booking is, in reality, a package. And we still do not have a clean way to define, price, and transact that package in real time. That is where the friction shows up. Vacation packages reflect the same dynamic. They exist, but not in a way that hotels truly control. Airlines and OTAs continue to shape how packages are built and distributed. Hotels participate, but rarely define the product. That distinction is becoming more important. Because traveler behavior is shifting. The question is no longer “find me a hotel.” It is “plan my trip.” A weekend in Miami with flights, a hotel, and things to do. A complete answer, not a single component. In that world, the unit of value is not the room. It is the package. And now, the environment around it is changing. AI is reshaping how travel decisions are made, not by improving search, but by replacing it with answers. At the same time, it is lowering the data and distribution advantages

We are not entering a normal growth cycle, and that is exactly why this moment should feel energizing, creative, and full of possibility rather than safe or predictable. Every time a new travel report is released, the industry tends to respond in a familiar and almost automatic way, which is to focus on the growth projections, interpret them as a sign of reassurance, and quietly assume that an increase in demand will naturally translate into an increase in opportunity for every hotel that continues to operate as it always has, but what is unfolding right now is far more complex, far more dynamic, and far more interesting than a simple expansion in travel volume. The projections themselves are undeniably strong, with international travel expected to reach approximately 3.5 billion trips and global spend approaching 6 trillion dollars by 2050, which reinforces the idea that travel is becoming an essential part of how people live, explore, and define meaningful experiences in their lives. Yet, the more important insight is not the scale of growth, but the conditions under which that growth will occur. What makes this moment different is that growth no longer guarantees advantage. In many cases, it raises the level of competition, increases operational complexity, and demands a much higher degree of clarity from hotel leaders who want to convert demand into sustainable value. The future of travel is not just larger, it is more diverse, more expressive, and far more demanding in ways that most hotels are still underprepared to address. When you take a broader view of what is happening, it becomes clear that the shift is not only about more people traveling, but about a complete redefinition of the traveler, the journey, and the expectations that connect the two, because travel is increasingly being integrated into everyday life, experiences are being prioritized over material goods, and multiple generations are participating simultaneously in ways that expand both demand and complexity. At the same time, the global traveler base is expanding at a remarkable pace, with projections indicating that by 2050, nearly seventy percent of the world’s population could qualify as potential travelers, driven by rising income levels, improved access to transportation, and the continued expansion of the global middle class, which introduces not only scale but also diversity into the system. This expansion is not evenly distributed, and that is where the strategic implications become even more significant, because APAC is expected to become the largest source market for travel, with countries such as India and China reshaping global demand flows, introducing new behaviors, new expectations, and discovery patterns that require hotels to rethink how they attract, engage, and serve their guests. The assumption that more demand automatically leads to better performance is becoming increasingly risky, and the data makes that very clear. There is a long-standing belief within hospitality that increased demand simplifies the growth path, but the reality is that increased demand often introduces greater fragmentation, higher expectations, and more competition, all of which place

McLean, VA – The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Foundation is proud to announce the 2026 Board of Directors and Executive Committee, led by newly appointed chair Amanda G. Voss, CMP, CHSL, Commercial & Sales Executive. Voss succeeds outgoing Chair Lori Kiel, Senior Vice President of Revenue at Pyramid Global Hospitality, who has completed her two-year term. HSMAI Foundation leaders reflect a diverse cross-section of the hospitality industry’s most respected hotels, brands, destinations, and suppliers. Under Voss’s leadership, the Foundation will continue its mission to invest in a skilled and diverse commercial workforce for global hospitality to strengthen performance and ensure a thriving, competitive, and future-ready industry. “I’m honored to lead the HSMAI Foundation alongside such a dynamic and dedicated group of leaders,” said Amanda Voss. “Together, we have an opportunity to build a more resilient and future-ready hospitality workforce by expanding access to education, mentorship, and career development across the industry.” The Foundation also extends its sincere gratitude to Lori Kiel for her leadership and contributions during her tenure as Chair, helping to guide the organization’s strategic vision and impact. HSMAI Foundation 2026 Executive Committee Members: Chair: Amanda G. Voss, CMP, CHSL, Commercial & Sales Executive Vice Chair: Noreen Henry, CMP, Chief Revenue Officer, Aven Hospitality Treasurer: Lexy Coley, Corporate Director, Talent Development, Omni Hotels & Resorts Immediate Past Chair: Lori Kiel, CHDM, Senior Vice President of Revenue Management, Pyramid Global Hospitality Secretary: Kristie Goshow, Chief Commercial Officer, Loews Hotels HSMAI President and CEO: Brian Hicks HSMAI Foundation 2026 Board Members: Brandon Ahearn, Senior Director of Sales, Hospitality, Milestone, Inc. Rosemary Browning, Chief Executive Officer, Global Career Horizons Lovell Casiero, Chief Executive Officer, FLC Business Consulting Karen Contos, VP, Marketing DerbySoft Mike Gamble, President & CEO, Searchwide Global Rick Garlick, Principal Consultant, bvaBdrc Tammy Gillis, CEO & Founder, Gillis Sales Michael Goldrich, CHDM, CRME, Founder & Chief Advisor, Vivander Advisors Caryl Helsel, Founder & CEO, Dragonfly Strategists Robert Kwortnik, Associate Professor, Cornell University Monique Lee, Group Vice President, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Dr. Breffni Noone, Professor, Penn State University Alyssa Petty, Director, Global Sales Excellence, IHG Hotels & Resorts Anthony Rose, Principal Director, Strategic Growth, Plusgrade Bernadette Ruby, Vice President of Sales, Amadeus Hospitality Deb Surden, Senior Director, Market Management, Expedia Group Cheryl Williams, Chief Revenue Officer, Preferred Hotels & Resorts Special Advisors: Dorothy Dowling, Managing Director, Horwath HTL Matthew Clyde, President, Ideas Collide In 2026, the HSMAI Foundation is building on its mission to cultivate talent by expanding initiatives across its core pillars—Attract, Develop, and Engage—to foster a more agile, competitive, and future-ready workforce. The Foundation will continue to introduce new audiences to careers in hospitality through enhanced academic partnerships, faculty programming, scholarships, and accessible resources. For current professionals, a strong focus will be placed on upskilling and reskilling through updated certification programs, new research on career journeys, and the release of its annual State of Talent Report. The Foundation will also deepen engagement opportunities by investing in mentorship, peer-learning, and leadership development, including expanded support

This article was co-authored by Lorraine Hanson, Senior Research Associate / MBA Candidate, The George Washington University School of Business, and Kristin Gissubel, Junior Research Associate, The George Washington University School of Business, and Nadeen El Maalouf, Senior Research Associate / MBA Candidate, The George Washington University School of Business As we enter 2026, the global travel and hospitality industry stands at a transformative crossroads, with international tourist arrivals projected to to surpass 1.55 billion for the first time in history. This milestone arrives amid an unprecedented convergence of technological, economic, and social forces that are fundamentally revamping how we travel, work, and experience hospitality worldwide. The post-pandemic norm that defined recent years is now being reshaped by new pivotal moments as the AI transformation reaches critical mass and consumer behaviors and preferences evolve at an accelerating pace. Five defining trends will characterize this monumental year: 1) the incorporation of agentic AI technologies that dynamically revamp managerial operations and traveler experiences; 2) economic bifurcation creating distinctly the two-tiered markets; 3) a domestic travel resurgence driven by multiple cultural and societal factors; 4) the rise of female leadership through historic industry appointments; and 5) mega events serving as catalysts for local and global travel and hospitality markets. Rather than compartmentalized phenomena, these trends represent intertwined forces that demand both analytical rigor and forward-looking vision from industry leaders navigating this new landscape. The Top 5 Trends in Travel & Hospitality 1. The Integration of Agentic AI in Hotel & Travel Organizations The hospitality industry is observing the emergence of agentic AI -autonomous systems capable of proactive, goal-oriented decision-making that go beyond conventional, mechanical workflow-streamlining technologies. Unlike conventional AI (e.g., GenAI) that responds to prompts in a chatbot, agentic AI can autonomously make decisions and take initiative to accomplish goals, using multistep reasoning while undertaking complex actions. AI is currently deployed across three vital areas in hospitality and travel. Guest-facing applications include conversational concierge services featuring multi-turn planning, predictive personalization that anticipates guest needs, and real-time translation systems for seamless cultural interaction. Operational efficiencies are driven by dynamic pricing algorithms that continuously optimize revenue and occupancy, predictive maintenance to minimize system downtime, and supply chain AI to accurately anticipate demand. Furthermore, Physical AI is utilized through autonomous mobile robots for navigation in complex environments, AI-powered quality-control systems, and smart building management for maximizing energy efficiency and guest comfort. Hospitality leaders of the future will adopt a human-AI partnership model , where AI handles data processing and scalability, freeing human staff to focus on empathy, creativity, and cultural nuance. Successfully implementing this shift requires a structured, phased approach that includes pilot programs, continuous feedback, and carefully managed growth. Future competitive advantage will increasingly rely on distinct differentiation strategies. These approaches may include pioneering technological innovation, prioritizing traditional, personalized (high-touch) service, or implementing a hybrid model that empowers guests to manage their own experience. Furthermore, effective market segmentation requires different AI strategies : luxury brands use AI as a subtle tool for deep personalization, mid-market