Categorizing…

A Project Framing the Future of Tourism The latest episode of the Resilient Tourism Podcast Series , hosted by Meng-Mei “Maggie” Chen, has just been released as part of the Swiss Travel & Tourism Data-Driven Transformation project, supported by Innosuisse. The initiative brings together several leading academic and research institutions, including the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the University of St. Gallen, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, EHL Hospitality Business School, the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons, and iCare Research. After three seasons dedicated to digital transformation, data, and the ongoing tension between high-tech and high-touch, the fourth and final season turns its gaze toward the future of travel, tourism, and hospitality. A Question About the Future of Hospitality Among the guests featured in this closing chapter is Simone Puorto , hospitality futurist, technophilosopher, strategic consultant, and Head of Innovation at Hospitality Net, who joined the podcast to reflect on one of the most delicate questions facing the industry today: what kind of future is hospitality building as technology becomes increasingly pervasive? AI as UI Throughout the conversation, Puorto offered a provocative perspective, avoiding easy enthusiasm and instead focusing on the deeper structural shifts already reshaping the sector. One of the central ideas he explored was the notion that AI is not simply a new tool, but is increasingly becoming a new interface. In his view, the real transformation lies less in the intelligence itself than in the way people will interact with systems. Rather than navigating fragmented software environments, for example, future hospitality professionals may simply converse with technology, asking questions in natural language and receiving actionable insights without needing to move through layers of dashboards, menus, and static reports. A “post-keyboard” industry, in the words of Puorto. From Interfaces to Industry Transformation This transition, he argued, has implications well beyond operational efficiency. It points to a broader reconfiguration of how hotels work, how staff engage with digital tools, and how guests will search, compare, and book travel experiences. If AI becomes the new user interface, then hospitality may gradually move from a browser-centric logic to an AI-centric one, both on the demand side and on the operational side. Humans as a Form of Scarcity One of the most compelling sections of the episode concerned a concept that has become closely associated with Puorto’s thinking: Humans-as-Luxury. In a world increasingly populated by automation, synthetic relationships, and frictionless interactions, the presence of real human beings may itself become a premium feature. The issue, as Puorto framed it, is not whether hotels will automate, because they will, but what the residual value of the human will become once efficiency is no longer scarce. His answer suggests that human imperfection, attention, empathy, and even relational friction may come to be perceived as forms of rarity, and therefore as forms of luxury. The Reverse Uncanny Valley Within this framework, Puorto also introduced what he defines as a “reverse uncanny valley.” While the traditional uncanny valley describes the discomfort generated by robots that

Today's content has a common thread: the gap between where AI is being marketed and where it actually operates. The World Panel question frames it directly. The AI agent architecture piece explains the structural reason for it. The bad data piece shows what it costs in lost revenue. And the GM 2030 guide offers something rarer still, a practical account of what changes, what stays, and what GMs can do about it now. Viewpoint: Who AI Will Replace, Reshape, and Leave Alone in Hospitality This week's World Panel question comes from Ira Vouk, founder of the AI Hospitality Alliance, and it cuts to the tension that has been building across every brief this week. Over the past 18 months, AI agents have arrived in guest messaging, revenue management, call centers, and distribution. Some vendors are reporting double-digit productivity gains. The hospitality industry remains deeply people-centric. So which roles will be the first to be significantly reduced or fundamentally reshaped by AI over the next three years? And which roles will remain largely human for longer than most people expect? The panel also asks whether the industry is being honest enough internally about the real scale of this impact. It is a question without a tidy answer, which is exactly why it deserves one. Share your perspective → AI Agents Are Trapped in Vendor Silos A sharp opinion piece from a veteran of Oracle Hospitality, NOR1, Shiji, and Sciant makes the case that the hospitality industry is not having the honest conversation it needs about AI agents. Most agents being marketed to hotels live entirely inside the vendor's own ecosystem. They read that vendor's data, automate that vendor's workflows, and stop the moment they need to interact with a different PMS, revenue management platform, or F&B system. The author's diagnosis: a siloed agent is not a partial solution. It is a sophisticated tool that cannot do the one thing hotels actually need, which is to see the whole picture and act on it. The piece also challenges the industry's focus on guest-facing AI. Back-office applications, housekeeping optimization, predictive maintenance, procurement intelligence, labor scheduling against demand forecasting, are where AI decisions compound over time with direct and measurable financial impact. Most hotels are still running these functions on instinct and spreadsheets. The solution the author proposes is orchestration: a layer above the vendor ecosystem, drawing on APIs and connectivity standards including MCP servers, coordinating intelligence across the full technology stack of a property. Vendors bring the domain knowledge. Orchestration brings the connective tissue. Neither is sufficient alone. The piece also raises data governance and GDPR compliance as risks the industry is almost entirely silent on as AI pipelines accelerate. Read the analysis → 98% of Hotels Lose Revenue to Bad Data Almost Every Four Days An Expedia Group B2B Distribution Study cited in today's opinion piece puts a number on a problem most revenue teams know but rarely quantify: 98% of hotels lose revenue due to rate misuse, at a frequency of

A practical guide for operators who want to lead the shift — not get caught in it. Last week I posted on LinkedIn that the Hotel GM role as we know it won't exist in 5 years : Over 40,000 people read it. GMs, owners, management company execs, and brand leaders all weighed in. The reaction told me something: people feel this shift coming, but most don't know what to do about it. So let's get practical. Here are 10 specific predictions for what the Hotel GM role looks like in 2030 — and what you can do now to get ahead of each one. 1. The Daily Report Will Write Itself — Before You Wake Up Night audit reconciliation, PMS journal entries, and plain-language daily reporting are already being automated end-to-end by AI agents. A recent Hotel Management deep dive on AI in the hotel back office described a near-future where AI closes the day, reconciles all transactions, posts entries, and delivers a summary to leadership before 7am — no manual intervention required. By 2030, the GM who starts their day reading a self-generated overnight briefing (anomalies flagged, decisions queued) will be the norm. The GM who still waits for their night auditor's Excel file will feel like they're using a fax machine. What to do now: Ask your accounting provider or PMS vendor one question — "Can your system generate a plain-language daily summary automatically?" If the answer is no, start shopping. Source: Hotel Management — "How AI Can Change the Hotel Back Office" 2. AP Will Go from a Department to a Dashboard Vendor invoices extracted, matched against POs, coded to the correct GL, and queued for payment — with exceptions flagged for human review. That's not a 2030 prediction. That's what agentic AI is doing right now in other industries. Hospitality is about 18 months behind. The average 300-room full-service hotel processes thousands of invoices per month. Today, that requires a team or full-time AP. By 2030 (or today), it requires a screen. What to do now: Run a 90-day pilot on one AP workflow. Invoice processing is the best starting point — highest volume, most repetitive, easiest to measure. Track three KPIs: time saved, error reduction, cost impact. Source: GEP — "Agentic AI in Accounts Payable" 3. Revenue Management Becomes Fully Autonomous We've been politely pretending that human RMs are still outperforming algorithms. Most aren't — and haven't been for a few years. The next leap is what Duetto calls "Agentic AI" in their 2026 buyer's guide: systems that don't just recommend rates but act on them. Dynamic pricing across every revenue stream, automated channel mix decisions, and distribution optimization — all grounded in profitability, not just occupancy. By 2030, the GM's revenue management responsibility shifts from "approving rate changes" to "setting strategy and guardrails." The machine does the rest. What to do now: If your RMS still requires a human to manually approve rate changes every day, you're paying a person to be a

BANGKOK — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is now accepting applications for the prestigious PATA Face of the Future 2026 award, with the deadline set for June 15, 2026. For almost 25 years, PATA has annually held the PATA Face of the Future award to single out exceptional ‘rising stars’ in the travel and tourism industry. This honour is granted to selected young professionals who have exhibited initiative and leadership in the advancement of tourism and demonstrate commitment to the sustainable development of the Asia Pacific travel industry in line with PATA’s mission. The PATA Face of the Future is the Association’s most prominent award for young talents; a great motivation for the next generation to pursue the path that leads to a difference. This year, as the award also coincides with PATA’s 75th Anniversary, we would be delighted to celebrate a new face of leadership at the beginning of our new chapter, and look forward to seeing how they set the standards for the generation that follows. PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid The Grand Winner of the 2026 PATA Face of the Future will receive: Full sponsorship to attend the PATA Travel Mart 2026 (PTM 2026) in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia A seat on the PATA Board , providing a platform to represent young professionals across the region A speaking opportunity at PATA and PATA Youth events (if applicable) Speaking opportunities at other PATA or partner events (if applicable) Global media exposure through PATA’s communications channels Mentorship opportunities , including serving as a youth mentor in the PATA Youth Mentorship Programme Use of the PATA Face of the Future brand identity logo A feature article on the PATA official website sharing one’s journey and impact (self-provided) Additionally, the winners will be featured in the 2026 Face of the Future Winner E-Booklet. See the 2024 edition of the Winner E-Booklet here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f24290fd0d0910ecab2b02e/t/6811f883e409cb06185cfe93/1746008255176/Face+of+the+Future+2024-Booklet-1Apr..pdf For full application details, eligibility requirements, and judging criteria, please visit www.pata.org/pata-face-of-the-future-2026 or contact Nick Chun, PATA Manager of Membership & Youth Programme, at fof@pata.org .

The travel industry joined together in Washington, D.C. Tuesday and Wednesday for U.S. Travel’s Destination Capitol Hill, the travel industry’s premier legislative fly-in event. Nearly 400 U.S. Travel Association members and industry advocates representing 49 states met with members of Congress—including Sens. John Barasso (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and John Thune (R-SD)—to advocate for policy changes that will shape the future of our industry. Travel advocates made three specific asks to members of Congress: Cosponsor and pass legislation to ensure air traffic controllers and TSA officers are paid during funding lapses to prevent disruptions to the economy and the air travel system. Halt proposed changes to the ESTA application and delay or limit the proposed Visa Integrity Fee. Cosponsor S. 3220 / H.R. 6128, the VISIT USA Act, which would transfer $160 million in surplus Travel Promotion Funds to Brand USA to increase visitation to the U.S. for major upcoming events and restore our lost share of international visitors. During U.S. Travel’s Destination Capitol Hill, the association recognized Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) for their contributions to the growth of America’s travel industry. The association also recognized the TSA officers and Air Traffic Controllers who continued to protect the nation’s aviation system without pay—demonstrating extraordinary dedication to keeping travelers safe, flights moving and the U.S. economy running during times of disruption. America saw that travel is much more than just getting from point A to point B during the government shutdowns, and we’ll see it again with the impact America 250, the World Cup and the Olympics will bring to every corner of our country. But we still have work to do to capture these opportunities. Sec. Duffy, Sen. Klobuchar, and Rep. Amodei are leading the way, ensuring that we modernize our travel infrastructure, strengthen aviation security and improve the traveler experience to keep the U.S. globally competitive. Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of U.S. Travel Congress is an integral partner in creating the seamless, reliable travel system we need to capitalize on the historic opportunities ahead, keep people moving, businesses thriving and America moving forward. The decisions made now will shape the future of our industry. Travel Champion Awards The Travel Champion Awards are an annual honor presented by the U.S. Travel Association to members of Congress and Executive Branch officials for exhibiting outstanding leadership for their dedicated service and invaluable contributions to the growth and vitality of America’s travel industry. Secretary Sean Duffy received the 2026 Travel Champion Award for strengthening safety and security and preparing U.S. infrastructure to support economic growth and major global events. Congressman Mark Amodei received the Distinguished Leadership Award for his 15 years of dedicated service in Congress and unwavering support of the U.S. travel industry. Senator Amy Klobuchar received the Distinguished Leadership Award in recognition of 20 years of leadership in the U.S. Senate and invaluable contributions to the growth and vitality of

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. hotel industry reported mostly positive year-over-year comparisons, according to CoStar ’s latest data through 11 April. CoStar is a leading global provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the property markets. 5-11 April 2026 (percentage change from comparable week in 2025): Occupancy: 64.9% (-1.1%) Average daily rate (ADR): US$165.23 (+1.5%) Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$107.16 (+0.4%) Occupancy decreases were expected with less business and convention travel following the Easter holiday. Among the Top 25 Markets, Orlando reported the largest occupancy increase (+7.5% to 78.0%). Miami posted the only double-digit jump in ADR (+14.3% to US$290.58), while Anaheim registered the highest RevPAR gain (+12.4% to US$170.05). The steepest RevPAR declines were seen in Las Vegas (-26.4% to US$135.08) and Atlanta (-21.3% to US$76.03). Overall, 17 of the Top 25 Markets saw a dip in RevPAR. For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit costargroup.com . Additional Performance Data CoStar’s world-leading hotel performance sample comprises 94,000 properties and 12 million rooms around the globe. Members of the media should refer to the contacts listed below for additional data requests.

For decades, hotels have managed linen inventory the same way: manual counts, educated guesses, and reactive ordering. The result? Chronic over or under stocking, persistent loss, and countless hours spent tracking towels and sheets instead of serving guests. That's changing. The combination of RFID technology and artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming how the hospitality industry manages one of its largest operational expenses through advanced hotel linen tracking systems. The Problem: Why Traditional Linen Management Fails Most hotels manage linen inventory using a PAR level system: maintaining a predetermined multiple of inventory based on room count. A new 200-room hotel might start with up to 6 PAR or more of towels and sheets, essentially tripling their investment to guard against uncertainty. This approach creates several problems: Massive Capital Investment : Hotels tie up hundreds of thousands of dollars in excess inventory "just in case." And when you multiply that by the entire portfolio, it amounts to millions of dollars. Invisible Loss : Industry data shows hotels lose 15-20% of their linen inventory annually. Without a proper linen tracking system, operators don't know if linens are lost at the property, at the laundry, or simply miscounted. Time Waste : Housekeeping teams spend hours each month manually counting inventory. Time that could be spent on guest-facing activities. Vendor Accountability Gaps : When linens go missing between property and laundry, there's no clear evidence of where loss occurred, leading to disputes and strained relationships. The traditional system isn't built on data. It's built on assumptions, worst-case scenarios, and historical norms that no longer reflect operational reality. The Foundation: RFID Hotel Linen Tracking Technology RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) linen tracking technology solves the visibility problem. Ultra-durable RFID tags are sewn directly into linens, surviving 200+ industrial wash cycles. These tags contain unique identifiers that can be scanned automatically as linens move through their lifecycle. How hotel linen tracking works: RFID readers are installed at key transition points: dock doors, laundry chutes, storage closets, and laundry facilities. As tagged linens pass through these checkpoints, they're automatically scanned and logged. No manual counting. No clipboards. No guesswork. Almost immediately, hotels gain complete visibility into: What they own : Total inventory counts by item type Where it is : Real-time location tracking (property, laundry, storage, in-use) Movement patterns : How linens flow through the operation This visibility alone delivers value. Hotels using RFID-based linen tracking systems report 98-99% inventory accuracy compared to 60-70% with manual counting. Unknown loss rates drop from 15-20% to 3-5% simply because items can be tracked and recovered. But RFID linen tracking technology creates another opportunity: massive amounts of data. Every scan generates information. Every movement creates a record. Every item has a history. Without sophisticated software to process and analyze this data, operators would drown in information without gaining actionable insights. This is where modern linen tracking systems transform raw RFID data into operational intelligence and where AI enters the picture for specific, high-value applications. RFID-Powered Intelligence: What Smart Linen Tracking Systems Deliver

This article was written by Deezen - Interior Design. Click here to read the original article

This article was written by Deezen - Interior Design. Click here to read the original article