Innovation in Hotels Is about People, not Tech

Hospitality Net

03-07-2025

Hotel innovation is a people problem before it is a tech problem. Since HITEC, I've been reminiscing less about the tech I saw and more about the people I met. Yes, AI was everywhere, literally everywhere, predictive analytics, plenty of stuff some good - but not only. But the biggest takeaway wasn't a product. It was this: success doesn't come from the tech, it comes from the people.
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On day one, I got a demo of how to really turn the whole hotel tech stack into a mobile customer-first experience from Shiji⁺, I bumped into Richard from Mews and we had a long chat about how visionary Accor has been, but how much harder it is to actually scale vision, I had a chat with Josiah at Actabl on various marketing ideas, and discussed hotel to automate hotel chains with RobosizeME⁺.
I got invited to an AI round table with Ideas, and had a great spontaneous dinner with LodgIQ⁺, some friends from Cendyn and HospitalityNET (and superb wine that we didn't get to drink).
But after the conversations started, it quickly became clear (again) that innovation isn't about having the smartest system. It's about having the right people behind it.
One conversation cemented this. We were discussing hotel automation, and I tossed out the usual question of "where to start?" (start with repetitive tasks and build from there, was my obvious response).
But my counterpart from a hotel chain had a better take: start with the easiest thing. Something small, non-critical, that won't break too much when it goes sideways. Prove it works. Then build.
I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. Because the goal isn't just fixing problems, it's building trust. With the process, with the tools, and with your team.
But then he added the key point, you need to find people who are curious, who like to test things, who don't freeze and stop everything when the first result breaks something. And I realized that's what I go to HITEC for, not the flashy demos, the people giving the demos, the hallway chats, the random introductions, the late-evening debates that remind me there amazing people in this industry who are excited to try something new.
You could implement an AI concierge today. You could plug a custom GPT for your hotel into your booking confirmations. The tech is ready. But it only works if someone is willing to own it, improve it, and bring others along.
So yes, technology is needed to innovate. But as far as I'm concerned, innovation is a people thing. Because the right people: the curious, the collaborative, the optimistic (who are OK to make a few mistakes as they try things) they are the ones who'll make that tech actually deliver.
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About me: I'm a fractional CMO for large travel technology companies helping turn them into industry leaders. I'm also the co-founder of 10minutes.news a hotel news media that is unsensational, factual and keeps hoteliers updated on the industry.
⁺ for companies with current or past business ties
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