According to Michael Goldrich, hotels must urgently adopt AI-ready infrastructure, structured data, systematic workforce training and brand-aligned automation to remain visible and competitive as conversational commerce and agent-to-agent booking rapidly reshape hospitality.
For those interested in learning more about hospitality investment:
The 2026 Investment Program will kick off EVS on Wednesday, March 25 in Fort Worth, Texas. This program will spark conversation on the future of hospitality technology through sessions on Web3, AI, capital markets, and data-driven innovation. Visit the event schedule to learn more about the program.
Is your hotel losing revenue before the event even begins? New research reveals how payment inefficiencies are burning out staff, driving turnover, and costing properties up to 10% in revenue, and what leaders are doing about it.
CBRE provides a North American hotel industry outlook for 2026. They predict sustained profitability challenges due to labor shortages, rising costs and demand uncertainty, requiring operators to adopt disciplined, data-driven strategies and innovative cost controls to remain competitive.
Cloud5 is hospitality’s top communications technology & services platform. Serving thousands of hotels, we design, build and support high-performance Hotel Internet, Voice and Contact Center solutions for organizations committed to offering the best connectivity experience. Find out more here.
Hospitality Network, a Cox Business company, specializes in providing the hospitality and large venue industry with expert technology integration, Managed WiFi and Managed Network solutions, Digital Signage, Hotel In-Room Entertainment technology and location-based services. Find out more here.
Positron’s GAM enables hotels to migrate from corridor Wi-Fi to reliable in-room high speed Wi-Fi and guest services without rewiring disruption or lost revenue due to room unavailability. Certified by Marriott GPNS, IHG Studio and Connect, Hyatt and other leading brands. Supported by most major MSPs. Find out more here.
WorldVue will design, manage, and deploy solutions that are right for your brand, your property and ultimately your guests. In-room entertainment, WiFi, cameras, PBX, low voltage cabling, tv programming and more. Find out more here.
Hyatt Regency Austin March 23-24, 2026 | Austin, Texas
ABOUT US: HOSPITALITY UPGRADE is the media division of HFTP, serving hotel, travel and foodservice technology professionals. Each publication educates professionals on the latest hospitality technology software and hardware news, trends and solutions. The views and opinions of our writers are not necessarily the views of HFTP.
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