F&B, M&E, Ancillary Revenue

In hospitality, your team is your brand. No matter how stunning the property, how seamless the technology, or how luxurious the amenities, guests will always remember how your people made them feel. And yet, the hospitality industry faces a massive challenge: keeping those incredible people around long enough to make a lasting impact.

Everyone has opinions on Airbnb’s summer release. And I have been asked for mine a few times. So here’s my take, and I’ll stick to the two things that stood out to me. They’re not what you think.

Mews Unfold 2025 opened with a different tone than previous editions. Instead of product features or welcome applause, Mews founder Richard Valtr and CEO Matt Welle spoke openly about the state of the world. In a time of political uncertainty and unpredictable travel patterns, they challenged the industry to stop asking why and start acting on the how.

As a young adult preparing to enter the evolving world of hospitality, I stand at the edge of a transformative era – one that demands not just operational excellence, but thoughtful action and bold responsibility. As a hospitality student, we’re taught the foundational tools: service, design and operations. But in a world, that’s ever-changing, mastering the known is no longer enough. We must cultivate a mindset that embraces the unknown, acting with agility, curiosity and intention.

In today’s rapidly shifting business landscape, innovation is no longer a solitary pursuit. Complex challenges, from digital transformation to sustainability transitions, require more than internal expertise and traditional R&D processes. They demand a new approach, one that recognizes that valuable ideas can come from anywhere.

Enterprise-wide digitisation has evolved from a competitive advantage to an absolute necessity and yet, amidst its promises and whispers of transformation, digital hasn’t delivered. Of the 89% of companies undertaking digital and AI transformations, only 31% of expected revenue lift has been captured and a mere 25% of anticipated cost savings, according to Harvard Business Review. It is an ongoing disparity between expectation and reality, says Mandla Mbonambi, CEO of Africonology, that should be forcing more in-depth analyses around the true value of digital transformation and how organisations can realistically capture it.

Revenue management is evolving. Once focused solely on manual room pricing, today’s technology enables revenue managers to take a more strategic, data-driven approach to growing hotel revenue.

Held as the grand finale of this year’s Mews Unfold conference, the 2025 Mews Unfold Awards were a fantastic way to wrap up an already energizing day. It was great to be there in person as the Mews team shined a spotlight on some of the most forward-thinking people and brands in hospitality. This was all about sincere recognition for the people and ideas driving hospitality forward.

We take innovation seriously. Our continual investment in research and development (R&D) is not just about keeping up with industry trends, it’s about truly transforming hospitality. And as our customer base grows, so does our commitment to expanding our R&D teams, ensuring we deliver solutions that truly make a difference.

F&B is an ever-evolving sector and, in recent years, has been both proactive and reactive to changes in the social and business landscape of the nation. F&B industry operators are steadily evolving, driven by changing consumer preferences and global influences. The pandemic prompted fast action for many operations just to survive. In a high-speed world of change, the F&B sector has become increasingly innovative, as evidenced by its products, service, safety, and technology operations. This discussion will review creative ideas and a variety of trends in innovation and consumer demand for F&B.