Finance, Op Planning & Forecasting

New data from the HotelTechReport 2026 PMS Impact Study reveals a striking operational shift: modern property management systems (PMS) now save many hotels more than 500 hours of labor every year, transforming the hotel management software from a back-office tool into one of the most strategic systems in hospitality.

I’ve watched hotel brands evolve quickly over the last few years. No longer are hospitality business professionals just hoteliers, but they must also now be experience architects. As experiential tourism continues to grow, hotels are investing in highly curated stays that speak to niche guests.Vinyl listening suites and sleep retreats are two examples of these packages that rose in popularity this year. There is one element that can make or break all of these guest experiences: sound.

Flow Thru—this is my abbreviation—is a catch-all phrase that measures how much made it through your business comparing one period to another. What made it through, from revenues to profit. Another term to describe this measurement is retention.

Artificial intelligence has hovered on the edges of hospitality for years. Chatbots answered simple questions. Revenue tools nudged prices up or down. Automation handled a few routine tasks. Useful, but hardly transformative.

When Marriott International announced it would acquire the citizenM brand for $355 million in cash, the easy take was to call it "another lifestyle acquisition" in a long list of soft brands and hip logos.

In today’s hospitality environment (see our previous article), “do more with less” has become more than a mantra, it’s a structural necessity. Modern workflow automation has reached a mature stage; it’s a practical, proven lever for operational transformation. But for hotel executives, the real question is how to start effectively.

Based on extensive industry research and expertise from EHL faculty members and the EHL’s renowned network of industry leaders, the EHL Insights Report: Hospitality Outlook 2026 offers an in-depth perspective on where the industry is heading in the coming years.

Earlier this week, I found myself at Expedia Group’s Roman offices, seated across from Elisa Ragno for Guess the Guest. The plan, at least on paper, was simple: talk about AI and hospitality. What happened instead was closer to a dérive, a drift across the borderlands where travel, technology, and human complexity leak into each other. Elisa had the admirable courage to ask real questions and the even greater courage to let me answer them without a safety net.

An important guiding principle for hotel design, in-room features and public amenities is, “As one does at home, one will soon expect at hotels.” What this implies is that if hotels are not keeping up with the trends, then they are either losing bookings or will have a hard time growing nightly rates beyond what the commoditized market-determined price commands.

In an industry defined by rapid change and relentless competition, leadership transitions can determine whether a hospitality firm adapts or falls behind. This article unpacks how CEO turnover can become a lever for innovation, exploring who drives the boldest transformations, which organizational structures amplify or constrain them, and what these dynamics mean for boards shaping the next generation of leaders.