Hospitality has been historically sluggish in automation adoption, mainly due to prejudice towards a notion that has always been (wrongly) considered the "human touch" antithesis. However, according to CVENT, over 56% of hospitality professionals anticipate that automation will be "extremely important" in 2022. So, why this sudden change of heart?

If, due to post-COVID labor shortage, we never had a bigger need for automation, using it to solve the staff problem is just the tip of the iceberg. Automation can also reduce labor costs and help understaffed teams, streamline and standardize processes, enhance communication between departments, and improve guest satisfaction by making it possible for hotels to provide a frictionless, tailor-made, hyper-personalized experience.

Where do you see the most valuable applications of automation in the hospitality industry?

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Kathryn Murphy
Kathryn Murphy
Owner, The Murphy Gallery & Hotel Dublin
Stanislav  Ivanov
Stanislav Ivanov
Founder and Editor-in-chief of ROBONOMICS: The Journal of the Automated Economy
Fergus Boyd
Fergus Boyd
Hospitality Consultant
Max Starkov
Max Starkov
Hospitality & Online Travel Tech Consultant
Simone Puorto
Simone Puorto
Founder | CEO | Futurist
Mark Fancourt
Mark Fancourt
Co-Founder at TRAVHOTECH
Luis Segredo
Luis Segredo
CEO at Data Travel, LLC

Automation will be the No. 1 focus for owners and operators moving forward as they look to reduce labor costs and meet new guest expectations. The self-service movement has taken off in other traveler verticals, such as air travel and ground transportation, and hoteliers will be best served by relying on digital tools to allow guests to perform many functions on their own devices, such as check-in, in-room dining, lobby purchases, etc. In the back of the house, hoteliers will rely on automation as a way to reduce manual data entry and instead focus their efforts on more impactful strategies. Specifically in the marketing department, we're seeing tremendous progress with the automation of personalized marketing campaigns that drive engagement, conversion and ultimately guest satisfaction.

Uli Pillau
Uli Pillau
Founder and CEO of Apaleo
Michael Toedt
Michael Toedt
CEO and Founder, dailypoint
Laura Calin
Laura Calin
VP, Strategy and Solutions Management at Oracle Hospitality

The recent (May 2022) survey by Oracle / Skift stated that 73% of travellers want to use their own mobile device to mange their hotel experience. Conclusive evidence that widespread adoption of personal tech solutions - which have revolutionised our lives (shopping, banking, social interaction etc etc) - and are taken for granted in everyday life are now expected as part of the hospitality package. This growing preference to use technology that provides an intuitive interface and consistent service levels is applicable to all property echelons and fast becoming a welcome alternative to the erratic "human touch" still offered by the luxury sector.

Tristan Gadsby
Tristan Gadsby
Co-Founder and CEO, Alliants
Juanjo  Rodriguez
Juanjo Rodriguez
Founder, The Hotels Network
Nicole Dehler
Nicole Dehler
Vice President of Product Management at StayNTouch
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