Revenue Management & Channel Opt

Most hotel leaders will look back at 2026 and realize it was the year the rules changed without an announcement.

Pets are an important part of our lives. They deserve to be treated to the same five-star experiences as we are. And there’s an emerging trend within luxury hospitality that proves it’s not only our animal friends who’ll benefit – hotels can too.

In recent years, massive leaps have been made in the development of humanoid robots. The idea of making mechanical humans that can do our chores for us is as old as Talos, the fictional bronze man that was thought up by the ancient Greeks in 300 B.C. However, recent developments in robot building might make human-shaped robots a real possibility in people’s houses in the near future, and possibly also in our professional work environments.

What will the guest journey look like in 2026 and beyond? As hospitality arrives at yet another critical moment, the 2026 Hospitality Industry Outlook authored by Mews explores how the rise of AI – both generative and agentic – is transforming how hotels operate, interact with guests and drive revenue.

In hospitality, we often talk about guest experience, operational excellence and creating memorable moments. But the most profound lessons in hospitality come from stories that begin far away from a hotel lobby.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been extolled as a savior for hospitality. It’s a buzzword; every vendor is saying they’re doing it. Despite genuine AI-based functionality development and implementation that’s happening under the hood, most of what’s currently available is far short of the omnipotent promises that salespersons are making.

We all want smarter systems. Better forecasts. Faster decisions.

Stop just discussing digital transformation. Start delivering it.

I’ve dealt with my fair share of SaaS support. The robotic scripts, the helpful agents, and the occasional genius buried behind a chatbot. So when a client claimed they couldn’t raise a support ticket, I didn’t believe them. I asked them to try again, live.

Why digital transformation failed hotels… and why AI is forcing a complete reset of how value is created in hospitality.