Hospitality Insights: 2023 recap and 2024 predictions, part one

Matt Welle, CEO, Mews  

What are Matt’s learnings from 2023? 

• Industry shifts. There's been a recognition among hoteliers that legacy platforms were impeding progress. Despite initial concerns about a post-Covid slowdown, innovation has sustained its momentum, particularly in traditional markets like Germany, which are embracing technological advancements. 
• The success of early arrival charges. A new feature for Mews this year, charging for early arrivals addressed a common guest pain point and surpassed adoption expectations, highlighting the impact of focusing on specific aspects of the guest experience. 
• The role of AI. Despite some fatigue around AI conversations, artificial intelligence will play a pivotal role in internal processes. What’s needed now is for more products to embed AI to create tangible customer benefits. 

What’s Matt excited about for 2024? 

• Going beyond rooms. Mews will continue to evolve in the direction of space management, allowing hoteliers to manage and sell all kinds of spaces. Looking ahead, Matt predicts Mews evolving into a comprehensive platform. 
• Partnership with YouLend. Our collaboration with YouLend provides revenue-based financing for hotels. This initiative enables hotels to enhance their spaces and connect to a larger network, fostering industry-wide transformations. 

Claudia Meglin, Global Director Systems and Training, Generator/ Freehand 

What are Claudia’s learnings from 2023? 

• Chains are finally adapting. Major hotel chains like Marriott are finally moving towards more modern, cloud-based systems, signaling a sea change in the industry. 
• New Mews features. There were a number of game-changing features that Generator / Freehand saw the benefits of, including reservation reinstatement and the guests’ ability to cancel reservations. These significantly reduce administrative workload and boost operational efficiency. 

What’s Claudia excited about for 2024? 

• More feature releases. As a Mews customer (lucky), Claudia is excited about several new Mews features and is already in beta testing with some, including digital breakfast lists. 
• Experiential travel. More and more brands are pivoting to being experience providers, recognizing that this is the real differentiator and what guests crave. 

Stuart Godwin, Managing Director, Lamington Group 

What are Stuart’s learnings from 2023? 

• Team preparation and culture. For lasting success as a hospitality business, get your teams involved early. Cross-pollinate, and get alignment with your brand and culture. Stuart highlighted the need for flexibility, especially when facing unexpected challenges during the opening. 
• Technology and AI integration. Integrations made a huge difference during the year, with solutions like HiJiffy helping to enhance guest interactions and streamline processes. And with the enhancements in AI, these positive impacts are only going to get bigger. 
• Sustainability is a worthwhile pursuit. Lamington Group achieved B Corp certification in 2023, emphasizing a commitment to social and environmental responsibility alongside profits. It was a thorough accreditation process but worth it for the planet and for the brand. 

What’s Stuart excited about for 2024? 

• Brand and customer journey. Lamington Group is planning to invest significantly in brand development and the customer journey. The focus will be on enhancing the guest experience, including the implementation of a customized booking engine. Direct bookings will be a key metric for measuring success. 
• Community engagement and localized experiences. Stuart emphasized the impact of community engagement on brand equity and the benefit of creating a more lively and relevant space for travelers. The industry will see more of a focus on genuine, localized experiences to meet the expectations of modern travelers. 

Kashif Mahmood, Hospitality Technology HOD, NHL Stenden Hospitality Group 

What are Kashif’s learnings from 2023? 

• Curriculum changes. NHL is a unique concept, incorporating a training hotel, a full-service restaurant, and various food outlets, all managed by students at different levels. The pandemic prompted a shift from on-site to online and hybrid education. The curriculum evolved to adapt to changes, incorporating e-learning and hybrid approaches. 
• Importance of data. Recognizing the significance of data, Kashif highlighted efforts to establish a data warehouse, collecting information from various hotel applications to provide students and staff with easy access for analysis. 

What’s Kashif excited about for 2024? 

• Creating an ecosystem. There’s a concerted effort to create an ecosystem that seamlessly integrates data and technology into learning and operational processes, ensuring that students are well-prepared for our evolving industry. The university will continue to focus on technology in the curriculum, providing both students and staff with training on the latest tech tools, with a particular emphasis on data. 
• Recruiting talented hoteliers. To attract the new generation of talented individuals to hospitality, companies need to emphasize not just monetary benefits but also work-life balance, openness, and a welcoming environment. Employer branding and a focus on experiences will be crucial. 

Shane O'Flaherty, Global Director of Travel and Transportation, Microsoft 

What are Shane’s learnings from 2023? 

• AI trumped the metaverse. Instead of continued discussions around the metaverse, 2023 saw a shift in focus to generative AI, particularly with applications like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Codex. The transformative impact of generative AI is already evident in various industries, with a rapid integration into daily life. 
• Tech’s growing influence. The tech industry continues to evolve and the influence of large-scale tech companies on different sectors has increased. That said, the hospitality industry still lags behind in technology adoption. 

What’s Shane excited about for 2024? 

• A collaborative, tech-first mindset. We should see a collective effort between business and IT to embrace technology, overcome challenges, and foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation. 
• Digital twins for employees. The emergence of digital twins or co-pilots for employees will bring benefits to onboarding, communication, and fostering a stronger sense of company culture. 

Josef Lapka, VP Product Management, and Aldair Borges, Product Manager, Mews 

What are Josef's and Aldair’s learnings from 2023? 

• The hybrid hospitality explosion. 2023 has seen an increased demand for long stays and the utilization of additional spaces. Long stays present an opportunity for hotels to meet guests' desires for a full-service experience, providing a competitive alternative to platforms like Airbnb. Learn more about maximizing revenue in our guide, The Best Ways to Reimagine Your Hotel Spaces. 
• Operational efficiency. More and more hoteliers are embracing flexible and efficient hotel operations, especially in utilizing every square meter of real estate to maximize revenue. 
• Revenue per square meter. Hotels are leveraging technology to optimize revenue per square meter, with use cases including bookable outdoor spaces (like parking) and improving housekeeping processes. 

What are Josef and Aldair excited about for 2024? 

• More integration. Connectivity will be one of the big themes of next year, as hoteliers embrace the importance of integrating technology across various hotel functions to enhance efficiency, guest experiences, and overall revenue. 
• Data-driven decision making. A focus on collecting and utilizing data for smart decision-making enables hotels to optimize services, improve operations, and tailor offerings to guest preferences. 

Feeling inspired? The insights don’t have to end here – there are more exciting speakers and topics to explore in part two of this webinar series.