Immerse Yourself in HT-NEXT 2020 On Demand!
Never has the question, “What’s next for hospitality technology?” resonated more. As COVID-19 continues to dramatically impact the hospitality industry, hoteliers are sharply focused on defining a path forward. They’ll find key insights and forecasts to help at HT-NEXT, a celebration of the cutting edge of hotel tech at a time when technology has never been more critical to hotelier goals. HT-NEXT debuts December 1-3, then streams on demand through January 8. Visit HT-NEXT.com to learn more. (Qualified hotel executives enjoy complimentary attendance to all three days of HT-NEXT programming and on-demand streaming.)
HT-NEXT Insights from Amazon Web Services
"We’ve been inspired by how hotels are utilizing technology to meet current challenges. The first way we’re seeing this happen is hotels finding ways to save costs as everyone is trying more than ever to do more with less." —Joanna Todd, Head, Worldwide Business Development - Accommodation and Lodging at Amazon Web Services READ MORE!
By navigating through an immersive virtual hotel — HOTEL NEXT — attendees will explore a simulated hotel environment, including lobby, guest room, restaurant, back office, and more, and access keynotes, expert panels, 1:1 "firechats," exhibits, interactive workshops and networking events. HT-NEXT is not just about passively watching speakers; participants can fully interact in real-time and have meaningful one-on-one conversations and brainstorming breakouts.
HT-NEXT Insights From Comcast Business
"To enable a superior guest experience, hotels will need to enhance connectivity to support increased bandwidth demands, and leverage hotel networks to to support more IoT-connected ‘smart’ devices." —Matthew FitzGerald, Senior Director of Solution Architects, Deep Blue, a Comcast Business Company READ MORE!
Conference Day by Day
Day 1: Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 1pm EST
“Unprecedented” seems to be the hoteliers’ word of choice to describe the events of 2020. Without a script to follow, most organizations were left to find their own way. Now, industry leaders are starting to share lessons learned, which can help the entire industry better adjust.
For example, after introductory remarks, first up on Day 1 is Tilak Mandadi, Executive Vice President, Digital and Chief Technology Officer for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Disney was hit hard with complete closure of many of its parks for months, time they used to invent new ways to use technology to innovate and reimagine the Disney guest experience of the future.
Executives at Wyndham may have thought they were simply responding to the crisis, but according to EVP & CIO Scott Strickland, in the process they learned how to make better, faster and smarter decisions—and he’ll tell HT-NEXT audiences all about that new approach.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM ORACLE
"It’s imperative to employ a property management system that can quickly activate and manage an array of contactless services, from mobile keycards to in-room ordering to cashless payment." —Laura Calin, Vice President, Strategy and Solutions Management, Oracle Hospitality READ MORE!
The industry continues to evolve apart from COVID-induced changes. George Roukas of Hudson Crossing and Flo Lugli of Navesink Advisory Group will breakdown the mysteries of Attribute Based Selling (ABS) and how hotels can capture more value and enhance the guest experience by disaggregating aspects of the hotel visit.
Hoteliers get a chance to collaborate with colleagues on today’s challenges on day 1 in an interactive workshop on “Doing More with Less,” led by Wendy Mertz, VP IT, Non-Gaming Applications - Seminole Gaming and Hard Rock International, as well as in 1:1 networking. They can also explore the exhibits and on-demand content. The day wraps up with Las Vegas juggler and comedian Jeff Civillico emceeing a session that will transform the way you think about connecting online.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM LG ELECTRONICS USA
"Digital signage display technology operating with a common application and messaging platform can simplify the process of making guests aware of the local rules and hotel-specific instructions." —Jeffrey Weiland, National Account Manager, LG Electronics USA READ MORE!
Day 2, Wednesday, December 2, 1pm EST
Day 2’s keynote comes from a leader whose entire focus is fast-tracking new solutions: Bonny Simi, president of JetBlue Technology Ventures (JTV), the venture capital arm of JetBlue Airways. The group accelerated up its already speedy innovation sprint process to tackle immediate needs, such as contactless check-in and health passports.
Making decisions faster was also the big focus at Aspen Ski Company after mandated shutdowns brought business to a halt. CIO John Lilley will talk about how they came out of the experience with not just a whole new set of technologies to reduce contact, but key lessons on how to lead with action in IT.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM SEVENROOMS
"By incorporating technology into their guest management and communications, operators can remain confident that they’re taking the necessary precautions to protect every guest that checks in. But in order to provide the most value to hotel operators in a challenging economy, these platforms must capture guest data directly." —Marybeth Sheppard, Senior Vice President, Marketing, SevenRooms READ MORE!
Hoteliers are paying close attention to fast-changing guest tech expectations. A panel discussion, Voice of the Hotel Customer, will reveal hot-off-the-presses results of HT’s annual 2020 Customer Engagement Technology Study.
Hoteliers can also participate in the interactive workshop “Hotel Tech for 2021 and Beyond,” led by Dan Kornick, Chief Information Officer, Loews Hotels. Attendees can follow those sessions by exploring exhibits and on demand sessions, and then stop by the HT-NEXT Awards happy hour.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM INFOR
"The best way forward with conventional pre-pandemic technology is to tend to the basics. Hotels must institute the appropriate level of guest care and then inform potential guests what that is and how it benefits them." READ MORE!
Day 3: Thursday, December 3, 1pm EST
Odia Kagan, Partner and Chair of GDPR Compliance & International Privacy, Fox Rothschild LLP, leads the way on Day 3 by shedding much-needed light on the fast-evolving nature of privacy compliance.
Next, at the IT Leadership Panel, executives from G6 Hospitality, Choice Hotels, and Edwardian Hotels London will share the creative ways they leveraged technology to ensure health and safety and protect and empower the workforce. They’ll also reveal their 2021 plans for marketing, loyalty and enhancing the guest experience.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM SERTIFI
"Something we consistently hear from our customers is that they are now challenged to do more with less - whether that is less time, budget, or resources." —Phil Corbett, Director of Marketing, Sertifi READ MORE!
After time to check out the exhibits, be sure to join Jan Freitag, Senior Vice President – Lodging Insights, STR, as he walks attendees through the year that was in hard numbers, uncovering some fascinating shifts in long-standing trends and offering a glimpse into 2021 and beyond. That’s followed by an industry alert, and wrap up to a successful show.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM SHIJI
"The most important technologies that hotels can (and should) leverage today are contactless solutions that are integrated with their existing systems, to create a mobile and digital guest experience." —Kevin King, Chief Operating Officer, Shiji READ MORE!
Stoking the Fires of Innovation
In addition to three content-packed afternoons, HT-NEXT features a long list of on demand content that runs the gamut from new initiatives to coping with COVID to an up-close look at award-winning projects:
911 Calls: Speakers from Marriott and HTNG shed light on how hoteliers will need to respond to the Ray Baum’s Act, which requires new phone systems to add more information on victim location in 911 call data.
Virtual Meetings: Dan Kornick, CIO at Loews Hotels will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the launch of a new virtual meetings platform.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM SECURITY VALIDATION
"The economic downturn has impacted too many of our partners. As we look to come out on the other side of the pandemic owners and operators are taking the opportunity to analyze their current technology strategies and make necessary changes that will allow them to operate more efficiently, reduce costs and enhance the guest experience." —David Durko, CEO, Security Validation READ MORE!
Restaurant Alignment: Skip Kimpel, CIO at 4R Restaurant Group explores how hotels can not only take lessons from restaurants, but also partner with them to drive new revenue in the new normal.
Guest Experience: Hotels must address a lot of constituencies with new safety processes, from super-sensitive guests to those with COVID fatigue, and protect and reassure staff as well. Anja Luthje of Unique Hospitality Solutions will talk about how she and her colleagues threaded that needle in her former position at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM CORNING
"In order to get guests to return—and also give hotel staff peace of mind about their health and wellbeing—hotels are getting creative and adding more touchless technology to the network. " —Jessica Koch, Director - Business Development, Corning READ MORE!
2020 Visionary Awards: This year’s inspiring award winners tackled migrating to cloud, building a chatbot, creating a single integration point for hotel systems, and hosting Opera in the data center. Each winner describes his company’s project.
2020 TechOvation Award Winners: HTNG’s annual competition, which combines crowd-sourced and panelist voting, is the industry’s go-to place to glimpse the future of hotel tech. Winners will reveal what made their unique solutions stand out.
HT-NEXT INSIGHTS FROM AGILYSYS
"During this pre-recovery phase, the best thing hotels can do today is offer as much guest facing technology as possible. Enabling connected devices to meet guests where they are ensures guest comfort on property but also can increase efficiency, loyalty & engagement." —Jen Reeves, Director, Events and Communications, Agilysys READ MORE!
Marching into the Future
There’s nothing like heading home from an industry event full of enthusiasm for all the new ideas you’ve gathered. This year’s HT-NEXT takes that to the next level, with content streaming on demand through January 8. Visit the HT-NEXT site to learn more and get yourself registered.