Leading the Charge: Hoteliers at the Forefront of Tech

As the hospitality industry evolves, technologies that will shape the hotel of the future are already being implemented by forward-thinking hoteliers today. At the Hotel Technology Forum, Hospitality Technology’s Editor in Chief Robert Firpo-Cappiello spoke with three leaders who are leveraging innovative solutions to address key challenges and elevate the guest and employee experience.

From advancing sustainability initiatives to reimagining guest check-ins and enabling flexible workforce solutions, these trailblazers demonstrate how the innovations of today are paving the way for tomorrow’s hospitality norms.

The Hotel of the Future is Sustainable

There is a growing consumer demand for environmentally responsible practices within the hospitality industry. From energy consumption to food waste to single-use plastics, guests are taking notice of the hospitality industry’s deficiencies in this area and are demanding changes.

Mint House, a hospitality brand that offers apartment-style accommodations, took it upon itself to tackle some environmental challenges with the help of technology-driven solutions. 

According to Mint House CCO Alex Cisneros, the company integrated programmable thermostats to allow for the optimization of energy use within each unit. As an added bonus, it can put unoccupied units into “hibernation mode” to help eliminate energy use during vacancies. It also partners with technology vendors that prioritize sustainability, both for renewable energy sourcing and for energy-efficient appliances. And it offers bulk, eco-friendly amenities and Boxed Water to reduce single-use plastic. 

Within a 12-month period spanning June 2023 to June 2024, the company reduced its daily CO2 emissions by 23%, equivalent to keeping more than 7,336,641 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Furthermore, Mint House completely eliminated single-use plastic waste across its properties, surpassing its 2022 goal by 50%. 

The Hotel of the Future Has no Front Desk

After joining Orascom Hotels Management in January 2024, CTO Sanjay Sharma decided to transform the way its hotels were run. During a series of design workshops, the brand completely rethought the guest experience and found ways to combine, eliminate or automate 30 redundant processes which, in turn, led to the elimination of the front desk and traditional check-in process. 

“Why do we need guests to check-in at a front desk?” Sanjay asked. “Because it is our operational requirement, because we need to enter something into our systems. It’s not because it improves the guest experience. So we got rid of it.”

Now, the brand offers guests Experience Ambassadors. These Ambassadors welcome guests by name upon arrival, walk guests to their room while answering questions and offering recommendations on the hotel’s amenities. Processing payment and providing room cards takes less than one minute and is accomplished with the use of a mobile device. 

Ambassadors end the conversation with guests by handing them a business card with the ambassador’s name and a QR code with a WhatsApp number where they can be reached at any given time. Guests can ask for anything that they want whether inside or out of the hotel. And upon their departure, guests are sent home with a personalized gift selected for them by their ambassador.

Guest satisfaction has increased with a surge in positive online reviews, and ambassador tips have increased by 35%.

The Hotel of the Future Offers Work Flexibility

The hospitality industry continues to be plagued by labor shortages and high turnover, especially among the backbone of business operations: frontline workers.

“We compete for talent with the Ubers of the world, where people can decide when and where they work and set their own schedules,” said Conrad Riddle, Vice President, HR Shared Services, Aimbridge Hospitality. “So we set out to ‘gigify’ our workforce to better compete for talent and become a more flexible employer.”

Leveraging UKG’s workforce management tools, Aimbridge was able to build a smart and adaptable labor marketplace that allows employees to pick up additional shifts within their region and at the level they’re qualified to work.

Since the launch of flex scheduling, more than 12,000 employees — about 30% of the brand’s hourly workforce — have traded shifts across its 1,100 U.S. properties. This adaptable scheduling not only attracts new talent but also empowers existing employees to balance work with personal commitments.