3 game changing trends for the New Year
All year long, our small team reads, researches and tirelessly shares about everything that matters in hospitality, so that everyone can understand it in the simplest way possible. And thanks to your support and readership, we are motivated to do this every Wednesday over the past decade.
It’s our final issue of the year, but we’ve got plenty more in store to share in the New Year and beyond. This year, a few pervasive themes that will continue to be in the spotlight in 2026 emerged, and they include:-
- AI and Technology: The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in all its forms and its impact on business and people is one of the most transformative moments of our time. It will continue to transform the guest experience, enabling personalisation and tailoring services around each guest’s needs and preferences, thus actively reshaping hotel operations and guest experiences.
- AI in guest service can enable hotels to anticipate guests’ needs before they mention them. I.e. by using unified data in real time to understand preference; thus shifting from been reactive to proactive. This move toward proactive service will gain momentum and potentially become a competitive advantage.
- Technology is evolving rapidly and whilst many hospitality leaders have dived in to put these trends into action, several others are treading water – waiting for a situation to develop whilst debating how best to use it. Some hoteliers who take the plunge will face challenges in implementing AI effectively.
- As AI reshapes our organizations, how we choose to embrace it will define not just our businesses – but also the next generation of leaders.
- Success with AI begins with understanding how the three forms of AI that exists today: mathematical AI, generative AI and agentic AI work. It’s about how it’s embedded and real progress will depend on understanding, not hype. For instance, technology that is designed for creativity or communication cannot deliver the precision needed for pricing or forecasting.
- Human creativity will be more critical than ever with people craving for human connection in this AI-driven time. Some will long to see human fingerprints on the content they personally consume.
- Scenario Planning: Responding to trends will no longer be enough to stay afloat in this rapidly changing society, since trends are facts, they are visible. As Louis Pasteur put it, “Chance favors the prepared mind”; The biggest threat for businesses is the high degree of uncertainty, that may be markedly different from what it is today due to external forces that include political, economic, social, technological, environmental, or legal developments.
- With Managerial unease mounting owing to economic, geological, and technological uncertainty - scenario planning will be of increasing interest to decision-makers seeking to be prepared for what they cannot yet perceive.
- There will be those who will not only extract the full value of scenario planning, but also exercise the ability to turn uncertainty into opportunity, thereby keeping their business resilient even when faced with unexpected challenges. For example, despite COVID 19’s devastation of the global economy, there were many who refused to let the pandemic bring them down. Sparked by a surge of creativity, innovation and adaptability, Food outlets diversified, digital art erupted and offices became virtual and streamlined, thus keeping their businesses resilient.
- Personalization: The defining factor in how hospitality brands build loyalty will be personalization - which is the antidote to the transactional hotel stay. It’s no longer just a nice touch; it’s what makes the difference between a one-time stay and a lifelong customer. And loyalty is no longer just about retention: it’s about momentum.
- Loyalty in 2026 is about value + relevance + convenience, not just nostalgia or brand identity.
- The focus will shift from simply acquiring loyalty members to activating them, keeping them engaged, and driving meaningful interactions that translate into revenue. KPIs will include redemption rate, repeat stay frequency, CLV uplift, member retention, and engagement per active user. KPIs will include redemption rate, repeat stay frequency, Customer Lifetime Value uplift, member retention, and engagement per active user.
- Hoteliers will not only need to define Service Standards but Standards that speak to experiences…what it should feel like when the service is delivered and how that relates to the overall experience. The only way you can truly know how someone experiences something is to consider HOW they feel…it must relate to emotion. It’s that sixth sense that allows us to maximize the other five.
- Loyalty will become less about the transaction and more about the experience. Organisations that recognise that experiences aren’t just a physical activity or offering, but an opportunity to pull in a learning experience for guests through relevant destination information, recommended activities, maps and guidance, etc. will stand above the rest.
- The future belongs to companies that have a focusedcustomer centric corporate culture that ultimate leads to “The trusted company”.
Shafeek Wahab– Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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