The hospitality world just had a wake-up call. At this year’s The Hospitality Show in Denver, the conversations were electric. As we dug into sessions, demos and chats on the show floor, some clear themes emerged. Here are our key takeaways from The Hospitality Show 2025:
1. Cancellation Fees: The “Why Didn’t We Do This Already?” Standard
One of the loudest rumbles from room full of hoteliers: “It’s time we normalized cancellation fees.” Inspired by the simplicity of models from airlines and platforms like OpenTable, the industry sentiment is shifting. Instead of viewing cancellation fees as a guest goodwill issue, it’s now being framed as risk-management and revenue protection. Bottom line: properties adopting standardized cancellation fee policies now gain both clarity and margin.
2. E-Tipping for Housekeeping: A Forgotten Frontier
It’s surprising it’s taken this long, but digital tipping for housekeeping is hot. Attendees flagged growing guest demand for e-tips — and more importantly, the operational opportunity. Intelity already has a live property using this model via tablets/mobile apps, which means this isn’t pipe-dream territory—this is open for rollout. When you integrate housekeeping e-tipping into the guest journey you do two things: you give guests convenience + recognition of staff, and you unlock a revenue/engagement vector that’s largely untapped.
3. Theme: “Eliminate Friction”
One of the keynote messages really hit home: technology must reduce effort—for both guests and staff. The more intuitive the solution, the less the friction. When hotel‐tech becomes invisible (to the user), you free up your time, your team’s time, and your guests’ time for what matters. We heard “future‐proofing” over and over: guest expectations are accelerating, tech is moving fast, so you’ll want systems that scale rather than stall.
4. AI & Future Readiness: Don’t Buy the Hype—Solve the Problem
The buzz around AI is loud, but the floor chatter was clear: don’t buy a shiny tool and hope it works. First identify the problem you’re solving. Some sub-themes:
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AI in Marketing: How many campaigns can truly benefit from AI‐generated content or personalized messaging? Quite a few. Guests expect relevance, and data + AI can deliver.
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AI as Booking Engine: More dialogue around travelers using chatbots like ChatGPT (and other tools) to plan trips. What’s the implication? Your digital presence must be rich, structured, and visible—so you’ll show up in those AI‐guided discovery paths. Optimize SEO, metadata, content strategy accordingly.
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Market Noise: There are over 1000+ solutions out there. The smart move: focus on your guest and your own data first. Then pick AI use-cases that move the needle.
5. Independent Hotels & Unique Storytelling
Sessions featuring LHW (Leading Hotels of the World), Curated Hotels and Malibu Beach Inn underscored a simple truth: individuality is a competitive edge. Independent properties reported ~20% growth by leaning into story, authenticity, and personalization. Younger travelers? They prioritize experience over traditional luxury trappings. Guest data + tailored touches = repeat stays + higher spend.
6. Ancillary Revenue & Guest Data Ownership
One of the major takeaways: your digital channels must do more than accept bookings—they should sell experiences. From upsells (room view, golf tee time, weather‐based offers) to guest activities—hotels need to capture ancillary spend (industry average ~ $266 per guest) and transform guest data into insights. To do that, you need unified platforms, consolidated data, and ownership of your guest relationships. Legacy systems still stand in many properties—time to upgrade or be left behind.
7. Tech Adoption Challenges: Reality Check
Despite all the talk, adoption still lags. Many hotels are comfortable using AI behind the scenes (revenue management, back-office), but less comfortable letting it interface directly with guests. Platform fragmentation and data sprawl were recurring concerns. The message: you need to consolidate systems, bring data together, and design for digital-readiness now—so when the next wave hits (Olympics, global travel surges, FIFA etc), you are aligned and not scrambling.
What This All Means
At Intelity, our takeaway is clear: the future winners in hospitality won’t just adopt new tech, they will integrate seamlessly, take ownership of guest data, and eliminate friction in every touchpoint. Whether it’s enabling e-tipping, embedding AI in marketing, or turning service delivery into experience sales—this is where hospitality is heading.
If you’re a hotel leader reading this: ask yourself three questions now:
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Do I have the guest data strategy to personalize & monetize experiences?
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Is my tech ecosystem built to eliminate friction and scale?
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Are my digital channels optimized for the AI‐driven traveller of tomorrow?
If you answered “no” to any—let’s talk!