On the road - Hoteliers share the reality beyond the hype

Alessandra Leoni, Head of Hospitality, Focus Group, discusses what hoteliers are really saying about technology and the solutions that matter.

Over the past few months, we have brought hoteliers, operators and industry leaders together across a series of events from Cornwall to Hampshire and to the cities of London, Edinburgh and Manchester.

What stands out across all these locations is not just the level of engagement, but the honesty in the room. Our purpose was not to let the conversations be shaped by vendors or trends but respond to real operational pressures, actual frustrations and a shared desire to move the industry forward in a practical way.

And what hoteliers have been saying is remarkably consistent.

Operational pressure is real

Across every conversation, one theme kept coming back - costs are rising faster than revenue.

At the same time, teams are incredibly stretched. There is a genuine concern about how to support staff, retain talent and create environments where people can thrive. Technology should be part of that solution, but only if it genuinely supports operations, not complicate it further.

Over the industry hype

There has been a noticeable shift in how technology is being discussed. The conversation is no longer about what is possible. It is about what actually works.

AI is a good example. There is no longer scepticism, but there is also no blind adoption. Hoteliers are looking for practical applications that reduce manual workload, support teams and improve responsiveness.

The appetite is there, but it must be grounded in reality.

Complexity is the real challenge

Technology itself is not the issue. The challenge is in navigating it.

Hotels are no longer selecting individual systems but they are managing entire ecosystems. Systems are not suitable if they do not speak to each other, as they are undeniably creating friction rather than removing it. For many operators, unfortunately technology is still adding workload instead of reducing it. That is where much of the frustration lies.

Independent vs group hotels, different challenges, same reality

While it’s two different markets in our sector - we see the same reality. On the one hand independent hotels are often navigating all these economical and technological changes with limited internal resources. Where decisions need to be made quickly, often without having the luxury of deep technical expertise. There’s an admiral ability to be agile, but they share the risk of making reactive or fragmented tech decisions - potentially paralysing progress. And although there are quick wins and immediate ROI, there is less investment in the longer term goals.

However, groups and portfolios face a different challenge. With scale brings complexity. Change can be harder to activate, with a much more complex stakeholder environment, decision making is often unjustifiably drawn out across owners, management and brand layers.

Paired with outdated legacy systems and untidy integrations the desire for standardisation can be slow progress and create misalignment in the process.

Interestingly the outcome is the same - both are trying to simplify something that has become too complex.

What is not being talked about enough

Some of the most important topics are still being underplayed. System reliability being one of them. When technology fails, it does not just impact operations, it affects the guest experience, team morale and ultimately reputation.

Cyber security is another. There is growing awareness, but not always the level of action required. The gap between understanding the risk and being properly protected is still too wide.

And then there is adoption. Buying technology is easy. Embedding it into day-to-day operations is where most initiatives fall short. There’s clearly not enough onboarding and training for process changes for hotels to get the real value from their investments - and for teams to feel empowered rather than replaced. 

An informed view

I have found that these discussions reinforce an important point; hospitality is not trying to become more digital, it is trying to become more effective to preserve the human touch that defines the sector.