The Uber Effect: Why Hospitality Must Rethink Convenience, Control and the Guest Journey

In a world shaped by Uber, Netflix and Amazon, guests no longer evaluate service based on what hotels offer - but how seamlessly it’s delivered. From pre-booked rides that anticipate your preferences to curated content on your home screen, today’s consumers expect convenience, control, and personalisation at every step. The hospitality industry can no longer afford to treat accommodating these expectations as “nice to have.” They’re now baseline. 

For hoteliers, this means rethinking more than technology; it requires rethinking the entire guest journey. The winners in this new era won’t be those who fill rooms. They’ll be the ones who fill relationships with relevance. 

True Guest Value Extends Beyond Beds  

Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) has long been the industry’s core metric. But in today’s experience-led economy, RevPAR tells just one aspect of the story. Guests don’t just sleep in rooms, they dine, they relax at the spa, they golf, and they explore. That’s why modern hoteliers are shifting focus to a more guest-centric metric: Revenue per Guest (RevPG). 

RevPG captures the full value of every interaction, from dining preferences to upgrade triggers. As Agilysys’ research reveals, 68% of travellers are willing to spend more on personalised experiences, and 73% say personalisation would encourage them to return. When hotels view guests as the primary revenue driver instead of rooms, the financial opportunity increases drastically. 

Uber-Era Expectations Demand Integrated Technology 

Ride-hailing apps didn’t reinvent travel; they reimagined the experience. With a tap, users get real-time updates, preferences remembered, and tailored promotions. It’s not magic, it’s purposefully using data.  

Despite the growing availability of powerful tools, fragmented systems still dominate hospitality operations. Without a unified view of the guest, personalisation remains reactive or inconsistent. Disconnected booking engines, POS systems, and loyalty programmes make it nearly impossible to serve the right offer at the right time. 

A modern Property Management System (PMS) with unified guest profiles can bridge this gap. Agilysys’ Intelligent Guest Profile Services (IGPS) technology integrates booking history, spend patterns, preferences, and even behavioural signals to deliver a 360° view. With it, hotels can shift from transactional touchpoints to intelligent, curated journeys. 

Embracing a Guest-Centric Model 

So, how can hoteliers turn this insight into action? Here are three key starting points: 

• Prioritise Unified Guest Data: 

Integrate core systems from PMS and POS to mobile apps and loyalty platforms to build a centralised guest profile. This enables relevant, real-time engagement across departments. Whether it’s a wine recommendation from a sommelier based on past orders or pre-assigning a guest’s preferred suite, these small touches drive revenue and loyalty. 

• Shift to RevPG Thinking: 

Encourage internal teams to track performance beyond room occupancy. Capture and analyse total guest spend, including F&B, spa, golf, and events to identify under-leveraged opportunities. This broader metric encourages departments to collaborate, rather than operate in silos. 

• Let Tech do the Heavy Lifting: 

Use automation to handle check-ins, billing, and inventory so staff can focus on what truly matters - making guests feel seen and valued. According to Agilysys research, 46% of travellers appreciate when staff go the extra mile, and 30% notice when past conversations are remembered. Automation empowers staff to deliver those moments consistently. 

 It’s Not Just About Tech. It’s Also About Timing. 

The challenge isn’t whether hotels can deliver this level of personalisation, it’s also whether they’re acting fast enough. In a market where 63% of guests report satisfaction but don’t rebook, loyalty is increasingly driven by how well hotels remember, anticipate, and adapt to individual preferences. 

And the answer isn’t more tech. It’s smarter integration. This means using existing tools more effectively and building a guest experience that feels as fluid and frictionless as your last Uber ride. 

Make Every Interaction Impactful  

Today’s guests don’t compare your service to other hotels; they compare it to every brand in their digital life. From the moment a guest makes an enquiry to the time they check out, hotels need full visibility and control over the entire journey. That requires personalisation at scale, driven by real-time data and empowered by automation. 

Agilysys believes the future of hospitality is not about selling rooms but curating relationships. And with the right tools, that future is within reach. 

Discover how Agilysys’ Intelligent Guest Profile Services helps hoteliers harness guest data to personalise service and unlock new revenue - turning every stay into a seamless, Uber-like experience.