On the 2026 Americas Lodging Funding Summit, the panel “Knowledge, Traits & Options—Revolutionary Merchandise & Providers That Assist Drive ROI” gathered trade leaders to dive into the shifts reshaping hospitality immediately, providing tactical recommendation and the newest tech to assist drive progress and defend margins.
Moderated by Mary Scoviak of Resort Funding In the present day, the session moved past tech buzz to discover how structured knowledge, generative AI, and immersive occasion expertise are instantly combating labor pressures and shifting distribution fashions.
The New Search Frontier: Visibility within the Age of GenAI
Pete Comeau, managing director at Phocuswright, opened the session by highlighting the strong 6 p.c progress within the journey trade regardless of geopolitical headwinds. Nonetheless, he warned that the mechanics of how friends discover lodges are present process a seismic shift. Whereas OTAs at present dominate fragmented markets like India and Latin America, lodges in North America and Europe are efficiently recapturing direct demand.
The first problem shifting ahead is generative search. Comeau famous that 39 p.c of vacationers now use AI for journey analysis, usually with out realizing it. For hoteliers, visibility now goes effectively past search engine optimization to a veritable presence inside LLMs.
“If you happen to don’t have a method that helps you with visibility in these massive language fashions, you’re going to start out to lose that direct demand to your web site,” Comeau famous.
Operational Effectivity: Turning Knowledge into Revenue
Steven Moore, chief government officer of Actabl, shifted the main target from acquisition to the “new working actuality” of margin stress. With resort REITs underperforming in comparison with different asset courses, Moore posited that the trade should leverage AI to drive absolute profitability.
He recognized three pillars for AI in operations: prioritization of each day duties, teaching (utilizing AI brokers to duplicate the abilities of veteran associates throughout a portfolio), and implementation of recent tech. Moore’s knowledge revealed that whereas luxurious lodges preserve excessive money stream, upper-midscale and upscale properties are outperforming on a margin proportion foundation on account of tighter operational controls.
He emphasised that velocity of data is the final word aggressive benefit, and to attain this, hoteliers should transfer away from fragmented knowledge silos.
“It’s important to have actually well-structured knowledge… Consistency throughout the entire portfolio will assist you transfer with velocity so that you don’t simply have the suitable knowledge, however you may generate the suitable insights as a result of it’s structured accurately,” Moore mentioned.
The Evolution of Occasions: Creating Immersive ROI
Mike Stengel, senior vice chairman at Encore, addressed the profitable conferences and occasions sector. Budgets are rising, and planners are more and more searching for immersive experiences that justify the return to in-person gatherings.
Nonetheless, a major threat has emerged: 48 p.c of planners are actually contemplating venues outdoors of conventional lodges to seek out “distinctive” areas. Stengel challenged hoteliers to look past the ballroom and activate pre-function areas, rooftops, and outside areas with strong digital infrastructure, resembling digital billboards and enhanced community {hardware}.
By treating each nook of the property as a possible revenue-generating occasion area, lodges can seize the 70 p.c of planners who intend to extend their assembly frequency in 2026.
“We’ve seen a 36 p.c enhance in occasions that happen over that spend over $100,000 [since 2022],” Stengel mentioned. “We have to take a look at… areas that aren’t sometimes regarded as assembly or occasion areas [that] will be utilized to have [an] occasion and… remodel that assembly into an immersive expertise.”
Whereas the fundamentals of hospitality—cleanliness, worth, and repair—stay the muse of loyalty, ROI in 2026 will probably be outlined by technological agility. Whether or not it’s showing in a generative search outcome, utilizing AI to educate a housekeeper, or remodeling a foyer right into a high-tech occasion hub, the mixing of knowledge and innovation is the engine of profitability.
