Welcome to RemoteHotelier!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been hoarding reports, and put together, they reveal some interesting insights hoteliers should know. Today’s the perfect occasion to bring them up.
By the way, I’ll be on holiday next week, but the newsletter won’t stop. A surprise edition is coming. I hope you like it.
In today’s newsletter:
✈️ The new planning habits shaping trips for 2026
📉 The gap between hotel teams and executives grows
🧹 Admin tasks still win the battle against AI
🏨 + 5 deals & updates
🗞️ + 4 hotel tech extra news
#1 The new planning habits shaping trips for 2026.
Amadeus says new tools are changing how people plan trips, pick hotels and even choose flights. Phocuswright agrees, and sees the same pattern, since more people jump to AI chat tools instead of the classic search.
New trends for 2026 include things like pet friendly travel or pop culture trips.
Users jump between tools like Reddit, YouTube and AI chatbots to build trips, a trend Amadeus calls “travel mixology”.
Hotels are starting to offer more room choices, for example rooms with pilates equipment, VR setups or better soundproofing.
Phocuswright says that nearly 4 of every 10 customers (in the US) use generative AI to research trips.
I mean, this is something you could expect, but it’s nice to have the data to back it up. The industry’s moving toward personal stays based on real preferences instead of broad categories. For hotels and tech vendors, this means that old booking funnels are threatened.
I think it’s a good idea to keep an eye on this rather than jumping in before it’s too late.
#2 The gap between hotel teams and executives grows.
According to this study, operations workers are harder to find, and this other survey finds that 61% of hotels said tech is key in staff training and engagement.
Leaders report that hospitality roles can’t be replaced with ease.
Only 25% of operations staff think senior leaders understand their daily reality.
There’s a growing interest in events that cover these topics, with most executives saying they attend to learn and network.
Interesting how these two topics seem to always go together. People in operations feel burned out, but leaders say/think tech will fix efficiency and training. There’s still a huge gap in expectations vs. reality. You can see it in both studies.
The human factor always stays at the center. Hospitality is a people business, and the best tech in the world is useless if teams don’t get recognition and support.
Credit: Lighthouse
#3 Admin tasks still win the battle against AI.
According to this survey, most small STR hosts say AI is more confusing than helpful, and it’s not saving them any real time.
Only 14% say AI actually helps them manage their place.
47% say AI feels overwhelming.
Both groups spend an average of 8.3 hours each week doing admin work like taxes or accounting.
Almost half still use spreadsheets for reporting.
Airbnb remains the top platform with a 4.1 out of 5 rating.
STR users are struggling using AI… for doing the tasks where AI is meant to help. This really made me think, if we asked the same question to hoteliers today, what do you think the answer would be?
THE RESOURCE HUB
📍 Next Event: Fitur Madrid (21–25 January 2026).
📅 2025/2026 hotel tech event calendar.
💼 Hotel tech companies offering remote jobs.
🏨 DEALS & UPDATES
Revfine reveals 21 technology trends that will shape hospitality in 2026. Automation, sustainability, and personalization are at the top. But there are other surprises like augmented reality or advanced metasearch
Cloudbeds partners with IDScan.net to add automated ID scanning for hotel check-ins and reduce manual data entry.
Tambourine, a digital marketing firm specialized in hospitality, launches a website editor so hotel teams can update their sites in real time, polish content, and keep brand voice without needing tech skills.
Otto, a travel assistant platform designed for business travelers, launches an AI platform that customizes and manages all business travel needs. It can do tasks like planning, booking and managing flights, hotels and itineraries. It also learns your travel preferences, syncs with your calendar, and handles changes in real time.
VenueSuite and Shiji Daylight PMS integrate to streamline hotel event bookings, automate workflows, enable faster responses, and increase conversion rates.
🗞️ HOTEL TECH EXTRAS
In the video above, technology experts discussed at the Phocuswright Conference 2025 how AI is changing hotel distribution and booking, and how hotels can get value out of this.
Hotel restaurants planning to use F&B as a key revenue driver for 2026 will use tools like embedded loyalty, automated payments, and kitchen display systems to streamline operations and boost revenue. These technologies allow brands to personalize offers, adapt menus in real time, and optimize labor and inventory.
Mindtrip, an AI travel planning platform, raises $50 million of investment. The company aims to simplify personalized trip planning and booking for users.
Singlepane launches AutoAbstract, an AI tool that automates contract and document review, improves accuracy, and saves time, letting hotel staff focus more on guest service and core tasks.
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Jose