On 13 February, Dr Ian Yeoman delivered a keynote at beststay, Croatia’s leading hotel management conference, drawing on the new book The Future of Hotels: Creating What’s Next authored by the Professors of Hotel Management School Leeuwarden. His presentation outlined how the hotel industry is being reshaped by accelerating technological change, sustainability imperatives, workforce disruption and new guest expectations.
A central industry message is that technology will redefine hospitality. AI‑driven personalisation, robotics, automation, smart sensors and immersive tools are rapidly transforming hotel operations, creating hyper‑efficient systems and new forms of guest engagement. As these tools advance, they will fundamentally alter revenue management, check‑in processes, concierge services and environmental controls, reshaping both back‑of‑house efficiency and the guest journey.
Parallel to this, sustainability has become non‑negotiable. Hotels must move beyond basic eco‑initiatives toward regenerative and circular systems embedded in design, food strategies, waste management and authentic sustainability measurement.
Yet even in an automated era, human connection remains essential. Hostmanship, empathy, cultural authenticity and values such as manaakitanga will continue to differentiate leading hotels.
Dr Yeoman also highlighted the urgent need for workforce and education transformation, with declining enrolments demanding new approaches such as lifelong learning, digital competence and strong industry–academia collaboration. Business models, too, must evolve, with hybrid hospitality, community integration and innovation hubs becoming critical to resilience and competitive advantage.
Collectively, these signals call the industry to boldly imagine—and create—what comes next.