Novacancy has lengthy been a staple of the hospitality calendar in Australia, so the GuestRevu group had been delighted to go to the primary London Novacancy.
For me, the spotlight of the occasion was the content material. The talks had been informative, partaking, and offered a helpful gauge of the present state of hospitality – and the place key gamers assume it could be heading subsequent. This angle was based mostly on the choices hoteliers are at present making relating to know-how, distribution, income administration, model positioning, and folks.
Throughout the talks I attended, a number of themes had been persistently repeated:
- Though the methods, software program, and AI-powered instruments could be creating quickly, hospitality is certainly nonetheless a people-first trade.
- There’s a huge quantity of very mediocre content material on the web, and a variety of it’s AI-generated. Meaningless, generic flotsam in a “sea of sameness” (see under) has by no means been useful to anybody, however the sheer quantity of it’s turning into a barrier to visitors, different companies, and even to AI.
- The easiest way ahead doesn’t appear to be essentially the most automated and tech-savvy, nor essentially the most steadfastly conventional. The hoteliers who do the most effective will doubtless be those that measure the metrics that really matter, and make choices based mostly on a transparent, constant understanding of what makes their lodge profitable as a enterprise and pleasant for visitors
There have been too many periods to attend all of them (particularly because the convention was stuffed with acquainted faces and distractingly fascinating ad-hoc conversations), however listed here are some key takeaways from the periods that notably stood out:
Commercials
Journey Commerce Tech vs Hospitality People
Expertise at Novacancy was ubiquitous; many of the stands had been tech distributors, and most of the talks inevitably circled again to matters like software program, automation, and on-line advertising and marketing. However tech was not the star of the present. Leaders within the hospitality trade have gotten more and more steadfast within the conviction that, as Lionel Benjamin, CEO at Gullwing Hospitality, so eloquently put it within the opening keynote, “We’re nonetheless at all times going to be a people-led trade… however… we must be tech-enabled.”
Thomas Greenall, CEO at Bespoke Motels, echoed this sentiment, saying his technique is to “automate course of, defend emotion”. How that appears will depend upon what sort of emotion the lodge desires to elicit, whether or not it’s a business-traveller metropolis keep lodge or an ultra-luxury boutique.
The significance of the human aspect of hospitality can’t be overstated. In her speak about crafting the PIG Motels’ model, Lotti Bruce reminded the viewers, “the senior management, the founder, whoever is on the helm, can create the idea, however the visitor remembers the expertise created by these on the bottom – by our group.”
This sentiment was mirrored by Kalindi Juneja, CEO at PoB Motels, who mentioned, “that Instagrammable design second will get you that first go to, however service and substance can be what will get you your second go to. It’s a must to earn that second go to. It simply doesn’t come robotically.”
The correct know-how for a hospitable, human lodge
That’s to not say the folks working in hospitality don’t want the best know-how to ship wonderful experiences. “A lodge is quite a bit like a theatre,” defined Andrew Evers, VP of Expertise at Rocco Forte Motels, likening the entrance of home group to the actors who join emotionally with the viewers, however the tech to the lighting, sound, and all the opposite components that go into creating the expertise. “While the actors are on stage doing their factor, there’s a complete bunch of stuff happening on the again which the viewers doesn’t see, however with out that, the manufacturing can not occur,” he reiterated.
Leaders all through the trade look like dissolving the boundary, although, between purely tech capabilities that function in isolation from the visitor and the “actual” hospitality workers who create the recollections. “We stopped saying ‘visitors on the lodge’, and now I say ‘my visitors’,” Andrew emphasised, illustrating simply how necessary the spirit of hospitable hospitality and visitor centricity actually is, even within the tech roles.
I believe that’s presumably why so few hospitality companies discover success with generic, albeit wonderful, know-how designed for industries and companies outdoors of hospitality. There’s an intangible however crucial hospitality ethos that tech companions have to know to work successfully for hoteliers.
So how do hoteliers discover tech that may work for his or her enterprise? Kalindi had a number of actually sensible solutions:
- Purchase tech that talks to one another. “I believe the problem tends to be in our trade … is that we’re taking over one piece of package and including one other and one other and one other they usually’re not speaking to at least one one other,” she defined.
- Ask distributors what their roadmap appears like. “If you find yourself speaking to somebody who’s promoting you a bit of package, it’s value really and asking them what’s your timeline for the subsequent 5 to 10 years, as a result of tech’s altering quickly,” suggests Kalindi.
- Ask different hoteliers and friends for his or her perception into what’s really labored. “I believe as an trade we are able to all do much more to assist each other, to speak to at least one one other […] I believe, as lodge house owners, let’s not be shy. Let’s decide up the telephone, let’s speak to our friends.”
Lastly, as a bonus suggestion for actually staying forward of the curve, Kalindi suggests hoteliers look outdoors hospitality. “I really deal with retail”, she revealed, “I believe in some ways retail’s actually forward of the sport. We are inclined to adapt what they’re doing, kind of 4 or 5 years later.”
e-commerce websites do pictures rather well. What can hoteliers be taught from them?
AI Slop vs Precise Authenticity*
The standard and usefulness (or lack thereof) of accommodations’ advertising and marketing content material was a recurring theme at Novacancy. As a marketer, it’s unsurprising that this stood out to me, however I actually imagine that the deluge of AI-generated garbage that has washed over digital content material manufacturing is one in all our largest obstacles to speaking meaningfully, particularly on-line. For instance, Search Engine Journal not too long ago reported that 21% of YouTube Shorts are ‘AI slop’.
Harry Fielder, Neighborhood Chair on the Resort Advertising and marketing Affiliation, spoke with Newton Fernandes, International Advertising and marketing Director at Multi Hospitality, about what they known as the “sea of sameness” that’s taking up lodge advertising and marketing. As an instance the problem, they compiled a listing of essentially the most overused phrases in lodge advertising and marketing:
- Curated
4. Immersive
3. Hidden gem
2. Iconic
1. Genuine
Whether or not AI is guilty, or whether or not its risk-averse house owners and buyers who genuinely need a standardised product (each acquired some blame), the ocean of sameness doesn’t give visitors a lot steerage on the place they may wish to spend their money and time.
Chopping by means of the noise additionally requires sincerity, which might generally really feel weak. As Lotti Bruce, Model & Advertising and marketing Director at The PIG Resort, mentioned, “Advertising and marketing for us reveals, it doesn’t invent. It’s superb at making all the things look coherent, however with out that operational reality, it collapses in a short time.” However it’s value it, as Lottie (and different audio system) asserted, “distinctiveness is admittedly commercially environment friendly.”
“Advertising and marketing for us reveals, it doesn’t invent. It’s superb at making all the things look coherent, however with out that operational reality, it collapses in a short time.”
– Lotti Bruce, Model & Advertising and marketing Director at The PIG Resort
The sort of human, personable, plausible content material that rises above a tide of AI-generated detritus shouldn’t be arduous to realize in an trade like hospitality, although. As Eljesa Saciri, GM at The Mandrake, emphasised on stage, “we create recollections… create life experiences for folks.”
When AI isn’t all that dangerous
Curiously, though AI could be the enemy of originality in content material creation, its function in distribution is just turning into extra essential. AI is the place folks go for solutions, together with when they’re questioning the place they need to keep after they journey.
“Your most necessary digital asset, arguably, is now not your web site; it’s what’s referred to as your AI shadow,” claimed Adam Hamadache, CEO at System, throughout his speak, AI search: the brand new guidelines of lodge visibility in 2026. That is the knowledge AI is ready to floor about your lodge, and when you care about it (which it’s best to), Adam suggests watching your CARBS:
Readability: “AI wants very, very clear categorisation of what you’re and who you’re,” asserts Adam, reiterating that shoring your model up from the ocean of sameness is as necessary for AI visibility as it’s for speaking instantly with people: “The kinds of acquainted phrases that we’ve all turn out to be accustomed to – luxurious, boutique, life-style, distinctive, premium – these items mainly make us sound similar to AI.”
Authority: “AI borrows confidence from trusted third events, so it pays shut consideration to issues like press protection, information inclusions, and recognised trade platforms.” This feels like a job for conventional PR…
Opinions: “Opinions have gotten extraordinarily necessary by way of getting visibility on AI, and AI doesn’t learn evaluations the identical approach that we do,” Adam defined. “So a 4.5-star common with one recurring criticism would really be extra damaging to the 4.2-star with constant reward and well-handled points.” Understanding what issues to visitors, what recurring points are surfacing, after which responding to evaluations in order that AI can see you’re engaged on it’s vital for safeguarding your AI picture. Fortunately, GuestRevu has instruments that may assist.
Model consistency: “This has been round for some time in search engine optimisation,” Adam confirmed, “but it surely’s extra necessary now, I might argue for AI as a result of AI cross-checks info. So in case your positioning, tone, or info change relying on the place AI appears, the boldness in your online business and your model drops.” AI hates uncertainty; it could properly skip you and transfer on to the subsequent choice.
Strengthen machine readability (Structured content material): “If AI can’t clearly perceive your web site, it gained’t confidently advocate you,” says Adam merely. Schema markup, numerous structured content material blocks like FAQs, and plain language all assist AI to confidently parse your content material.
Meaningless Metrics vs Actual Cash
We now have a number of measures of success in hospitality (occupancy metrics, income metrics, visitor satisfaction and status metrics, to call a number of), and most have a spot someplace within the evaluation of a enterprise, however not all are related to each enterprise.
“We now have to know, very clearly: what’s the product that we’re providing? Who’s our goal visitor? How are we delivering to that visitor? And the way will we measure success?” asserted Lionel Benjamin, CEO at Gullwing Hospitality.
“Buyers immediately are way more savvy, way more targeted on the financials, the returns,” explains Lionel. They’re asking issues like, “‘the place will we spend our CapEx, and the way does that basically affect (imagine it or not) the visitor evaluations?’ In order that they wish to know: ‘are we sitting at 8 out of 10, are we 4 out of 5, the place are we in that stack?’ and that’s all pushed by the place they put their funding.”
There was a powerful emphasis on transferring previous headline metrics and getting clearer about what really drives revenue, together with revenue per room bought and revenue per sq. metre. Profitability is turning into extra forensic, as a result of generally metrics that look good on paper don’t lead to a greater backside line, and, as Lionel put it so succinctly, “I can’t financial institution the highest line, I can solely financial institution the underside line.”
Thomas Greenall, CEO at Bespoke Motels, shared an fascinating anecdote about deceptive metrics. “We’ve acquired a lodge [where] we did a small refurbishment. Its RevPAR is rising, it’s outperforming the market, evaluation scores are completely flying – it was fairly knackered, so Reserving.com rating was under 7. It’s now doing rather well, the Reserving.com scores go to eight, so all the things appears improbable,” he explains. “Nevertheless, all of the enterprise is now coming by means of Reserving.com and the income haven’t moved ahead for the reason that refurb. So we’ve acquired to make use of all of the metrics […] we’ve acquired to take a look at extra metrics than simply RevPAR.”
However most of the audio system reiterated that, as an trade, we must be extra acutely aware (and conscientious) concerning the altering methods we measure our companies and groups. Measuring success is one factor, but it surely solely occurs because of actions that create success – and that takes experimentation, and generally failure. “I might a lot fairly sit across the desk with a group of individuals that designate that they haven’t met that KPI as a result of they’re attempting one thing new,” Gavin Allison, International Head of IT at Lore Group, assured the viewers.
“I might a lot fairly sit across the desk with a group of individuals that designate that they haven’t met that KPI as a result of they’re attempting one thing new.”
– Gavin Allison, International Head of IT at Lore Group
All in all, I’m delighted that Novacancy has added London to its checklist of venues, and never simply because I used to be feeling disregarded at any time when I noticed one thing concerning the occasions in different time zones. The audio system had been properly chosen and even higher delivered, and seeing actual folks say fascinating, insightful issues with out AI was fairly reassuring. Extra reassuring was the nuance all of the trade leaders communicated.
Regardless of it generally seeming like there’s a tech vs people binary at play, the audio system and panellists at Novacancy all appeared to echo the identical sentiment: when you’re sincere about what makes your hospitality enterprise particular, and clear about the right way to defend that, then your know-how, folks and investments will all pull in the identical path.
*Sure, that is on Harry and Newton’s banned phrases checklist, however the alliteration was too good to cross up.
