Author: Dan Knight

From the Editor’s Desk “When will robots clean our hotel rooms?” I’ve been hearing this question for 30 years. But in 2026, for the first time, the answer is genuinely: “Soon – but not in the way you think.” Last month I witnessed humanoid robotics demonstrations that fundamentally changed my perspective. Not because the technology is finally ready (it is), but because I finally understand how it fits into the hospitality principles we’ve been exploring

From the Editor’s Desk When I launched this newsletter ten weeks ago, I intended to share insights from 50 years in hospitality technology. What I didn’t anticipate was discovering a universal truth that transcends industries: Exceptional experiences aren’t about technology, they’re about understanding and fulfilling fundamental human needs, wherever people gather. This realization emerged through your responses. Hotel GMs implementing predictive hospitality. Energy companies reducing turnover. Festival operators commanding premium pricing. Corporate campuses improving productivity.

Issue #10 | Week of 10/27/2025 | The Universal Experience Economy: How Hospitality Principles Transform Every Industry From the Editor’s Desk “We run oil drilling operations, not hotels – but our worker retention problems sound exactly like your guest loyalty challenges.” This observation from an energy company COO in Houston led to one of the most transformative projects of my career. By applying hospitality-grade connectivity and experience design principles to remote drilling sites, we reduced

Issue #9 | Week of 10/20/2025 | The 2026 Vendor Selection Playbook: Choosing Partners Who Deliver Five-Year Loyalty Value From the Editor’s Desk “We have the capital budget approved. Now we need to choose vendors who won’t just install technology – they’ll help us create the compound loyalty effects you described.” This comment from a hotel GM captures the challenge facing properties nationwide: How do you evaluate technology vendors not just on features and price,

Issue #8 | Week of October 13th, 2025| The 2026-2030 Loyalty Multiplier: How Today’s Technology Capital Creates Tomorrow’s Competitive Moat From the Editor’s Desk “We approved the $850K technology capital budget you recommended. Now ownership wants to know: What’s this worth in 2030?” This question perfectly captures the challenge of justifying today’s technology investments with tomorrow’s loyalty value. After presenting last week’s capital planning framework, the follow-up question is always the same: Show us the

Issue #7 | Week of October 6, 2025 | The 2026 Capital Budget Challenge: Strategic Planning for In-Room Technology and IT Infrastructure From the Editor’s Desk “Our 2026 capital budget planning started last month, and I’m already fighting battles over whether in-room technology is a capital expense or an operational necessity.” This frustrated comment came from a hotel GM during our conversation in Florida last week. She’s facing the same challenge I’m hearing from properties

The Guest Feedback Loop: Turning Every Stay Into Competitive Intelligence From the Editor’s Desk “We’re not just collecting guest feedback anymore, we’re predicting guest needs.” This statement came from a resort general manager who has transformed how her property uses guest insights. Instead of waiting for post-stay surveys or online reviews, they’ve created a real-time feedback ecosystem that continuously improves operations while guests are still on property. The results? Guest satisfaction increased over 50% in