Author: Dan Knight

Hotel Innovation Insights  Issue #14 I Part 1 | February 2026 | Why AI-Driven Digital Art Matters in Hospitality  From the Editor’s Desk  The Rise of the Living Canvas  After our January deep dive into humanoid robotics (Issue #13), you might think we’d continue down the path of physical automation. Instead, we’re exploring something more nuanced: how AI and digital display technology create emotional connections through dynamic, personalized artistic experiences that transform spaces from functional to memorable.  The breakthrough insight: Art

From the Editor’s Desk Welcome to the first edition of 2026. What a perfect time to dive deeper into one of last month’s boldest predictions. In Issue #12, we declared 2026 the year hospitality technology becomes truly intelligent, entering the Augmentation Era: where AI and robotics don’t replace people, but free them to deliver the emotional, intuitive service that defines great hotels. Prediction #1 was clear: Humanoid robotics enters hospitality, but as partners, not replacements.

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.

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