Once upon a time, hotels, motels, and other hospitality businesses occupied a straightforward space in people’s lives: They were places for guests to lay their heads away from home.
But anyone who’s worked in the hospitality industry in the last several years knows that the role of technology in hospitality—and customers’ expectations of technological amenities—has drastically expanded.
Now, hospitality locales are shifting from restful oases to hubs of activity, which rely on cutting-edge hospitality communications technology. This makes IT more central to hotel operations and the guest experience than ever before.
We’re here to share the top 10 communications technology trends in hospitality today. Check them out yourself and decide which ones make the most sense for your business. And if you see an opportunity that interests you, now is the time to get ahead of the competition. After all, in the hospitality industry, every advantage counts.
Hospitality technology trends we’ll cover in this post:
- Hybrid Cloud Communications
- Agentic AI Service Automation
- Smart, Personalized Guest Experiences
- Touchless, Integrated Electronics
- Wireless Mobile Devices for Staff
- Virtual Reality Tours and Storytelling
- Technology Lounges and Bleisure Travel
- Self-Service Meeting Spaces
- Sustainable Green Technology
- Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
1. Hybrid Cloud Communications
Hybrid cloud is the future of hospitality communications. What does that mean? Hospitality organizations will have complete control over their communications data, whether they choose cloud-based applications, on-premises solutions, or a combination of deployment options.
Hybrid cloud communications provide front—and back-of-house hospitality workers with the tools to do their jobs effectively with purpose-built hardware and software. They also allow businesses to stay on top of the latest technology without expensive acquisition costs or taking up precious hotel space that could be dedicated to guests.
Adopting hybrid communications is a no-brainer for new properties, offering improved security and reliability over other options. Even large, existing hotel corporations are investigating how a hybrid cloud approach could simplify operations, reduce staffing needs, and provide a better guest experience.
2. Agentic AI Service Automation
Agentic automation is the next hospitality technology trend to provide guests with a streamlined, personalized experience. AI agents offer hotels new ways to digitally interact with customers while freeing up staff to work on other tasks. For example, a multilingual agent removes language barriers to improve communication with guests worldwide.
Generative AI and agentic automation are evolving technologies quickly becoming critical elements in day-to-day hospitality operations. Guests are coming to expect instant responses to their requests, and if room service and clean towels arrive promptly, they’ll be more than happy to have an AI agent take over the task.
3. Smart Guest Experiences
Today’s guests expect every part of their stay to be seamlessly connected and easily managed from their devices. Smart technology has become integrated into the hospitality industry, delivering cost savings and efficiency and improving the guest experience.
A well-designed hospitality application combines everything from deal notifications and loyalty programs to hotel services and in-room functionality. If a guest has booked a room in a conference block, the app could automatically send them the event itinerary, complete with an interactive map of meeting spaces and session schedule.
Mobile apps allow guests to check in and out, communicate with hotel staff, and even unlock their rooms from their phones. Of course, this requires reliable Wi-Fi service throughout the property so guests can stay connected whether they’re poolside or enjoying a drink at the bar.
Most hotels already offer apps, but they’re adding new features daily. Innovative developers serving the industry are creating capabilities that can integrate into these apps and give users new ways to engage with hotel staff and fellow guests. A truly connected hotel will be full of happy, empowered guests.
4. Touchless, Integrated Electronics
The modern hotel room prepares itself for guests before they step out of the elevator: the door unlocks as they approach, the lights set themselves to the right level, and the air conditioning is at just the right temperature. With motion-sensor lightbulbs, digital door keys, and voice-activated appliances, touchless technologies and integrated apps make for an almost futuristic guest experience.
The future is here, though, and this can be integrated into the property’s communications system, providing administrative staff greater visibility into hotel operations. Touchless technology also reduces the risk of contamination and allows housekeeping to turn over rooms more efficiently.
Smart devices and smartphones work in concert to elevate the guest experience and accelerate service, and we’ll continue to see new options emerging for staffing coordination, customization, and experiential design.
5. Wireless Mobile Devices for Staff
Already popular in the hospitality space and other European industries, but quickly gaining attention in North America, SIP-DECT is a mobility-enabling alternative to VoWLAN and radio-based networks.
SIP-DECT setups bring secure, comprehensive features traditionally associated with fixed networks to mobile devices, allowing workers all over the hotel or campus to communicate confidently. Since hotel service staff, like housekeeping, valets, concierges, and event managers, are often on the go, SIP-DECT is a natural fit for hoteliers.
With a relatively low price point compared to alternative solutions, ease of deployment, and high voice quality, SIP-DECT devices are poised to take off quickly over the next year.
6. Virtual Reality Tours and Experiences
If you don’t already own a virtual reality (VR) headset, chances are your guests might. The VR market is expected to grow from $20.83 billion in 2025 to $123.06 billion by 2032. And you might be surprised to hear how much VR has to offer the hospitality industry.
A guest with a VR headset at home could take a virtual tour of the hotel, allowing them to see suites, on-site restaurants, meeting rooms, and amenities before they book a room. Once they check in, they might take a virtual walk around the neighborhood to familiarize themselves with the area before heading out to local attractions.
When guests can visualize their experience in advance, they’ll feel more comfortable at home during their stay and know how to find their way to the hotel bar or spa.
7. Technology Lounges and Bleisure Travel
It may be time to rethink the traditional hotel business center. Even as companies return to the office, many employees still work on the road, blurring the lines between “business” and “leisure” travel.
Millions of people have the potential to live and work as digital nomads, representing a significant segment of the workforce. They’re also a vast potential market for the hospitality industry, as they’re willing to spend a little extra to find well-appointed hotels for both work and travel.
“Bleisure” workers want the amenities and locale of a five-star stay with reliable, secure access to Wi-Fi and stylish spaces where they can get work done. These are non-negotiables for guests searching for the right place to have a productive trip, so hospitality businesses without the right technology might be disadvantaged.
8. Self-Service Meeting Spaces
The modern meeting space has evolved—a boring, basic business center with a big table and a whiteboard won’t cut it. Today’s boardrooms and co-working spaces require conference capabilities to host in-person and remote attendees, while providing high-quality, low-latency multimedia presentations with minimal interruptions.
Whether holding marathon sessions with dozens of attendees or having a quiet business conversation between two colleagues, today’s business visitors need their spaces to be as user-friendly as possible. They don’t have time to waste fiddling with A/V equipment or waiting for an IT engineer to arrive—they want to plug-and-play with their own devices.
If you think these business needs are limited to boardroom-style setups, you miss a significant opportunity to host other events. As in-person events are booming, business customers increasingly ask for advanced technology in ballrooms, event halls, and more intimate spaces.
9. Sustainable Green Technology
Room rates and amenities aren’t the only things potential guests consider when booking a room. Sustainability remains at the top of the list of must-haves for hotel guests: 75% of global travelers want to travel more sustainably over the next 12 months.
Additionally, nearly half (45%) find accommodation with a sustainable label more appealing than those that don’t have that qualification. To meet demand, the hospitality industry must continue implementing green technology like low-flow shower heads and charging stations for electric vehicles.
Leading hospitality operators can take sustainability even further by using communications and collaboration technology to reduce their carbon footprint. Video conferencing and screen sharing can be used for meetings to reduce the number of people driving. Automated ticket management reduces paper usage. Automated apps that turn off the lights upon checkout save energy.
With the right green technologies, hotels can win business from eco-conscious guests while doing their part to save the earth.
10. Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
Knowledge is power, as the saying goes. The connected guest experience brings an influx of data about how visitors interact with hotel staff and amenities. That makes it easier to understand the average guest’s behavior or anticipate an individual guest’s needs.
If a guest uses their mobile app to turn on the lights at a particular time or switch to a specific TV channel, that information can be saved to their profile. The next time they stay at the hotel or a related property, their preferences will be saved to make their experience more customized and consistent.
Machine learning and AI give us even more insight into the massive amounts of data produced daily, allowing hotels to identify tweaks they can make to perfect the guest experience. Even small moments of personalization—a room TV welcoming a guest by name—can make a stay stand out.
Efficient communications and customized interactions are central to the future of the hospitality industry. From hybrid cloud communications to personalized service, there are countless opportunities for hotels and other organizations to revolutionize the guest experience and invest in new tech tools in hospitality.
Hospitality communications technology continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, and guest expectations aren’t far behind. To stay competitive, hospitality leaders must stay on top of the trends and ensure their technology is in tip-top shape.
Contact Mitel to learn how to upgrade your hospitality communications.