TECHNOLOGY

Frank Reeves opens Day 1 with a live introduction to vibe coding - a new way to build software by simply describing what you want in plain English and letting AI do the rest. No developers. No long scoping cycles. No six-figure budgets.

Frank will make a bold promise to the audience: bring him a real operational problem from your hotel, and by the end of the day he will return on stage with a working application that solves it.

While much of the conference explores how AI will transform hospitality, this session shows that transformation happening in real time. Vibe coding removes the traditional barriers to innovation, enabling revenue managers, GMs, and operators to prototype tools in hours or days - not months.

Attendees won’t just hear about the shift. They’ll watch it happen across the day - and see the result live on stage.

Using a modern Property Management System but still relying on legacy KPIs? In this session, we explore how modern hoteliers are rethinking performance - from operational efficiency to revenue beyond rooms. You’ll learn how automation and connected data uncover clearer insights, streamline day-to-day work and support better decisions, freeing teams to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional, human hospitality.

Automation is reshaping how accomodations run their day-to-day operations. Can chatbots really replace the warmth and knowledge of a concierge? This panel weighs the benefits and limits of technology in personalised service.

• Debate the pros and cons of automation vs. human service
• Learn when chatbots enhance guest experience and when they fall short
• Discover hybrid models that balance efficiency with empathy

Frank Reeves returns to the stage to reveal a working application built in a single day using vibe coding. Based on a real operational challenge submitted by the audience, this live demonstration shows how plain-English ideas can become functional hotel software - without developers, long timelines, or large budgets.

This session closes the loop on AI’s promise in hospitality, turning “what if we could…” into “here’s what we built.”

AI is positioned as a money-saver, but how can it truly optimise costs and unlock revenue? This session explores practical applications and the human-AI balance needed for success.

• Find out how AI can optimise costs and unlock new revenue streams
• Learn about potential risks and ethical considerations with AI
• Debate how staff can work alongside AI to improve operations

The world’s best hotels are rethinking guest communication. Not as a support function, but as a strategic driver of guest experience, operational efficiency, and incremental revenue.

In this session, Cahal Kane will share real-world examples from some of the world’s top 50 hotels, revealing how leading luxury and premium brands are using AI-driven guest communication to manage conversations across the entire guest journey. From pre-arrival WhatsApp messaging to in-stay service requests and post-stay engagement, these hotels are using AI to respond faster, personalise at scale, and unlock new commercial opportunities without adding pressure to their teams.

Attendees will gain practical insight into how AI is being applied today by high-performing hotels, what separates effective guest communication from noise, and how similar strategies can be adopted by hotels of any size to improve guest satisfaction, reduce workload, and drive measurable value. 

From self-check-in to smart rooms, digital tools are everywhere! Yet, some worry they take away from hospitality’s soul. This panel debates where digital convenience adds value and where it doesn’t.

• Debate the impact of digital tools on hospitality’s ‘soul’ and ‘heart’
• Discover which tech conveniences guests actually value, and which they could do without
• Learn how to blend digital ease with personal warmth