EH

L

INSIGHTS

REPORTHospitality

Outlook

2026ForewordFacts&

Figures45TREND

1AIAgentsin

Hospitality:

Driving

Innovation,Well-Being,and

PersonalizedGuest

Experiences61217TREND

2The

Futureof

Food:

FromSustainabilityin

Foodservice

toTech

Innovationsin

Food

ProductionTREND

3ANew

Eraof

Leadership:

Human-Centric

Leadership

asthe

FutureofWorkTREND

4HospitalityLeadingthe

Immersive

ExperienceEconomy2226TREND

5Regenerative

Hospitality:

Embedding

People,

Place,

and

PlanetListofcontributorsLearnmore

about

EHLMedia

contacts3323334HOSPITALITY

INSIGHTSTable

of

ContentsForewordToday,perhaps

more

than

ever,the

way

we

work

is

changing.Technologicaladvancements,generationalcultureshiftsandnewcustomerandemployeeexpectationsare

having

a

huge

effect

on

hospitality.At

EHL,we

believe

that

successful

businesses

donotsimplyadapttothesechangesbutspearheadthem.As

research

by

EHL

faculty

and

industry

experts

shows,

change

presents

both

achallengeandanopportunity:toinnovateandexperiment,tocreate

holistic

systems

that

placepeopleandplanetatthecenter,andto

harness

newtechnologies

to

empowerstaff

and

guests.

In

other

words,to

reshape

our

workplaces

for

the

better.Onesuchopportunityispresentedby

AIagents,the

newfrontierofartificial

intelligence.These

autonomous

systems

can

anticipate

needs,make

decisions

and

execute

complextasks,freeing

up

staff

to

concentrate

on

what

matters

most

in

hospitality–

the

humantouch.Changeisalsoafootinfood,assustainabilityandtechnologydriveatransformation

in

howfoodissourced,preparedandexperienced.Thefoodserviceindustry

is

in

a

unique

positiontoleadthisglobalshifttowardsmore

meaningfulfood

experiences.

Meanwhile,

increasingconsumerappetiteforimmersivetravelexperiencesisgeneratingcreativenewofferingsthatengagethesensesandresonate

emotionally.Our

relationship

with

sustainability

is

changing,too.

Net

zero

is

no

longer

enough;toreally

make

an

impact,companies

must

actively

give

back

to

their

communities

andecosystems–anetpositiveapproachthatcan

be

both

purposefuland

profitable.At

the

heart

of

all

this

is

the

notion

of

human-centricity.As

the

industry

faces

anincreasinglaborshortage,human-centricleadershipismore

important

than

everaswe

seektomaketheworkplacemoreattractiveforemployeesandreshape

hospitalitytomeet

the

challenges–and

opportunities–

of

the

future.Mark

u

s

Ven

z

inCEO,EH

LGROUPHOSPITALITY

INSIGHTS4371

MILLION

EMPLOYEES

WORLDWIDEThehospitalitysectoremploysapproximately371

million

peopleworldwide(Source:WTTC)$7,011.13BILLION

BY2029Theprojected

growthoftheglobalhospitalitymarket

is

set

to

soar

to$7,011.13

billion

by2029(Source:

HospitalityGlobal

Market

Report2024)10.3%

OFWORLD’S

ECONOMYTravel&tourismcontributes$11.7trilliontotheglobaleconomy,accountingfor10.3%of

global

GDP(Source:WTTC)1

IN

8JOBS

GLOBALLYWithinthenextdecadehospitality

jobsareexpectedtocompriseoneineight

jobs

globally,totaling

more

than

460million

(Source:WTTC)$9.9

TRILLION

IN

TRAVELSPENDINGTravel&

Tourismcontributedjustover$9.9trillion

to

the

globaleconomy

in2023.Inthe

nextdecadeinternationalvisitorspendingwill

reachabout$2.9trillion

(CAGR3.4%)and

domesticspending

will

grow

to

$7.7trillion

with

a

CAGR

of3.3%

(Source:WTTC)$4.9TRILLIONTheglobal

hospitalitymarket

grew

from$4.67trillion

to$4.90

trillion

in2024(Source:

HospitalityGlobal

Market

Report2024)5.3%ESTIMATEDANNUALMARKETGROWTHFutureprojectionsestimate

the

market

willgrowatacompoundannualgrowth

rate(CAGR)of5.3%

(Source:HospitalityGlobal

MarketReport2024)Facts&FiguresNOW

IN10YEARSHOSPITALITY

INSIGHTS5

I

I

tLiNiepgSHAIAAITREND

16Artificial

intelligence(AI)

is

everywherenowadays.There

is

no

conference

or

expert

talk

where

AI

does

not

take

center

stage.In

the

hospitality

industry,

the

use

of

AItoolsisgainingimportanceand

gradually

becomingapractical

resourcethat,

ifused

correctly,can

support

staff,

improveoperations,andenhancethewell-beingofboth

employees

and

guests.The

success

of

these

tools

depends

not

onlyonthoroughstafftrainingandintegrationintooperationalecosystemsbutalsoon

a

clear

intention:to

use

AI

to

empoweremployeesratherthanreplacethem.By

taking

this

approach,the

hospitalityindustry

can

harness

AI-driven

systems

toreduceoperationalstrain,freeupstafffor

meaningfulguestinteractions,andcreate

moreresilientworkplaceswherepeoplethrive–ultimately

improving

the

guestexperience.TheimpactofAIonhospitalityis

alreadyevident,evenifwidespreadimplementationis

still

developing.A

survey

of327hospitalityprofessionalsworldwideby

CanaryTechnologies

on

AI

in

Hospitality

foundthat73%think

AI

will

have

a

big

impactontheindustry.

Some61%

of

hoteliers

said

thatAIisimpactingtheindustry

now

orwillwithinthenextyear,while39%

thinkitwillimpacthospitalityintwo

or

moreyears.Over80%believe

AI

will

significantlyreshapepre-bookinginteractionsandguestcommunications,enablingmorepersonalized,seamless

connections

withcustomers.Guests

are

also

growing

increasinglyfamiliarwithAIandareencounteringmoretoolsdesignedtoenhancetheirtravel

experiences.According

to

the

June2025Skift

USTravelTrackerSurvey,whichgatheredresponsesfromover1,000

UStravelers,more

than

half

are

using

AI-basedtoolsfortravelplanning.implementingAIreducedtheiroperationalcosts,30%said

it

sped

up

decision-making,and33%reported

improved

customerpersonalization.

In

addition,36%observedhigher-quality

outputs

and59%notedincreasedemployeeproductivity.Overall,amajorityofparticipantsstatedthatAIadoptionoverthepastthreeyearshadcontributed

to

more

than6%annual

revenuegrowthandthesamepercentage

in

annualcost

savings.AI

IMPLEMENTATION

INHOSPITALITYSTILLLIMITEDWhile

the

potential

of

AI

in

hospitality

issignificant,adoptionremains

relativelylimited.A

2025surveyof170

European

hospitalitybusinessesconductedbyHES-SOValaisfoundthatmostAIapplicationsinusetodayfocuson

real-time

revenue

management(42%),guestpersonalization(38%),and

predictiveanalytics(37%).Theanalysisshowsthat

mosthotels

currently

focus

on

guest-facing

toolsthat

are

easy

to

implement.Driving

Innovation,Well-Being,

and

Personalized

GuestExperiencesIn

a

survey

of86

primarily

US-basedtravel

executives,cited

in

the2025

reportRemapping

Travel

with

Agentic

AI

fromMcKinsey&CompanyandSkift

Research,

26%of

respondents

indicated

thatTREND

17AmonghotelsalreadyusingAI,perceptions

are

notablypositive.Ona1-10

scale,

theaverage

rating

of

AI’s

benefits

by

surveyrespondentswas6.6,witha

medianof7.Nearly

one

in

four

hotels

(23%)

rated

thebenefitsas8out

of

10,

and

14%

gave

thehighest

score.Only5%reported

seeing

nobenefitatall.Timesavings(76%),

improvedcommunication(54%),and

enhancedoperational

efficiency(51%)were

mostfrequentlymentionedasadvantages.On

the

other

hand,challenges

include

highimplementation

costs,technical

complexity,and

lack

of

technical

skills.

Data

privacyissues

and

integration

challenges

are

alsosignificant,particularlyforlargerhotelswith

complexlegacysystems.

ResearchshowsthatAIismosteffectivewhen

integrated

intoabroaderdigitalstrategyalignedwith

business

goals,guest

experience,

andoperationalneeds,whichleadsto

enhanced

efficiencywithoutreplacingthehumantouch

thatdefineshospitality.“In

practice,this

can

look

like

using

AI

tooptimizeprocessessuchas

dynamic

pricingordemandforecasting,butnottoeliminatestaffroles,”says

EHLProfessorandtechexpert

Ian

Millar.

Instead,it

should

be

usedto

complement

human

skills,

providingstaffwithbettertools,information,andsupport.“Thelessonsofar:AIcan

increaseIan

MillarEHLSeniorLecturer,

expertonEntrepreneurship,

Innovationand

HospitalityInformationTechnologyDr

RezaEtemad-SajadiEHLProfessor,expertonCustomerExperience,CRM,

Digital

Transformation,AI,Human-Machine

Interaction,Services

Marketing,andInternationalStrategyManagementDrJieYu

KerguignasEHLAssistant

Professor,expertonService

Marketing,TransformativeMarketing,and

Technology-UserInteractionIn

practice,this

can

looklikeusing

AIto

optimizeprocesses

such

asdynamic

pricingor

demandforecasting,

butnot

to

eliminatestaffrolesefficiency–but

without

reliable

integration,

carefultraining,andafocuson

the

needs

ofpeople,itsimpactand

purpose

remainlimited,”

Millar

adds.TREND

1HOW

AICAN

ENHANCE

EMPLOYEEWELL-BEINGBeyond

efficiency,AI

can

improve

staffwell-being–agrowing

priorityin

anindustry

associated

with

long

hours,

highturnover,andstress.

EHLProfessor

DrRezaEtemad-Sajadi,an

expert

on

human-machineinteraction,explainsthatAIcanfunctionasa“buffer”againstburnoutand

workloadimbalance.

Predictivescheduling

cananticipatepeakstress

periodsandallocate

staff

effectively,while

AI

analyticscanidentifypatternsofoverworkingorabsenteeism,enablingproactivemanagement.AIcanalsosupportmental

health

byreducingrepetitivetasksandenabling

more

balancedworkloads.“Whenemployeesfeelless

overwhelmed

by

administrative

burdens,

theyarebetterabletofocusonthecreative,

social,andservice-orientedaspectsoftheir

roles.These

are

factors

strongly

linked

tojobsatisfaction,”says

Dr

Etemad-Sajadi.Importantly,he

emphasizes

that

AI

must

beimplemented

responsibly,with

safeguardsforprivacy,datasecurityandethicalconsiderations.“Used

well,AI

doesn’tjustboostproductivity,butcan

actively

contributetohealthier,more

sustainable

workplaces.”Thisdimensionisparticularly

important

asyoungergenerationsofworkersincreasingly

lookforemployerswhocareaboutwell-beingandpurpose.“Inacompetitive

labormarket,companies

that

use

AI

to

create

lessstressful,more

supportive

environments

mayfindthemselvesbetterpositionedtoattract

and

retain

talent,”says

Dr

Etemad-Sajadi.AITOOLSSHOULDEMPOWER

EMPLOYEES,

NOTREPLACETHEMAnotheradvantageofAItoolsistheirability

tohelpstaffmanage

problemsthat

arisefromincreasingdigitalization.Arecentresearch

projectled

by

DrJieYu

Kerguignasat

EHL

and

funded

by

HES-SO

exploreshowthedigitalizationofservicesaffectsfrontlineemployees’productivity.

Drawingon

a

panel

of262

hospitality

professionalsand

interviews

with10hotel

experts,

the

studyfound

that

system

failures,complexity,andinsufficienttrainingundermineproductivity

andservicequality.Connectivitybreakdowns,outdatedsoftware,

andhightrainingcosts

increaseemployeestress

and

can

lead

to

guest

dissatisfaction.“Hotelmanagersagreethattechnologyis

essential

to

modern

operations,yet

itsshortcomingscanquicklyparalyzeservice

delivery,”says

DrYu

Kerguignas.Hotelmanagersconsistentlyemphasizethattechnologyisessentialbut

must

be

reliableandalignedwithoperationalneeds.“Software

thatappearsintuitiveto

ITexpertscanfeelconfusingandillogicalforhospitalitystaff,”says

Denis

Wang,Administrator

of

H?tel

BeauRivage

Neuchatel.Highinvestmentintechnologywithoutguaranteedreliabilitycanbackfire,increasing

stressratherthanalleviatingit.“This

reflectsagrowingmanagerialconcern:technologyis

indispensable,but

only

when

it

is

bothreliableandalignedwithoperationalneeds,”emphasizes

DrYu

Kerguignas.AIASASTRATEGICALLYAgainst

this

backdrop,subsequent

researchby

DrJieYu

Kerguignas

revealsthatmostmanagers

regard

AI

as

a

strategic

ally,

helpingstafftomanagetechnologyandTREND

19overcome

problems

associated

with

it.“Today,AI

enables

greater

personalizationwhile

also

supporting

staff–not

to

replacethem,but

to

enhance

their

performance,”saysGeneral

MangeroftheChalet

RoyAlp

H?tel&Spa

Egbert

Buursink.

Insteadofremoving

jobs,AI

can

be

used

to

predictsystemfailures,reducerepetitivetasks,andserveasadigitalassistant.Accordingtothisstudy,theconsensusamongmanagers

is

that

AI

should

operate

quietlyin

the

background,strengthening

operationsandboostingstaffconfidencewhilepreservingtheessentialhumanelementofhospitality.“Thehumanbeingisatthe

heartofthematter.Wemustthinkaboutthebenefit

fortheperson,”says

Nicolas

Messian,Vice-President

of

Operations

at

Corner

Collection.Toconclude,

DrJie

Yu

Kerguignasnotes:“The

study

clearly

shows

that

hotel

leadersare

not

afraid

of

AI.On

the

contrary,theyare

eager

to

experiment

with

tools

thatempoweremployees.

Thegreatestdemandisfor

AI

solutions

that

increase

productivity

bypredictingfailures,simplifyingworkflows,and

analyzing

repetitive

errors.And

secondly,toolsthatsupporttrainingandconfidencethrough

AI

coaches,chatbots,and

on-demand

guidance.”It

is

also

important

toconsider

security,data

protection,and

cross-

jurisdiction

regulatory

requirements,whichremain

major

concerns

for

hotel

groups

andmakeAIadoptiondependentonstrongsafeguardsandincreasedcompliancecosts.THE

RISEOFAIAGENTSLooking

ahead,one

of

the

mosttransformativeinnovationsisthedevelopmentofAIagents,whetherinhospitality,healthcare,finance,or

manyother

industries.

In

an

interview

in

February

2025,

Microsoft

CEO

Satya

Nadella

saidthatAIagentswillreshapethelandscape

ofSoftwareasa

Service

(SaaS)

businesses.

Theseagentsactasthe

primaryinterface

betweenpeopleandtechnology,responding

to

questions,executing

tasks,

retainingmemoryacrossinteractions,andreshapingbothenterpriseandconsumer

computing.Inhospitality,AIagentsare

particularlyrelevant,representingthenext

step

beyondtraditional

AI

and

Generative

AI(GenAI).They

anticipateneeds,

offersolutions,

and

adaptto

context,

reducinginterruptionsandletting

stafffocuson

high-valueinteractions

thatdefine

hospitality.AGENTICAI

IN

PRACTICEThereportRemappingTravelwithAgentic

AI

from

McKinsey&Company

and

SkiftResearch

identified

several

ways

in

whichagenticAIcansignificantlyenhancehotel

operationsandpropertymanagementby

autonomouslyhandlingcomplex,real-time

decisions:Guestroomallocation:Automaticassignmentbasedon

guestpreferences,loyalty,and

pastfeedback,saving30minutes

to2hours

per

day

for

front-office

staff.AI

agents

can

enhance

guest

experiences,

streamlineoperations,andsupportdata-

driven

decision-making.

For

example,byanalyzingcompetitorpricingandmarket

demand,AIagentscandynamicallyadjustroomratestooptimize

revenue

and

occupancy.Ina

recentinterview,JeanelleJohnson,PwC’stravel,transportationandhospitalityexpert,said:“These

are

autonomous

toolsthat

make

decisions

in

real

time,

whetherthatiscuratingapersonalized

guest

offer

orresolvinganoperationalissue.”TREND

110Predictivemaintenance:Anticipatesissues,

manages

repairs,andorders

partsautonomously,reducing

rooms’out-of-service

time

by20-30%.Housekeepingmanagement:Dynamicallyassignstasksusing

real-timedata,reducing

hours

by10-30%

andoptimizingworkflow.Menuengineering:Analyzesofferings,pricing,and

inventory,increasing

netprofit

by5-15%.Unliketraditionalchatbots,AIagentsareproactiveandcapableofnaturallanguage

interaction,systemintegration,andcomplex

taskexecution.

Florian

Montag,

EHLalumnusand

VP

at

Apaleo,explains:“They

anticipateneeds,offer

solutions,and

adapt

to

context,

reducinginterruptionsandletting

stafffocusonhigh-valueinteractionsthat

define

hospitality.”For

hotels

facing

labor

shortages,AI

agents

help

maintain

service

quality,

reduce

staffpressure,andpreserveorganizationalknowledge,which

is

increasingly

valuablein

a

sector

with

high

turnover.

Hospitalitytechexpert

Montagsaysthatthis

is

notabout“robotsreplacingpeople”butabout

creatingacollaborativedynamicwheredigitalassistantshandleroutine

complexity

autonomously,freeinghumanemployeestodowhattheydobest:providegenuine

hospitality.EHL

International

Advisory

Board

(IAB)Member,investor

and

former

CEO

ofBGillianTansseesAIagentsasagamechangerforthetravelindustry.“Generative

AI

will

reshapetravelbycreatingseamless,

personalizedjourneysthatanticipatetravelerneedsand

remove

friction.

For

hotels,

it

meanstransformingoperations–fromsmarterdemandforecastingtohyper-personalizedguest

experiences–unlocking

new

levels

ofefficiencyandloyalty.Alreadytoday,agents

makeexploringdestinationsandplanningactivities

simple

and

inspiring;

the

nextleap

is

AI

agents

seamlessly

moving

frominspiration

to

action–such

as

booking

yourentiretripfor

you.The

rise

of

AI

in

hospitality

demonstratesthattechnologycanempowerratherthanreplace

human

staff.AI

agents

can

handlerepetitive,data-driven,and

complex

tasks,

allowingemployeestofocuson

human-centricityandmeaningfulinteractions.Whenimplementedwithcarefultraining,integration,andethicalsafeguards,AIbecomesatooltoenhanceworkplacewell-being,increase

efficiency,and

improveguestsatisfaction,showingthatapeople-firstapproachandtechnologicalinnovation

cancoexist,pavingthewayforabrighterfutureforourindustry.Generative

AI

willreshape

travel

bycreating

seamless,personalizedjourneys

thatanticipate

travelerneeds

and

removefriction.TREND

1FlorianMontagEHLalumnus,Vice

Presidentofthe

hospitalitytechcompany

ApaleoGillian

TansEHLIAB

Member,

investorandformer

CEO

of

Booking.comThe

Future

FURTTODooE

OF

FoHE

FTREND

212Foodisno

longer

justabout

nourishment,but

has

become

a

reflection

of

how

we

live,

whatwevalue,andwhereweareheadedasasociety.

Itis

what

connects

us,

sustains

us,

nourishes

us,

buildscommunities,

keeps

traditionsaliveandshapesourculturalidentity.With

so

many

trends

emergingwhen

it

comes

to

gastronomy,

nutrition,andwell-being,thefoodindustryisconstantlytransforming

and

reshaping

itself.

Fromhealth

concerns

to

sustainability

initiatives,

fromtechnologicalinnovationtoculturalidentity,the

way

we

produce,prepare,

andconsumefoodisundergoing

profoundchanges.The

EHL

Food&Well-Being2025reportexploredfoodasamultidimensionalleverforwell-beingthatgoesbeyondnourishmentandengageshealth,purpose,culture,andplanetaryintegrity.It

explored

key

developments

like

the

riseof

the

conscious

consumer,the

union

ofconvenienceandpersonalization,andthe

notionofco-responsibilityacrossthefood

ecosystem.Italsoshowedthatthehospitalityindustryis

uniquely

positioned

to

drive

this

shift,becausefoodservicetouchessomanylives

every

day.

Hotels

and

restaurants

caninfluence

sourcing,design

more

health-conscious

menus,promote

social

diningpractices,andfostertransparencyandinnovation

in

their

operations.

In

doing

so,theycansupportconsumers’

desireforfoodthat

is

not

just

satisfying,

but

meaningful,regenerative,andalignedwithboth

personalandplanetarywell-being.SUSTAINABILITYINTHEFOODSERVICE

INDUSTRYThefoodserviceindustryis

playingaparticularlypivotalrolein

this

movement,

notablybybalancingrisingsustainability

expectationswiththeneedto

remainprofitableandadaptable.Arecentstudyfrom

EHL,Sustainability

TransitionsintheSwiss

Foodservice:

Re-imaginingfoodserviceforaworldneverimagined(STRest),examines

howSwissfoodservicebusinesses

are

addressing

this

challenge

bymovingbeyondincrementalimprovements

towardfundamentalreinvention.Focusing

on

sustainability

transitions

andsustainable

business

model

innovations,the

project

surveyed

over500restaurants,

hotels,caterers,and

cafés

on

practices,barriers,and

enablers

across

sourcing,waste,energy,and

digitalization.The

fullresultswillbepublished

and

distributedglobally

through

EHL’s

communicationschannels

to

industry,policymakers,

and

thewiderpublic.The

research

highlights

the

significantpotentialoffoodservicebusinessestodrive

systemicchangeacrossthefoodvaluechain,given

their

central

role

in

shapingconsumer

habits,reducing

food

waste,andinfluencingsourcingpractices.

BycombiningSTtheorywithsustainable

business

modelinnovation(SBMI),the

study

explores

howthesectorcanmovetoward

more

resilient

andenvironmentallyresponsiblepractices.Socio-technicalregimeNichesFromSustainability

inFoodservice

to

TechInnovations

inFoodProductionTREND

2(Source:

EHLHospitality

Business

School,

HES-SO,13

UniversityofApplied

Sciences

andArts,

Switzerland)ProductOrganicandvegan,

nichemarket,integratedtechnologyandalternativefoodMarketSegmentationbyprocurement.cookery,delivery.positioningInnovationNewtechnologies,product,process,socialinnovationSUSTAINABILITYTRANSITIONS

OF

FOODSERVICESTechnologyAutomation,digitalization,Al,loT,

blockchainMarketsLocal,

regional,nationalandglobalIndustryCorporate,independent,franchiseScienceUniversity/privatepartnershipsPolicyLegal

andinstitutionalframeworksegments,”hesays.“Realprogress

happens

whenmainstream,high-volumeoperatorsbuild

it

into

core

operations,

not

as

a

nicheadd-on.Whenachain-scaleoperatorimproves,impact

multiplies

across

millions

ofmeals.

Finedining,

meanwhile,

pilotsideasand

shapes

norms.We

need

both

the

scaleandthespark.”RECONNECTING

PEOPLEWITH

HOW

THEIR

FOODIS

PRODUCEDWithin

the

sustainability

considerations,significant

changes

are

also

underway

in

howit

is

produced.Over

the

past

four

decades,consumers

in

industrialized

countries

havebecomeincreasinglydetachedfromtheoriginsofwhattheyeat.

Mostfoodtodayis

industrially

manufactured,with

numerous

intermediariesstandingbetweenproduction

and

consumption.While

industrialization

hasbrought

many

benefits,such

as

improvedlife

expectancy

and

reliable

access

to

threemeals

a

day,it

has

also

created

distance

–bothphysicalandpsychological

–

betweenpeople

and

their

food.Consequently,manyfeelagrowingneedtoreconnectwithfoodproduction.

This

desire

for

reconnection

alsoreflects

an

increasing

longing

for

authenticity,

transparency,and

more

sustainable

practices.Theconversationaroundproductionalsohighlightsthegrowingrejectionof

processed

foods:consumersaremovingawayfromoverlyprocessed,industrialproducts

andThe

findings

emphasize

that

smallfoodserviceenterprisescanadoptsustainabilityinnovationsrangingfromwastereductionandcircularpractices

(such

ascom