Lending the soul from the full-blooded restaurateur

Berlin. Is the hotel industry prepared to embrace automation, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence? This question was asked during the 12th "ITB Hospitality Day" at ITB Berlin to an interesting panel of hospitality geeks who breathe new technology and could predict what the future of the industry will look like in 10 years. Moderated by Dr. Andrew Lim, professor of Technopreneurship and Innovation in Hospitality at Hotelschool The Hague, these experts talked about: digital reception, localized automation, the hospitality of things, smart PMS, guest room automation, mobile engagement, integration of guests' devices and the security around it. Hoteliers are warned: you have to be in it to win it.

Berlin. Let's meet at the neighboring hostel for a nightcap? For some residents, this has become part of normal life. "Hostels are fun. They are tasty, colorful, social, central, unique, and fantastic," just to mention some of the buzz words used in the image film of the Hostelworld Group at the 12th "ITB Hospitality Day" last Thursday in Berlin. The hotel conference proved: the hostel market is in a major shift from a backpacker image to the social hub of the city. Most investors, however, do not seem to have completely realized this.