Welcome to The Hotel Yearbook Technology 2025

If you’re flipping through this publication in search of buzzwords and hype, I’ll save you some time… this isn’t that kind of yearbook. HYB Technology 2025 is where we talk about what’s working, what’s not, and what’s just been duct-taped together for the 20th year in a row.

As someone who’s spent the last two decades in the trenches of hospitality (as a hotelier, tech founder, consultant, educator, author, and, on some days, therapist to frustrated tech vendors), I’ve seen firsthand how this industry resists change like an old front desk printer. But the future isn’t waiting for us to be ready. It’s already checking in, and it’s demanding free Wi-Fi, hyper-personalization, contactless everything, and immediate answers to questions we haven’t even thought to ask yet.

The theme of this year’s edition is NOW. NEXT. BEYOND. It isn’t just a catchy slogan. It’s a roadmap. We’re exploring the practical innovations being implemented right now, the emerging solutions that are gaining momentum, and the bold, sometimes terrifying, breakthroughs that are coming whether we like it or not.

Inside, you’ll hear from visionaries, operators, builders, and skeptics alike, sharing grounded advice, fresh perspective, and a few reality checks. This isn’t a sales brochure. It’s a guide for those of us who want to build better systems, smarter operations, and a more resilient industry.

So whether you’re a tech-savvy hotel executive or someone who still prints out their night audit (no judgment… okay, maybe a little), I invite you to read, reflect, and ask yourself one simple question: are we leading this transformation, or getting dragged along by it?

Let’s be brave enough to choose the first option.

Ira Vouk
Editor-in-Chief, HYB Technology 2025
Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
www.iravouk.com