Latest news with #hospitalityIndustry
Forbes
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Trump Says Deportation Raids Will Shift To Cities After Criticism Of Targeting Farming And Hospitality
The Trump administration will now focus its deportation raids on 'America's largest cities,' Trump announced on his social media platform, again evolving the administration's message after he was criticized by even some conservatives for raids that could hurt the hospitality and agriculture industries. President Donald Trump steps off of Air Force One at Calgary International Airport, before the start ... More of the G7 summit, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 15, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) Trump said his administration will 'expand efforts to detain and deport illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York,' calling them 'the core of the Democrat Power Center' in a Sunday Truth Social post. Trump made the statement after acknowledging Thursday that the hospitality and farming industries 'have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them,' promising 'changes are coming!' This is a developing story and will be updated.
Forbes
12-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Meet The Humanoid Robot Designed To Clean Your Hotel Room
The Zerith H1 restocks amenities in a hotel shower. It can also clean floors and pick up towels and ... More clothes. Next time you toss used towels onto the floor of your hotel room, it could be a housekeeping robot scooping them up. Meet Zerith H1, a humanoid robot designed specifically for the hospitality industry. The bot can autonomously clean floors, restock amenities and even scrub toilets with a brush. Chinese startup Zerith Robotics, founded in January with a focus on the large-scale deployment of humanoids, says the H1 has the power to transform the hospitality industry, which took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel sharply declined and holing up at home became the norm, leading many laid-off or furloughed employees to ditch the industry for more secure jobs. The American Hotel & Lodging Association's 2025 annual state of the industry report indicates that the industry is still short some 200,000 workers from pre-pandemic levels. Zerith H1 has a torso — height adjustable from ground level up to 6.5 feet — attached to a small base outfitted with flexible wheels. Its arms, with seven degrees of freedom, can lengthen to about 2.5 feet and be outfitted with dexterous robo-hands. It's equipped with artificial intelligence, sensors and depth cameras that allow it to avoid obstacles and navigate narrow hallways and rooms with various layouts. It has a battery life of four hours. Zerith Robotics recently posted a video showing the bot at work in a hotel bathroom — tossing towels in a laundry hamper like a pro, replenishing toiletries, tidying the counter and even filling a vase of flowers with fresh water from the sink. 'We chose the hospitality industry because our ultimate goal is to enter households,' Min Yuheng, founder of Zerith Robotics, said in an email. 'Hotels serve as an ideal standard scenario leading to homes, with clear demands and reusable data that can be applied to household settings.' Robotic devices have been vacuuming carpets, mopping floors and cleaning litter boxes for years now. But while companies from 1X to Tesla are working on humanoid robots to help with household chores, it's still unusual to see these androids roaming messy homes, brooms in their robo-hands. Zerith was jointly incubated by Tsinghua University and the Jianghuai Advanced Technology Center and has assembled experts in artificial intelligence and robotics from such companies as Baidu, TikTok owner ByteDance and iFlyTek, which supplies voice recognition software. The H1 housekeeping bot needs more training to adapt to diverse environments before it can infiltrate the home market, Yuheng said. Then there's the price. If Zerith ultimately envisions the H1 as a domestic helper, the bot's current tag of around $13,700 isn't exactly hospitable to the average consumer. A representative from the American Hotel & Lodging Association declined to comment on what housecleaning robots would mean for human workers, but acknowledged labor shortages in the sector. In a survey released earlier this year by the AHLA, nearly 65% of hotels polled continued to report staffing were most common in housekeeping, at 38%, followed by front desk roles, at 26%. Hotels also reported having trouble finding workers to fill culinary positions and maintenance roles. While hotels have yet to widely incorporate robots into their workforce, some have already started experimenting with them. Among these businesses are Seattle's Astra hotel, where Sparky the robot butler will happily deliver your room service order, and Yotel NYC in Times Square, where a 15-foot robotic arm hoists luggage into storage lockers in the lobby for travelers who want to walk around unburdened before or after checking in. But robots don't always make hotel life smoother for guests — at least not yet. In 2019, the 'world's first robot hotel' fired more than half of its 200-plus robot workers after guest complaints about technical difficulties made the machines more trouble than they were worth. One staff member reportedly said, 'It's easier now that we're not being frequently called by guests to help with problems with the robots.'
Hospitality Net
10-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Connection Over Code: A Human-First Vision for Hotel Tech
Lately, it feels like nearly every conversation I have comes back to how fast AI is moving—and how easily we can get swept up in it. In an industry that thrives on personal connection, it's worth asking: What does all this tech actually do for the people who make hospitality what it is? Because here's the thing. Hotels don't run on code. They run on people. On housekeepers who notice the little things. On engineers who fix problems before guests know they exist. On frontline teams who deliver comfort, care, and calm when travelers need it most. In a recent episode of The Diary of a CEO, Simon Sinek spoke about the danger of over-automating what should remain deeply human. His point? AI may scale information, but it can't replace the nuance of human judgment, emotion, and care. Hospitality, more than any industry, lives in that nuance. So when we talk about technology—and especially AI—we can't afford to talk about replacement. We have to talk about reinforcement. Support. Empowerment. The role of tech in hospitality should be to help people do their jobs better—not make them feel like they're being replaced by a dashboard. We should be asking: Will this help someone be more present? Will it reduce noise, not add to it? Will it make space for more meaningful interactions? If we get it right, tech becomes the connective tissue—quietly linking people, teams, systems, and signals. It disappears into the background, letting humans do what only humans can: read the room, calm the tension, deliver delight. This isn't just about improving service—it's about protecting the experience of work itself. The best hospitality tech helps teams feel confident, clear, and connected. It strengthens culture. It reduces stress. It brings people back to the reason they chose this industry in the first place. Right now, many hotel teams are burned out. They're working short-staffed. They're trying to deliver excellence without the right support. Technology alone won't fix that—but thoughtfully applied technology can help. It can remove guesswork. Streamline handovers. Surface urgent needs. And when done well, it can restore a bit of joy to the job. This is the future I believe in. Not a world where AI takes over, but one where it helps us tune in more deeply. Where it handles the friction, so we can focus on the feeling. And that's the challenge—and opportunity—facing hospitality today: to keep evolving, but never lose touch. At Unifocus, we've embarked on this very journey. With the recent launch of XiQ—our reimagined guest experience platform—and the emergence of our new Communications pillar, we're laying the foundation for a future where technology works in service of connection. It's the start of something bigger: a hospitality ecosystem where insight, action, and alignment flow naturally—because people are at the center of it all. About Unifocus Unifocus is a global leader in workforce management technology, serving properties in 68 countries and 31 languages. Designed for hotels, Unifocus boosts hotel performance with intelligent analytics that automate labor budgeting and forecasting, delivering precise staffing levels and workloads by streamlining Planning & Scheduling, Time & Attendance, and Operations Management tools. Employees love the mobile app for seamless communication, with features like effortless shift swaps using the award-winning Shift Genius, and real-time prioritization of guest requests, housekeeping and maintenance tasks. Operational efficiency is accelerated with compliance alerts that allow managers to focus on what truly matters: maximizing guest satisfaction and fostering a productive, engaged workforce. Discover the future of hotel operations with Unifocus. Visit today.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major pub and restaurant chain with over 200 sites suddenly closes branch in shopping centre
LAST ORDERS 'It's a sad day for all the team involved,' the restaurant team wrote All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue. A MAJOR pub and restaurant chain has closed one of its branches in a blow to loyal locals. The Harvester restaurant in Bristol wrapped up business this week - with the chain claiming its closure is to 'make way for something new and exciting'. 3 3 Situated in Bradley Stoke's Willow Brook Centre, the restaurant served locals for years. The team announced in a post on Facebook last Sunday: "Today we close our doors for the last time at Harvester Willow Brook. "It's a sad day for all the team involved. "We would like to thank all team, guests, friends and family for their support this week and always." One diner commented: "Thank you team Harvester for serving Bradley Stoke and surrounds over the years. "I hope you have all found jobs to go to." Another person wrote: "Good luck to all the team for the future. It is a sad day. Love to you all." One user wrote: "Hopefully it's made into a Spoons instead." The Harvester website displays a message which reads: "This restaurant is now closed. "We have now closed our doors as a Harvester restaurant to make way for something new and exciting. You can find your nearest Harvester by using our Find a Harvester page." It is not yet known what will replace the restaurant. What is happening to the hospitality industry? By Laura McGuire, consumer reporter MANY Food and drink chains have been struggling in recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out. Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation. Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches. Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs. Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon. Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans It comes as a beloved bar chain with more than 30 locations in the UK announced it closed one of its shopping centre venues after nine years of trading. The Cosy Club at Ipswich's Buttermarket Shopping Centre announced it made the "very difficult decision" to close its doors on May 31. Managing Director Lucy Knowles revealed it was no longer "financially viable" for the popular restaurant to stay open. "We're very disappointed that, after nine years trading, we have taken the very difficult decision to close Cosy Club Ipswich," Lucy said. She added: "This is only the second Cosy Club we've ever closed but, unfortunately, it wasn't financially viable for us to continue trading there. "We would like to thank all of our team for their spirit, professionalism, and hard work and all our fabulous customers for their support over the years." Despite the closure, food lovers in Ipswich can still dine at Loungers - which operates Cosy Club - after confirming that Marinero Lounger is still set to open. The new bar and restaurant will open on July 2 at the Waterfront, in the former Burton and Sons warehouse. 3
Hospitality Net
05-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Is last-minute discounting good or bad for hoteliers?
A recent polling 'Would you drop your price or run a last minute OTA promo?' and related discussion on LinkedIn prompted my comments on this age-old dilemma in hospitality. The question is: Is it a good revenue management practice to offer last-minute discounts in your publicly available distribution channels like hotel website, OTAs, GDS, social media, digital marketing, etc.? Last-minute discounting in hospitality are not a new phenomenon. There have been many attempts to find a way to dispose of these empty rooms at any cost. Theoretically it makes economic sense: it is 4PM, I have 20 empty rooms, and if I sell them at 50% off BAR, I will still be making some money from my otherwise perishable inventory, right? Wrong! Last-minute discounting in hospitality is not sustainable as this approach jeopardizes existing and already researched-and planned bookings from all other distribution channels (hotel website and mobile app, voice, OTAs, GDS, corporate transients and groups, SMERFs, wholesalers, etc.). Typical leisure and unmanaged business travelers engage with multitude of different digital touch points (Google Research claimed 48 such touch points) and are shopping around like crazy pre-, during and post the Booking Phase of the digital customer journey. How would they react when they find out that the $200 room they booked a week ago could now be booked for $125 on the property website or an OTA? In my view, last-minute discounting is a super lazy and rookie approach to revenue management and a sure downward spiral to hotel insolvency. One question: why airlines and car rental companies never engage in last-minute discounting? Because they are smart and understand that whoever books the last minute has either urgent need or urge to travel and is willing to pay more to satisfy this need or urge. As a matter of principle, all major hotel chains avoid last-minute discounting since it is against best revenue management practices, contractual obligations with third-party distributors, preferred corporate accounts, group rate contracts, etc. Hospitality should finally learn something from the airlines who invented revenue management more than half a century ago (they call it yield management): the closer to the departure date, the higher the airfares! What Should Hoteliers Do to Avoid Last Minute Discounting? To begin with, if hoteliers are doing everything right in the direct online channel, the hotel would not need to use last-minute discounters. Instead of relying on last-minute discounters, hoteliers should invest in the direct online channel and make it a mission to decrease dependency on OTAs and intermediaries. The only time to engage in any kind of discounting is for a) advance bookings, b) CRM marketing promotions, and c) selling on value and not on rate alone. Advance Bookings : reward your guests for booking early and allowing you to have peace of mind with solid business on the books. Offer 10%-15% discounts for non-refundable 14- or 21-day advance bookings, based on your property's booking window. : reward your guests for booking early and allowing you to have peace of mind with solid business on the books. Offer 10%-15% discounts for non-refundable 14- or 21-day advance bookings, based on your property's booking window. CRM Marketing Promotions : With a solid CRM database and CRM technology fully integrated with your PMS, you can do a targeted CRM promotion for a need period, targeting people living within driving distance or reasonable travel time from the property who do not have an existing reservation for the need dates. For example, you can send a promotion on Monday-Tuesday for the upcoming weekend that is 3-4 days ahead. CRM promotions allow one-to-one marketing, without exposing your discounted rates to the public and to customers who have already booked or are planning to book your property. : With a solid CRM database and CRM technology fully integrated with your PMS, you can do a targeted CRM promotion for a need period, targeting people living within driving distance or reasonable travel time from the property who do not have an existing reservation for the need dates. For example, you can send a promotion on Monday-Tuesday for the upcoming weekend that is 3-4 days ahead. CRM promotions allow one-to-one marketing, without exposing your discounted rates to the public and to customers who have already booked or are planning to book your property. Selling on Value: The hospitality industry needs to relearn how to sell on value vs price alone! The OTAs are the masters of selling on price, hoteliers have no chance outwitting or outspending them in their marketing efforts. But selling on value? This is where hoteliers can truly outwit the OTAs and provide real value to your customers. In place of 'naked' rate discounts and last-minute deals, come up with weekend specials, de-stressing and spa packages, family packages, museum packages, romantic getaways, girls getaways, activity packages, special occasion and F&B packages and promotions, work-from-hotel packages, limited time offers, advance purchase promotions, packages with complimentary amenities and upgrades, loyalty member promotions, etc. that you can use to target your local, short-haul and drive-in feeder markets? In conclusion Revenue management 101: the closer to the arrival date, the higher the rate. Whoever books the last minute has either urgent need or urge to travel and is willing to pay more to satisfy this need or urge.
