Hospitality executives on foundations before AI, industry readiness
At Phocuswright Europe 2026, executives from Cendyn, HomeToGo, and Penta Hotels discussed how hotels and vacation rentals are navigating rapid AI developments. Simon Matthews, Group CTO of HomeToGo, said the rapid evolution is exhausting and requires separating hype from value creation. Fritz Müller of Cendyn emphasized starting with the basics, such as discoverability and operational implications. Ksenia Tarasova of Penta Hotels believes hotels are not ready for AI and should first clean up past errors.
Impact and considerations
Provides insights for technology investment in the hotel industry, emphasizing the need to solidify data and operations before adopting AI to avoid blind following.
Key points
- Simon Matthews, Group CTO of HomeToGo, said the rapid evolution of AI is exhausting and requires separating hype from value.
- Fritz Müller of Cendyn emphasized that hotels need to start with the basics, such as discoverability and operational implications.
- Ksenia Tarasova of Penta Hotels believes hotels are not ready for AI and should first clean up past errors.
- The discussion also touched on how brands need to cater to both AI and human audiences.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- PhocusWire / Phocuswright
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 27 Jul 2026, 14:00
- Page published
- 13 Aug 2026, 08:11
- Last updated
- 27 Jul 2026, 14:00
- Original links
- PhocusWire All News：Hospitality executives on foundations before AI, industry readiness (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 27 Jul 2026, 14:00