2025 is racing toward its end—though thankfully, we still have months to go.
Lately, we’ve noticed a striking contradiction: technology is everywhere in hospitality, yet the real challenge is still creating authentic human connections at scale.
We launched the LinkedIn group Elämysteknologia (Experience Tech) in fall 2024, and the community has grown beautifully. Since then, we realized something important:
The conversation about hospitality’s future is happening in isolated pockets—academic circles, industry conferences, LinkedIn posts, startup pitch decks—but rarely in one place where all these perspectives can actually talk to each other.
Three significant shifts are already reshaping our industry:
Customer and employee-facing chatbots are becoming more conversational, making them easier to use and potentially more useful. But language models also bring challenges, and quality assurance for these bots is growing in importance. We’re past the “wow, it talks!” phase and into the “wait, what did it just promise our guest?” reality.
We’re seeing more examples of AI in product development—recipe planning, menu engineering, experience design. Agile operators are turning the ongoing AI hype into marketing momentum. Some of it is substance. Much of it is noise. The trick is knowing which is which.
Service robots at customer touchpoints are spreading globally and gradually in Finland too. We’re discovering new use cases, and—finally—people are starting to talk about robot data security. About time.
The HosByte project (9/2024-8/2026) researches and develops smart omnichannel sales solutions for hospitality businesses. The Elämysteknologia network on LinkedIn has grown into a vibrant community. But here’s what frustrates us:
Most hospitality technology conversations are binary.
You’re either “pro-tech” (efficiency! automation! scale!) or “pro-human” (warmth! authenticity! craft!).
This is nonsense.
The hospitality businesses that will thrive in the next decade won’t be those with the most advanced technology or the most rigorous traditions. They’ll be those who deeply understand their purpose and use both technology and tradition in service of that purpose.
That’s what this newsletter is about—adding color to hospitality’s black-and-white thinking.
We’re building this as a space where:
Industry practitioners can see beyond vendor promises to what actually works
Educators and students can connect classroom theory with real-world applications
Entrepreneurs can test ideas against proven hospitality wisdom
Anyone curious about hospitality’s future can think more clearly about technology’s role
Practically speaking:
We’ll publish every other week, typically on Mondays.
Posts will explore: observations from experimenting and teaching hospitality innovation, experiments from the HosByte project and Elämysteknologia network, and whatever challenge we’re currently solving together.
Free subscribers get every main post—and everything else! This is 100% free and aims to support spreading knowledge beyond industries!
This newsletter is for people who refuse to accept false choices. Who believe hospitality is not a service industry but a relationship technology. Who understand that curiosity means asking the questions everyone else is avoiding.
If you’ve ever felt like the hospitality technology conversation is missing nuance, depth, or meaning—this is your space.
Subscribe below to join the conversation.
Thanks for being here at the beginning. We’re looking forward to building this community together.
The HosByte Team
P.S. - The HosByte project runs at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences from 9/2024-8/2026. We research and develop smart omnichannel sales solutions for hospitality businesses. Need sparring with OTA channels? Thinking about implementing chatbots but don’t know where to start? Curious about testing robots at customer touchpoints? Welcome aboard. Also, check out our public test subject “The Kuiskaaja” at www.kuiskaajabotti.fi
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.