The hospitality industry is in the midst of a digital evolution, and few organizations are as integral to guiding that transformation as HTNG (Hospitality Technology Next Generation), now part of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. I recently sat down with Dayna Kully, a seasoned expert in hospitality technology, an advisor, and co-chair for innovation, to explore the key challenges, emerging trends, and strategic initiatives shaping the future of guest connectivity and hotel operations.
HTNG’s Mission and Approach
HTNG is focused on uniting hospitality technology stakeholders—hoteliers, vendors, and consultants—to solve shared challenges and foster next-generation solutions. Its mission is rooted in collaboration, standardization, and practical outcomes, often achieved through structured workgroups that develop guidelines, frameworks, and, in some cases, technical standards.
With a global reach, HTNG also supports regional Communities of Interest across APAC, EMEA, and North America, ensuring that local compliance and business needs are reflected in its initiatives.
Top Technology Pain Points in Hospitality
HTNG’s leadership has prioritized a set of ten problem statements that capture the industry's most pressing issues. These include:
- Workforce shortages, pushing the need for automation and operational efficiency
- Security and data privacy, particularly around standardizing requirements for vendors
- AI governance, ensuring emerging tools are used responsibly
- Next-gen integrations, addressing the burden of managing 20+ disparate systems in a single property
- Technology investment prioritization, critical in a market where budgets are always constrained
- Complex decision-making processes, involving hotel owners, franchisees, and management companies
- Vendor-hotelier relationships, moving from transactional to strategic partnerships
- Guest identity management, a persistent challenge made harder by inconsistent data across systems
- Personalization, which remains difficult due to fragmented infrastructure and legacy data
- Deployment of modern infrastructure, especially when cloud transitions span thousands of properties
Each of these challenges has a corresponding HTNG workgroup or initiative designed to drive progress.
AI in Hospitality: A Work in Progress
While AI is a hot topic in every tech conversation, HTNG is approaching it with caution and pragmatism. The organization has explored forming AI-focused workgroups but has found the topic too broad to tackle without a narrower focus. Instead, conversations continue across other initiatives, particularly around governance, data sourcing, and ethical use.
Wi-Fi and Cellular Convergence
The hospitality sector has long grappled with how to integrate Wi-Fi and cellular technologies. Many believed that 5G might eliminate the need for Wi-Fi altogether, but building penetration issues and the complexity of in-building coverage have proven otherwise.
Instead, the industry is looking at convergence—making sure that Wi-Fi investments today (especially in Wi-Fi 6E and beyond) are future-ready for integration with private cellular solutions like CBRS. This would allow for better staff communications, improved guest services, and enhanced security models.
The Road Ahead: Identity and Personalization
Looking to the future, identity remains the cornerstone of personalization and seamless guest experiences. Persistent, decentralized identity systems could unify touchpoints across a guest’s journey—from check-in to loyalty rewards. Achieving this, however, requires significant work on interoperability and data harmonization across the ecosystem.
HTNG is actively engaging with solutions like Passpoint and OpenRoaming, but technology constraints and inconsistent platform support have limited industry adoption, especially from Apple’ iOS.
Final Thoughts
HTNG remains an important platform for shaping the digital future of hospitality. Through structured collaboration, a focus on real-world issues, and a growing global presence, the organization is driving alignment across the industry.
Maravedis is an independent research and analysis firm founded in 2002. We focus on managed connectivity and the convergence of WiFi with 5G/6G. We are recognized for our long-standing collaboration with the Wireless Broadband Alliance and our relationships with MSPs and ISPs.
Contact us to learn more about our syndicated reports, custom research, consulting, and bespoke marketing services.