Connected Hospitality: Transforming Guest Experiences Through Modern Communication

When a guest request disappears between the front desk and housekeeping, the technology isn't the only thing that has gone wrong. From the guest’s perspective, the stay as a whole has gone wrong as well. New Frost & Sullivan research examines how hospitality IT leaders are closing the communication gaps that erode service quality, staff retention, and operational control.

Hotels, resorts, and cruise lines are managing more complexity than ever: labor shortages, rising costs, tightening compliance mandates, and guests who expect both digital convenience and genuine human service. The research maps how leading properties are modernizing their communication infrastructure, without disrupting what already works.

Key Research Signals

• ~2 in 3 hospitality organizations report communications breakdowns driven by integration failures, connectivity downtime, and tool overload.
• 72% cite poor integration with other systems as their most significant operational challenge.
• Over 80% will operate hybrid on-premises and cloud communications environments through 2028, as a deliberate architectural choice, not as a transition step.
• 9 in 10 hospitality decision-makers plan to increase or maintain investments in APIs across voice, messaging, chatbot, and video channels.

What You'll Learn

The real source of service breakdowns. Why communication gaps occur not between systems, but between workflows (and how properties are restructuring operations from reservation through checkout to close them).

The high-tech vs. high-touch balance. How leading properties are deploying AI automation for routine tasks while preserving human engagement where it matters most: escalations, premium service moments, and guest recovery.

Hybrid architecture in practice. Why integrated hybrid environments rather than cloud migration remain the dominant model through 2028, and what that means for infrastructure planning today.

The three pillars of modernization. How addressing labor costs, AI-driven personalization, and compliance requirements (including Kari's Law, Martyn's Law, and Natasha's Law) must work together.

Managed services as a strategic lever. How expert partners are helping properties reduce IT complexity, control costs, and free internal teams to focus on guest outcomes rather than infrastructure management.

Vendor selection criteria. What hospitality IT leaders require from a communications partner: compliance strength, deployment flexibility, deep API support, and proven knowledge of how hospitality operations actually run.

Download the Full Hospitality vBook

^{For over 60 years, Frost & Sullivan has been a global leader in research and advisory, helping organizations identify growth opportunities and navigate transformational change. Their expertise in hospitality technology and communications infrastructure provides the data-backed insight properties need to plan with confidence.}