Hotel Guests Want Home-Like Convenience in 2026, Pushing Hotels to Rethink Traditional Guest Services

Hotel guests want home-like convenience in 2026, pushing hotels to rethink traditional guest services. Now, travellers expect simpler, faster experiences that feel as easy as life at home, every day.

Hotel guests want home-like convenience in 2026, and that expectation is pushing hotels to rethink traditional guest services. Travellers now compare hotel experiences with the speed and simplicity they enjoy at home. As a result, waiting for basic services, calling reception or relying on printed information can feel outdated. Instead, guests increasingly want quick access, flexible service and easy digital communication.

Moreover, they want to choose when and how they interact with a property. This shift is putting convenience at the centre of hospitality. At HORECFEX Vietnam 2026, SABA Hospitality highlighted how technology can help hotels respond to this changing guest mindset.

Alexander Wessels, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of SABA Hospitality Technology Solutions, discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence, digital services and automation in hospitality during an exclusive interview with Travel and Tour World at HORECFEX Vietnam 2026.

Speaking at the event, Wessels explained that SABA Hospitality focuses on digital solutions designed to make hotel operations easier for both guests and staff. The company, which has been operating for eight years, provides technology covering different stages of the guest journey, from arrival through to check-out.

SABA Hospitality Focuses on the Complete Guest Journey

Wessels described SABA Hospitality as a guest technology company serving the hospitality industry through a range of modular digital solutions.

Its offering includes digital compendiums, mobile ordering, activity booking platforms, chatbots, AI-powered services and voice AI. Hotels can activate or deactivate individual modules according to their operational requirements.

According to Wessels, the company’s approach is centred on addressing practical challenges experienced by both hotel guests and hospitality employees.

Vietnam Emerges as an Important Market

Wessels said Vietnam is a key market for SABA Hospitality and was an important reason for the company’s participation in HORECFEX Vietnam 2026.

The company already has several hotel clients in Da Nang, making the event an opportunity to showcase its solutions in a market that it considers to be developing strongly.

He also pointed to the strong focus on technology at the event as another reason for SABA Hospitality’s participation.

AI Remains a Major Hospitality Technology Trend

Artificial intelligence was identified by Wessels as one of the industry’s most significant current trends.

SABA Hospitality has developed AI-based solutions including AI chat and voice AI. However, Wessels stressed that the company’s technology strategy extends beyond artificial intelligence.

The broader objective is to create digital services that make the guest journey more convenient, seamless and accessible.

This includes reducing friction between guests and hotel staff while allowing employees to concentrate more heavily on customer service rather than repetitive transactional processes.

Technology Can Reduce Operational Friction

Wessels said technology can provide convenience to both guests and employees by simplifying everyday hotel interactions.

Integration is an important part of this approach. By reducing transactional processes and making them more seamless, digital systems can help hotel employees focus on serving guests.

He also highlighted language barriers as one area where technology can support hotel operations.

Another example is service at large resort facilities. At a large pool deck, for instance, staff cannot physically be everywhere at the same time. Digital ordering and communication tools can therefore give guests access to services without requiring a staff member to be immediately present.

Digitalisation Also Supports Sustainability

Sustainability, Wessels explained, is a positive side effect of SABA Hospitality’s digital approach.

Traditional hotel rooms can contain substantial amounts of printed collateral, much of which needs to be reprinted whenever information changes. Digital alternatives can reduce the dependence on paper materials.

Wessels also said SABA Hospitality plants trees as part of its efforts to give back to the environment when onboarding customers.

For the company, reducing paper collateral represents an environmental benefit that comes alongside its broader objective of improving hotel operations and guest experiences.

Hotel Guests Increasingly Expect Consumer-Level Convenience

One of the strongest points raised during the interview was the changing expectations of hotel guests in 2026.

Wessels argued that guests increasingly expect the same level of convenience in hotels that they experience in their private lives.

At home, consumers can order food and services through platforms such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo with relatively little effort. In contrast, traditional hotel processes can still involve printed information folders, telephone calls and potentially language barriers.

This creates a disconnect between the convenience consumers experience outside hotels and the services available during a hotel stay.

Wessels said guests increasingly want services that are easy to access, available in their own language and usable according to their own schedules. They want to book services and obtain products without necessarily having to wait for a staff member.

Convenience, therefore, is becoming a central component of the modern hotel experience.

Voice AI and Activity Booking Among SABA’s Innovations

At HORECFEX Vietnam 2026, SABA Hospitality showcased several technology solutions, including its voice AI bot.

Wessels explained that the voice AI system can be connected to a hotel’s PABX system, allowing the bot to handle incoming telephone calls and support reception operations.

The company also demonstrated its activity booking platform, particularly relevant to resorts.

The platform can help automate bookings for a wide range of activities, including children’s activities, adult activities, water sports, tennis and pickleball.

Wessels specifically noted the popularity of pickleball in Da Nang and explained that the technology can automate court bookings, allowing guests to participate more easily in the activities offered by a property.

Innovation Must Remain Guest-Focused

Looking ahead, Wessels said SABA Hospitality’s priority is to remain relevant to changing customer expectations.

The company continually looks for new opportunities to innovate based on what hotel guests need.

He emphasised that SABA Hospitality’s background is rooted in hotel operations rather than purely in information technology. The company’s team has extensive experience working with Marriott, giving it an operational understanding of hospitality pain points.

That experience influences how the company develops its products.

Wessels described SABA as a guest technology company, rather than simply an IT company, with its development approach beginning with the guest and the challenges they face.

A Message for Hospitality Leaders

Wessels’ message to hospitality industry leaders was straightforward: hotels need to remain relevant.

He encouraged hotel operators to continually assess what customers are looking for in the current market and adapt accordingly.

He also urged industry leaders to remain open to change, attend hospitality technology exhibitions and explore the solutions emerging across the industry.

For Wessels, innovation is not simply about adopting technology for its own sake. It is about understanding changing guest expectations and using technology to respond to those expectations effectively.

As hospitality continues to evolve, the SABA Hospitality perspective presented at HORECFEX Vietnam 2026 highlights a broader shift towards digital guest journeys, AI-assisted services, automated activity bookings and technology designed around convenience.

The cause is clear: travellers have become accustomed to instant digital convenience in everyday life. Therefore, hotels face growing pressure to deliver similarly simple guest services. The answer lies in technology that removes unnecessary steps without removing human hospitality. Digital compendiums, mobile ordering, AI chat, voice AI and automated activity bookings can give guests faster access to information and services. The reason matters because staff also benefit when repetitive transactions are reduced. They can spend more time serving guests directly. SABA Hospitality’s approach reflects this balance. Technology supports convenience, while hotel teams remain focused on the personal service that defines hospitality.

“Hotel guests are increasingly bringing their everyday digital expectations into the hotel environment, and this is creating a major opportunity for hospitality leaders. Convenience is no longer simply an additional feature; it is becoming an important part of the overall guest experience. The insights shared by Alexander Wessels at HORECFEX Vietnam 2026 clearly demonstrate how AI, mobile technology and digital solutions can remove friction while helping hotel teams focus on meaningful guest interactions. At Travel And Tour World, we believe this technology-led transformation is an important development for the global hospitality industry, particularly as hotels seek to remain relevant to rapidly changing traveller expectations.”
— Anup Kumar Keshan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Travel And Tour World

Hotel guests want home-like convenience in 2026, and hotels can no longer ignore how quickly guest expectations are changing. Traditional guest services still have a place, but travellers increasingly expect faster and simpler ways to access information, order services and book experiences. Consequently, hotels are rethinking how technology can support the entire guest journey.

SABA Hospitality’s solutions, including digital compendiums, mobile ordering, AI chat, voice AI and activity booking, show how this shift is taking shape. More importantly, the objective is not to replace hospitality with technology. Instead, technology can remove repetitive transactions, reduce language barriers and give staff more time to serve guests.

Sustainability also gains from reduced paper use. Ultimately, the hotels that rethink traditional guest services while preserving human interaction may be better positioned to meet the convenience-driven expectations shaping hospitality in 2026 and beyond.