Otelier Survey: Hotel Tech is Advancing, but Operational Impact Still Lags

New industry benchmark, developed in partnership with Agilysys and Sage, highlights persistent data fragmentation and foundational gaps limiting AI adoption.

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Otelier, a hospitality data platform powering the future of hotel operations, today released The 2026 Hotel Operations Index: Progress, Pressure, and the Path Forward, a new industry report developed in partnership with Agilysys and Sage. The study surveyed leading hotel owners and operators to better understand how hotel organizations are navigating system integration, data fragmentation, and AI readiness amid growing operational and financial pressure.

The report reveals a widening gap between technology investment and real-world impact. While most hotel organizations believe they are making progress modernizing operations, fragmented systems, manual workarounds, and low confidence in data continue to slow decision-making and strain already lean teams.

"The results show an industry that's clearly moving forward – but not nearly fast enough to keep pace with the challenges hoteliers are facing today," said Rob Lawrence, CEO of Otelier. "Most respondents told us their data and systems are still fragmented, and meaningful integration remains elusive. That has real consequences for cost control, agility, and the ability to take advantage of technologies like AI."

Among the report's key findings, only a small percentage of respondents say their systems are fully integrated, and even fewer express high confidence in their data. Many leaders describe their progress as incremental rather than transformational – underscoring why operational complexity continues to rise even as technology budgets grow.

"We ran this survey to give hotel leaders a clear, honest benchmark for where the industry actually stands," said Maggie Mistovich, Vice President of Marketing at Otelier. "There's a lot of conversation about innovation and AI, but not enough shared visibility into the foundational work required to support it. This report is meant to ground those conversations in data and help operators prioritize what truly needs to change."

While the report highlights industrywide challenges, it also points toward a path forward – one grounded in connected systems, trusted data, and automation that meaningfully reduces manual work. Otelier works with hotel owners and operators to help address many of these challenges by centralizing operational and financial data, improving visibility across properties, and enabling smarter, faster decision-making.

Otelier's product suite includes DigiAudit for night audit compliance, Rec for financial reconciliations, TruePlan for hotel-specific budgeting and forecasting, and IntelliSight for comprehensive business intelligence. Together, these solutions are designed to streamline hotel operations, reduce manual workloads, and give leaders a clearer, more confident view of performance across their business.

Download the full report, The 2026 Hotel Operations Index: Progress, Pressure, and the Path Forward, to explore the findings and insights shaping the future of hotel operations.

About OTELIER

Otelier is the most comprehensive data platform in the hotel industry, helping the world's leading owners and operators automate back-office tasks and unlock a 360-degree view of their business. Otelier's cloud-based tools help owners and management companies centralize data and operations so property-level teams can get back to providing exceptional guest experiences. With more than 30 years of expertise building solutions for global hospitality groups, Otelier is trusted by management companies and brands for real-time visibility into financial and operational performance across their portfolios. Learn more at otelier.io.

SOURCE Otelier