Reimagining Global Hospitality: Envisaging the AI Hotel of the Future
Discover strategies for using AI to innovate brands and customer experiences, while examining global business models and their policy implications.
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Foreword by Rakesh Gupta
(CEO, KiwiTech)
At KiwiTech, we believe in the power of technology to create new wealth and social change. Over the past 15 years, our experience building a global portfolio of over 600 startups across various sectors, including many led by women, minorities, and economically disadvantaged people, has reinforced what self-made American entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller said to aspiring disruptors: “if you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.”
Whether it’s “revenge travel” or what economists call “pent up demand,” the post-pandemic resurgence of travel proves that it’s anything but a discretionary luxury: travel is the therapeutic glue that binds people together. It is with great enthusiasm that I write this foreword to "Reimagining Global Hospitality: Building the AI Hotel of the Future," authored by Alexander Mirza, a leader of one of our portfolio companies and our strategic advisor in the fast-changing travel and hospitality space. As the CEO of a global technology and professionals services firm anchored by over 400 diverse technologists in India working to advance responsible artificial intelligence, KiwiTech, is deeply immersed in the various subject matters shared in this book.
Distinguished entrepreneurs can envisage the future. Over the last 15 years, we’ve witnessed the most successful ones are usually not the media-hyped kids who dropped out of college to start a new venture in their parents' garage. It’s the ones who have toiled long hours learning from industry leaders in the establishment, identifying “white spaces” that exist and “connecting the dots” between unarticulated customer needs, new business models and burgeoning but unproven technologies. With his decades of international experience working in senior management roles in travel and hospitality, Alexander Mirza has the perspicacity to correctly diagnose the problems afflicting the travel and hospitality industry. Moreover, in this compelling narrative, Alexander’s prognostication of the future has crystal clear implications not just for technology leaders but for all stakeholders, including governments and civil society. He offers solutions for building a sustainable hospitality industry, both from an environmental and human capital perspective and leveraging AI to empower the workforce. Alexander also provides new perspectives on solving some of the most acute problems facing both legacy companies who employ over 300 million people and for the progressive architects of a new generation of sustainable brands and disruptive technologies.
This book goes beyond the typical discourse on technology's role in the future of business. As you engage with "Reimagining Global Hospitality," you are invited to explore the many possibilities that artificial intelligence brings to the forefront of a revitalized travel and hospitality industry. The insights provided in this book, including the practical perspectives provided by Mogul’s Chief Technology Officer, Sahar Cain, and our Chief Technology Officer, Gurvinder Batra, provide a roadmap for a future where new technologies advance environmental stewardship, human capital, diversity, equity and inclusion to overcome geopolitical challenges in a more disputatious world.
Welcome to the future of travel and hospitality.
What You'll Achieve from This Book
Next-Gen Brand Development
Create pioneering hospitality brands using new technologies.
AI in Customer Service
Enhance guest experiences with Artificial Intelligence.
Workplace Meritocracy
Implement fair and effective management in hospitality.
Sustainable Tourism & Policy
Explore sustainable tourism's impact on global policies.
Chapters we've covered
Learn About the Authors
Alexander Mirza
Alexander Mirza has 25 years’ experience in Fortune 500 corporations and start-ups. After Deloitte Consulting, he led strategy at Starwood and held senior management roles at Hilton, Ticketmaster, and Caesars. He subsequently served as CEO of Asia-based Cachet Hotels. Mirza holds degrees from Harvard Business School and Queen’s University at Kingston, where he was an Aga Khan Scholar and he serves on the advisory board of Cornell Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations (CIHLER) and KiwiTech, AI Software engineering company.
Sahar Cain
Sahar Cain has over 12 years of experience in software development and data science. She has a master’s degree in Computer Science, with a special focus on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Her groundbreaking research in physics-guided AI models for drug discovery has been featured in several prestigious journals and earned funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH). Cain's diverse experience spans various industries, including retail, healthcare, and hospitality, which has shaped her into a uniquely creative and versatile tech leader. As CTO at Mogul Hotels, Cain spearheads the creation and execution of innovative technological strategies, setting new industry standards in hospitality tech. Prior to joining Mogul Hotels, she made significant contributions at Amway as a Business Intelligence Developer and team leader, where she was instrumental in rolling out Business Intelligence tools for all Amway entities globally.
Gurvinder Batra
Gurvinder Batra has over three decades of experience working with leading enterprises and startups across industries helping them drive innovation, harness emerging technology trends and bring cutting-edge products to market. He’s a Co-Founder and CTO at KiwiTech, an innovation ecosystem supporting over 600 portfolio startups. Before KiwiTech, Gurvinder served as the CTO and President at Aptara, contributing to its growth into a leading publishing services company recognized among America’s fastest-growing companies for three consecutive years on the Inc 500 list.
Testimonials
"The hospitality industry typically struggles with technology adoption. Reimagining Global Hospitality is a visionary insight into the possibilities AI is creating and how these will shape the industry's winners and losers. A must-read for those looking to shape that transformation."
"Alex, Sahar and Gurvinder brilliantly chart a course for the future of the hospitality industry. Their insights into leveraging AI for enhancing customer experiences and advocating sustainable tourism are groundbreaking. This book is an essential read for those seeking to understand and lead in the evolving landscape of global hospitality."
"Alex Mirza's research provides compelling insights for what hospitality stakeholders must do to build human capital and achieve a higher purpose in these extraordinary times. It is not just recommended reading, it is required"
"Alex Mirza has taken that step and advanced our understanding of how to use the new technology tools to address the considerable operational issues facing service firms. This is an absolute must read!"
"A fascinating new study into the challenges facing the industry in an era increasingly being labeled by some scholars as one of "de-globalization."
"Our industry faces a foundational challenge in rethinking traditional business models to rebuild our talent pipeline and, once again, become an employer of choice. As one of hospitality’s most innovative thought leaders, Alex’s work comes at a pivotal time, providing much-needed, research-based answers to the most critical questions facing today’s travel and tourism executives."
"With its cutting-edge insights on AI-driven solutions and employee empowerment, this book paves the way for a revolutionary approach to using artificial intelligence to innovate business models in travel and hospitality. Discover your blueprint for success in this indispensable read."
