The Future Hospitality Summit, FHS World 2025, is shaping up to be a landmark event, celebrating its 20th anniversary in Dubai. The summit will bring together more than 1,600 hospitality and tourism leaders, including top investors managing $1.89 trillion in assets, to discuss the industry’s future.
This year’s agenda features 200+ speakers, including UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, across 13 conference tracks and 130 sessions, where topics will range from global outlook and innovation to wellness and investment strategies.
Taking place at Madinat Jumeirah from 27-29 October, the event promises valuable insights and networking opportunities. Key sessions will include His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, sharing insights on the country’s tourism strategy, and Jonathan Worsley, Gerald Lawess, and Naser Mohamed Ali Naser Alnuwais discussing two decades of hospitality investment evolution. Other sessions will explore innovative approaches to hospitality, global investment strategies, and the long-term view of hospitality.
Industry leaders will examine geographies and segments defining growth, share insights on strategic returns in global real estate, and discuss trends and opportunities in global capital markets. The conference will feature a Lifetime Achievement Award presentation to Abdullah Ahmed Al Moosa, Founder & Chairman, A. A. Al Moosa Enterprises | ARENCO Group, and will include panels on cross-border strategies, hospitality innovation, and future growth segments.
What’s new at the 2025 summit?
The FHS World 2025 summit in Dubai will feature several new initiatives. The UAE Africa Tourism Investment Summit will bring together 350+ officials and investors from 53 African nations to drive partnerships and investment in hospitality and tourism. PitchPoint, a game-changing platform, will connect hospitality brands, tech start-ups, and investors, creating opportunities for growth and partnerships. The World Branded Residences Awards will debut, celebrating top performers in the global branded residences market.
The summit will also include the Impact Leader Award, spotlighting trailblazing women in hospitality, and the Branded Residences Forum, featuring workshops and sessions on the sector’s growth. Country Pavilions will showcase exclusive hospitality projects and investment opportunities from countries like Albania, Cyprus, Egypt, and the Philippines. These initiatives aim to drive innovation, collaboration, and growth in the hospitality industry.
Hospitality tech’s next chapter
In parallel, Innovation & Technology will take centre stage at FHS World, where the industry’s brightest tech minds explore how AI, automation, and personalisation are reshaping the guest experience without losing the human connection that defines hospitality. Eight global tech leaders shared their insights on what’s next.
AI dominates the conversation. Asif Alidina (Inntelo AI) predicts a rise in AI-native platforms that unify guest communication, operations, and upselling. Daumantas Grigaravicius (Adyen) foresees AI agents managing entire guest journeys, while Siggi Schrot (RMS) sees automation as the backbone for predictive insights and personalisation.
Jack Bowcott (Goki) envisions IoT, AI, and contactless technologies converging into seamless guest platforms, and Darren King (ROOMNET) believes AI-powered personalisation will “tailor entertainment, wellness, and in-stay experiences.” For Rosanna Wang (Aristara), AI will ease “the mental load of logistics, timing, and translations,” freeing guests and staff alike.
Where adoption is concerned, it remains a challenge, and experts cited fragmented systems, poor data, and limited AI expertise as barriers. “Integration anxiety and staff resistance” persist, said Bowcott, while Wang urged leaders to pick modular, easy-to-onboard solutions with strong training so staff feel empowered, not overwhelmed.
Their advice is to invest in open APIs, scalable systems, and human expertise. “AI can narrow options, but human experts provide confidence,” said Ralp Melis (ExploreTECH).
Humans still matter
Despite the AI buzz, all eight agreed that hospitality remains a human-first business. “Technology should free staff from repetitive tasks so they can focus on empathy and genuine connections,” said Alidina. Bowcott added, “The future belongs to properties that use technology to empower their people to be more human, not less.”
Grigaravicius pointed out that “68% of UAE travellers use AI to book holidays, but still value human interaction for complex requests.” And as Maarten Edelman (Dailypoint) put it, “Technology should empower staff, not replace them.”
The biggest opportunity lies in personalisation and communication. Edelman called for smarter, individualised messaging. Grigaravicius sees potential in payment data for hyper-personalisation. King highlighted in-room entertainment as a future revenue driver, while Schrot and Melis urged hotels to unify data and embrace cloud flexibility.
Wang summed it up well: “The best hospitality technology should feel invisible, like oxygen — making the human connection easier without constantly reminding you it’s there.”
Preparing for the next wave
To future-proof their operations, the experts advised owners to integrate systems, upskill staff, and prioritise digital readiness.
- “Choose AI-native solutions and foster a culture of experimentation,” said Alidina.
- “Fix infrastructure before chasing trends,” warned Grigaravicius.
- “Think ecosystem, not tools,” urged Bowcott.
- “Build a digital-first mindset,” added Wang.
Melis closed with a pragmatic reminder: document your current tech stack, seek independent advice, and validate decisions before investing.
More insights like these will come to life with various session like The Human Touch, Enhanced: Using AI to Personalize Every Step of the Hospitality Journey and Smart Hospitality, Smarter Returns: Measuring the ROI of Automation. This is where ideas become investments, offering opportunities to discover new markets, technologies, and inspiration, shaping the future of hospitality in Dubai.
