AI for hospitality
Sep 30, 2025
The Gartner Hype Cycle in Hospitality: Why Most Tech Fails and How to Reach the Plateau of Productivity
You invested in a new software platform six months ago. The demo was impressive, promising to streamline operations and give your team time back. But today, you walk past the front desk and see it: a staff member has gone back to using a paper logbook, bypassing the system entirely. The technology isn't broken—it's been abandoned.
If this scenario feels familiar, you're not alone. This is the story of countless technology investments in hospitality. But why does it happen?
The answer lies in a powerful model called the Gartner Hype Cycle. It’s a map of the journey every emerging technology takes, from buzzword to bedrock. For us in hospitality, understanding this cycle isn't an academic exercise—it's the key to separating fleeting trends from transformative tools.
The Hype Cycle: A Hotelier's Map to Tech Adoption
Every new technology goes through a predictable journey:
Innovation Trigger: A new tool, like an AI concierge or smart housekeeping system, is announced. The buzz begins.
Peak of Inflated Expectations: A few success stories create a frenzy. We hope this one tool will solve all our operational challenges.
Trough of Disillusionment: This is where the real work happens—or doesn't. The tool is harder to implement than expected. Staff resist, don't understand it, or don't trust it. This is where most tech investments fail.
Slope of Enlightenment: This is the turning point. Hotels and vendors who persevere work together. They focus on training, adapt processes, and build trust. The tool starts to prove its real value.
Plateau of Productivity: The goal. The technology becomes a seamless, indispensable part of daily operations, delivering consistent ROI.
The Real-World Trap: Why Tech Fails on the Ground
The descent into the "Trough of Disillusionment" isn't a technology failure; it's an adoption failure. For hotel managers, this means wasted budget and operational friction. For educators, it represents a moving target—how do you prepare students for tools that hotels themselves struggle to implement?
The core issues are universal:
The Digital Literacy Gap: We can't assume uniform tech comfort across a diverse team from different generations and backgrounds.
The Habit Hurdle: Changing deep-rooted habits requires more than a login and a password; it requires support and repetition.
A Lack of Trust: If the front desk doesn't trust the AI to accurately log a guest request, they will create a parallel, "safer" system (like that paper logbook).
The Partnership Path: How We Reach the Plateau Together
At Treema, we believe our job isn't done when the software is installed. Our mission is to ensure you reach the Plateau of Productivity. We do this by building a bridge over the "Trough of Disillusionment" through partnership.
For Hotel Management:
We put Adoption Rate at the center of our metrics. We don't just ask "Is the system up?" We ask "Is your team using it effectively?" We work with you to understand your team's unique dynamics and provide the tailored support and training needed to build confidence and new habits.
For Educators and Trainers:
You are the unsung heroes of technology adoption. You build the foundation of digital literacy and prepare the next generation of hoteliers. We want to partner with you. Let's work together to integrate real-world tools like Treema into your curriculum. By giving students hands-on experience with the AI systems they'll encounter in the field, we can close the skills gap before they even enter the lobby.
This philosophy is why we first had our own team use our AI daily. We had to feel the friction of building new habits ourselves. If we can't do it, how can we expect your busy teams to succeed?
A Call to Action: Let's Build Habit-Forming Technology
The promise of technology is only realized when it becomes a natural part of the workday. Reaching the Plateau of Productivity isn't a solo mission; it's a collaborative journey between tech providers, hotel leaders, and educators.
If you are a hotel manager tired of tech that doesn't stick, let's talk about how we measure success through adoption.
If you are an educator shaping the future of hospitality, let's connect and explore how we can partner to build a more tech-confident workforce.
Together, we can move beyond the hype and build technology that doesn't just exist in your hotel—it thrives.
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