Gran Canaria Ushers in the Future of Hospitality: Hotel Data Game Challenge 2025 Drives AI and Data Innovation
Published on October 11, 2025
Gran Canaria put AI and data analytics to work at Gloria Palace San Agustín Thalasso & Hotel in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. More than 100 hotel professionals tested practical use cases that improve efficiency, profitability, and guest experience.
Organized by the Hotel Technology Institute (ITH) with the FEHT Las Palmas, the program made digitalization a priority for the island's tourism strategy.
Why this matters for hotel operators
Demand patterns are sharper, lead times are shorter, and costs are tighter. Teams that use data and AI make faster decisions, reduce waste, and deliver experiences guests talk about.
The event matched strategy with tools, giving managers a clear path from idea to implementation.
What the industry tested and learned
- Revenue management optimization: Use predictive models to forecast demand, run dynamic pricing, and protect margins across room types, channels, and seasons.
- Personalized guest experience: Turn first-party data into relevant offers, accurate upsells, and timely service messages that increase spend and loyalty.
- Operational efficiency: Automate routine tasks from check-in to housekeeping dispatch, cut manual errors, and free staff for high-impact moments.
- Marketing and direct engagement: Segment by behavior, not demographics; measure true ROAS; build email and SMS journeys that convert to direct bookings.
Workshops that moved from concept to execution
Hands-on sessions let attendees work with AI tools, clean real hotel datasets, and stress-test decisions against real scenarios. The ITH Academy MasterClass unpacked machine learning basics, data pipelines, and how to integrate AI into PMS/CRM workflows without blowing up operations.
Outcome: practical skills to run pilots, measure impact, and scale what works.
Voices driving the shift
- Álvaro Muñoz (Noray): Data-led budgeting and cost control that protect GOP even in volatile periods.
- Yolanda Younes (Duetto): Predictive analytics to time price moves and capture seasonality upside.
- Paula Reinoso (STR): Market metrics and Canary Islands opportunities grounded in current comp-set performance.
- Teresa de Pablo (Hotelkit): From legacy processes to digital task management and cross-team communication.
- Javier de la Lastra (Mews): Turning raw data into guest-facing experiences that drive satisfaction and revenue.
Gran Canaria's digital momentum
The Government of the Canary Islands has put innovation and digital transformation at the center of sustainable tourism. This event adds fuel to that plan by giving hotels the skills and tools to act now.
The message is clear: build a hospitality model that meets modern traveler expectations while improving profitability and resource use.
What you can implement next week
- Audit your data stack: Map PMS, CRS, RMS, CRM, and POS. Remove duplicate fields. Define one source of truth for rates and guest profiles.
- Launch a pricing pilot: Test dynamic rules on two room categories for 30 days. Track pickup, ADR, and net RevPAR.
- Personalize pre-arrival: Send segmented emails 5-7 days out with 2-3 relevant upsells. Measure attach rate and incremental revenue.
- Automate two workflows: Examples: mobile check-in and housekeeping task assignment. Target a 15-20% time reduction per shift.
- Clean your data: Standardize country codes, emails, language preferences, and consent fields. Schedule weekly QA.
- Build a daily dashboard: Include pickup, pace vs. last year, rate parity flags, overbooking risk, and top ancillary sellers.
- Upskill your team: Set a 6-week plan for revenue, marketing, and front office to learn AI basics and apply them to core KPIs.
Keep building capability
If you're ready to train staff on practical analytics and automation, explore the AI Certification for Data Analysis. It's a direct path to better forecasting, cleaner data, and faster decisions.
The road ahead for Gran Canaria
The Hotel Data Game Challenge 2025 lays groundwork for partnerships, skills development, and measurable upgrades across the island's hotel ecosystem. With a clear focus on sustainability, profitability, and guest-centric execution, Gran Canaria is set to keep its edge as a digital tourism hub.
The takeaway for operators: pick two initiatives, pilot fast, measure hard, and scale what proves ROI.
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