Artificial intelligence can answer guests, robots can serve food, smart glasses can translate conversations right before our eyes, while virtual reality allows buyers to step inside a villa while still thousands of kilometers away. Technology for the hospitality and restaurant industry has never been more diverse. But the more choices there are, the harder one question becomes to answer: which technologies are truly worth the money, time and resources required to implement them? Against this backdrop, the fact that HORECFEX has been certified by Liên Chi hội Khách sạn Việt Nam as Vietnam’s largest annual forum on applied technology in the HORECA industry speaks not only to the scale of the event, but also to an increasingly clear market need: the industry needs a regular meeting point where technology can be placed alongside real operational challenges before becoming an investment decision.
Technology in hotels was once a relatively easy-to-define area. Businesses invested in management systems, booking software, in-room equipment or the digitalization of certain processes, and could quickly understand which department the technology was designed to serve.
At the HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 press conference, robotic solutions were brought into a real-world experience, demonstrating how technology is moving closer to the operational challenges of the HORECA industry — from reception and information support to service and workforce optimization.
Today, the picture is far more complex. AI is moving from chatbots that answer questions to systems capable of handling multi-step tasks. Robots are moving beyond demonstrations to appear in lobbies, restaurants and operational areas. Smart glasses bring data and translation directly into the user’s field of vision. Virtual reality, spatial computing, projection technology, automation and data platforms continue to open up new possibilities.
The issue for businesses, therefore, is no longer a lack of technology to choose from. On the contrary, the challenge increasingly lies in choosing among too many technologies that all promise to make hotels smarter, faster and more efficient.
New technology is not necessarily the technology a business needs
A reception robot may be impressive during a few minutes of demonstration, but does a hotel with an already efficient front-office team really need to invest in one? An AI system may be capable of analyzing vast amounts of data, but if internal data remains fragmented, is the business ready to use it? Projection Mapping can completely transform the appearance of a ballroom, but if the frequency of events is low, is the investment justified?
The same solution may be highly suitable for a resort with hundreds of rooms but unnecessary for a small hotel. A technology that creates clear efficiencies for a restaurant chain may not solve the problems of an independent property. Even when the technology works well, businesses still need to consider integration capabilities, operating costs, staff training, maintenance and payback periods.
This is the part that is easily overlooked when the market constantly talks about the “latest technology”.
HORECA professionals need to know not only what a solution can do, but whether it is worth doing for their own business.
HORECFEX creates a space where technology solutions are placed in front of businesses, experts and people directly operating in the HORECA industry — where the question is not only what is new in technology, but which technologies are truly suitable for implementation.
It is precisely the gap between these two questions that creates the rationale for an industry-specific technology forum. HORECFEX does not need to decide for businesses which product is the best; its value lies in creating an environment where technology can be seen, tested, questioned and placed alongside the real needs of those who will use it.
“Annual” and “applied” matter more than a title about scale
The fact that Liên Chi hội Khách sạn Việt Nam has certified HORECFEX as Vietnam’s largest annual forum on applied technology in the HORECA industry is particularly meaningful because of two elements: “annual” and “applied”.
Liên Chi hội Khách sạn Việt Nam certifies HORECFEX VIETNAM as Vietnam’s largest annual forum on applied technology in the HORECA industry — recognition of HORECFEX’s increasingly clear role in connecting technology, innovation and the practical application needs of the hospitality and tourism industry.
Technology changes too quickly for businesses to update once and rely on the same body of knowledge for years. A solution still in the experimental stage today may become a mainstream tool next year; conversely, a trend that once received significant attention may reveal its limitations when it enters real-world operations.
Therefore, the industry needs a meeting point that is updated on a regular cycle. Not to chase a new “trend” every year, but to look back and assess what has actually moved from trend to application, what is just beginning to take shape, and what still lacks sufficient grounds for investment.
The “applied” element is equally important. A technology exhibition can show visitors a new device. But for hotel professionals, the question only becomes truly valuable when that device is placed into a work shift, during a restaurant’s peak hours, in a lobby with dozens of guests waiting to check in, or in a ballroom that needs to be continuously transformed according to client requirements.
This is also where the voice of a professional organization such as Liên Chi hội Khách sạn Việt Nam becomes noteworthy. Suppliers understand their products, while operators themselves have the clearest understanding of what happens when those products enter a real hotel.
An applied forum needs both sides.
HORECFEX is where technology must answer harder questions
One of the most noteworthy values of HORECFEX lies in the fact that technology is placed in front of people who can ask questions very different from those of an ordinary visitor.
Investors care about efficiency and payback periods. General managers look at the impact on overall operations. Technology teams ask about integration capabilities. Revenue management wants to know whether a solution can create additional business value. Human resources focuses on how the workforce needs to be retrained. Front-office and food-and-beverage teams look instead at speed, convenience and guest responses.
The same product, when viewed through these different perspectives, quickly turns the question “what is new in technology?” into “what problem does the technology solve?”
HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 is demonstrating this approach quite clearly. Rokid smart glasses are placed in the context of translation and information display within the user’s field of vision. Meta Quest 3 is used to bring viewers into a 360-degree environment. Unitree robots are explored from the perspective of patrol and safety; OrionStar addresses reception and multilingual communication; KEENON focuses on service and transportation tasks within restaurants.
Projection Mapping also appears not simply as a light show. For MICE professionals and resorts, the technology raises questions about the ability to transform ballrooms, façades or event spaces without physically changing their structures.
The important point is not whether these technologies are impressive. The greater value emerges when attendees begin to imagine how they would work within their own businesses.
A service robot can only truly be evaluated when an operator considers aisle width, peak-hour speed and how it coordinates with staff. A translation-enabled smart glass becomes relevant when considered alongside the number of international guests a team serves. A virtual reality tour becomes a business tool only when it helps an overseas buyer move closer to a decision to select a venue.
This is precisely the shift from “interesting technology” to “usable technology”.
In 2025, HORECFEX VIETNAM introduced 4D Immersive Mapping as a featured experience. In 2026, Projection Mapping continues to be developed, expanding its potential applications in MICE, hotels and resorts.
Technology cannot be evaluated separately from the market, people and business
This is also why a forum dedicated to HORECA technology cannot consist only of AI, robots and devices.
A hotel may see a highly attractive automation solution, but before investing, it still needs to understand where market demand is heading. An investor needs data before deciding to expand. A business seeking to use robots still needs to determine which tasks should be assigned to machines and which should remain with people. A modern operating system also creates little value if guests do not know about the product or if there are still multiple bottlenecks in the sales process.
This is why at HORECFEX, perspectives on market data, traveler behavior, human resources, technology, operations and supply need to be placed alongside one another.
STR can help businesses understand the market and their competitive position. Google and TikTok show how guests’ discovery and search behaviors are changing. Technology suppliers bring new operational solutions. Hospitality professionals bring practical questions from their own businesses.
When these perspectives meet, technology is no longer evaluated solely through technical specifications.
It is placed within a larger question: what does the business need to change, and is technology truly the right way to create that change?
From this perspective, the theme of HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 — “ALL YOU NEED – Knowledge, Technology, Supply and Connection” — reflects a clear chain of decisions. Knowledge helps identify the problem and market context; Technology opens up new ways to solve it; Supply brings solutions within reach of implementation; while Connection creates opportunities for people with challenges to meet those who can help solve them.
No single element can truly deliver its full value when standing alone.
A good technology forum does not necessarily make businesses invest more
AI will continue to develop. Robots will become increasingly flexible. Smart glasses, spatial computing and technologies that do not yet exist today will continue to enter the hospitality and tourism industry.
Businesses cannot stand completely outside these changes, but neither can they pursue everything.
And perhaps this is a more appropriate measure of the role of HORECFEX.
HORECFEX creates a space where businesses can directly see, test and discuss the applicability of technology before making investment decisions for real-world operations.
It is not about how many technologies are brought in. It is not about how many new devices make visitors stop and look. Nor does it necessarily depend on how many contracts are signed during the two-day event.
A good technology forum can create value through the decisions not to invest: when a business realizes that a solution is not yet suitable, when a hotel owner understands that processes need to be fixed before purchasing more technology, or when an operator discovers another problem that is more important than what they had originally planned to spend money on.
In other words, the value does not lie in making the industry buy more technology.
From new technology to effective integration
This question will also be addressed directly at the Technology Integration Forum I — “Driving Successful Technology Integration” — taking place from 13:30 – 16:15 on August 20 at the Main Hall as part of HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026.
The session moves from how Meta’s platforms are being applied in the hospitality and tourism industry, and new market growth drivers with TikTok Vietnam, to an increasingly important question for businesses: are hotels truly ready for AI? Introducing new technology into operations is not simply about purchasing additional software or equipment; it also involves data, processes, people and the ability to integrate with existing systems.
The session “Driving Successful Technology Integration” at HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 will explore with experts how technology is changing operations, marketing, customer experience and growth strategies across the hospitality and tourism industry.
The following topics expand into how AI personalizes customer experiences and impacts pricing, as well as the increasingly important role of AI in hotel marketing. The conversation therefore no longer stops at what AI can do, but moves closer to the challenges businesses face every day: where to apply it, how prepared the business needs to be, and how to ensure technology actually creates business value.
This is precisely the spirit HORECFEX seeks to bring to the technology conversation: not chasing technology simply because it is new, but finding ways to put the right technology into the right problem at the right time.
It is about helping the industry invest more wisely.
This is also why the recognition of HORECFEX by Liên Chi hội Khách sạn Việt Nam carries significance beyond a title about scale. In an industry where the pace of innovation is accelerating, an annual forum can serve as a point of reference: a place where new technology is placed alongside operational realities, market data and business needs before businesses decide what step to take next.
HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 takes place on August 20–21 at Ariyana Convention Centre Danang. In a context where AI, robots and countless new technologies are constantly making promises about the future, perhaps the question worth bringing to the event is no longer “What’s new this year?”
But rather: among all these new developments, which ones are truly worth the HORECA industry investing in today?
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