Six Lessons from NRF 2025: Everything I Need to Know About Hospitality and Travel Digital Strategies I Learned from a 90s Movie

This IDC Perspective reflects upon the major themes and trends presented at the National Retail Federation's Big Show and Expo 2025 (NRF 2025) and how they apply to hospitality and travel organizations. With the rapid growth of AI, particularly agentic AI, hospitality and travel organizations will need to examine existing infrastructure and data strategies to ensure that they can take advantage of the benefits that modern AI capabilities are expected to yield for operational efficiency. "As we continue in the AI super cycle, hospitality and travel brands are at an inflection point where the widespread adoption of AI stands to transform the legacy ways of doing business," says Dorothy Creamer, senior research analyst, Hospitality and Travel Digital Strategies, IDC. "The capabilities that are inherent in AI extend beyond operational efficiency and will revolutionize how guests expect to have their demands met and catered to throughout a journey — and potentially across brands."