The Gettys Group Relaunches Think Tank to Tackle COVID-19 Challenges

CHICAGO—In response to the challenges facing hotels, restaurants, and travel in the era of COVID-19, The Gettys Group relaunched The Hotel of Tomorrow Project—a reframed version of the think tank the company founded in 2003 to unite brands, designers, manufacturers, owners and operators in elevating and transforming the hospitality industry in the near and more distant future.

The forum has been updated to fit the world’s new remote reality, using collaboration platform Batterii to connect participants from around the world to develop, refine, and visualize their concepts before sharing virtual prototypes for consumer testing. More than 250 participants bring diverse areas of expertise from a variety of companies and institutions—including owners, operators, research institutions, designers and tech companies. In cross-industry teams, they are re-examining every component of hospitality—from consumer-facing messaging to technology integration—for all points of the new guest experience journey.

“Ideas collide and combine in meaningful ways when people with diverse perspectives collaborate,” said Ron Swidler, chief innovation officer, The Gettys Group, “In September, we will share concepts that have been envisioned by the industry, refined by experts and vetted by guests, brands, designers, manufacturers and more—everyone who has a stake in the future of hospitality.”