Brands
Hospitality’s next act belongs to AI, robots and reskilled humans
Switzerland: Hospitality is done with recovery. It is now rewiring itself. A new white paper from Les Roches argues that the industry has crossed a structural threshold, where artificial intelligence, automation and human reskilling converge to redefine how hotels grow, compete and serve guests.
The Spark – The State of Hospitality Report 2025–2026, authored by Francesco Derchi with Ivana Nobilo and Rachel Germanier, pegs global hospitality at more than $5 trillion in value and growing at 5.5 to 6.5 per cent a year. The message is blunt. By 2026, technology adoption will no longer be a differentiator. It will be basic infrastructure.
The report identifies three forces shaping the next phase.
First, asset-light expansion. Hotel groups are shedding bricks and mortar in favour of brand-led, lifestyle-driven growth. Recent moves including IHG buying Ruby Hotels, Marriott backing citizenM and Hyatt acquiring The Standard underline a shift where operational efficiency and brand scale matter more than owning real estate. Carlos Díez de la Lastra, ceo of Les Roches, says the winners will be those who can scale concepts quickly while lifting margins through technology-led operations.
Second, AI-native distribution. Booking journeys are being rewritten by AI agents and recommendation engines, from specialist travel tools to general-purpose platforms. By 2026, the report says, cloud-native systems, AI-driven revenue management and API-ready connectivity will be mandatory. Clean data, loyalty-led offers and machine-readable inventory will decide visibility. Derchi says operators must optimise for AI agents or risk disappearing from the funnel.
Third, robotics and automation. What was once a gimmick is becoming industrial-grade. Delivery and cleaning robots are spreading across hotels to offset labour shortages and lift productivity, with the market growing at about 25 per cent a year. Germanier notes that automation is less about replacing people and more about redeploying them, with machines handling repetitive tasks and humans delivering empathy.
Yet the report’s sharpest point is human. Technology sets the pace, but people still set the tone. Nobilo argues that reskilling in data literacy, digital fluency and automation management is no longer optional. Emotional intelligence and creativity, paired with technical competence, will define leadership in hospitality’s next decade.
The verdict is clear. Hotels can buy software, lease robots and license brands. What they cannot outsource is judgement, experience and trust. In 2026, hospitality’s edge will belong to those who master the machines and still know how to look a guest in the eye.
Brands
Delhivery chairman Deepak Kapoor, independent director Saugata Gupta quit board
Gurugram: Delhivery’s boardroom is being reset. Deepak Kapoor, chairman and independent director, has resigned with effect from April 1 as part of a planned board reconstitution, the logistics company said in an exchange filing. Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive of FMCG major Marico and an independent director on Delhivery’s board, has also stepped down.
Kapoor exits after an eight-year stint that included steering the company through its 2022 stock-market debut, a period that saw Delhivery transform from a venture-backed upstart into one of India’s most visible logistics platforms. Gupta, who joined the board in 2021, departs alongside him, marking a simultaneous clearing of two senior independent seats.
“Deepak and Saugata have been instrumental in our process of recognising the need for and enabling the reconstitution of the board of directors in line with our ambitious next phase of growth,” said Sahil Barua, managing director and chief executive, Delhivery. The statement frames the exits less as departures and more as deliberate succession, a boardroom shuffle timed to the company’s evolving scale and strategy.
The resignations arrive amid broader governance recalibration. In 2025, Delhivery appointed Emcure Pharmaceuticals whole-time director Namita Thapar, PB Fintech founder and chairman Yashish Dahiya, and IIM Bangalore faculty member Padmini Srinivasan as independent directors, signalling a tilt towards consumer, fintech and academic expertise at the board level.
Kapoor’s tenure spanned Delhivery’s most defining years, rapid network expansion, public listing and the push towards profitability in a bruising logistics market. Gupta’s presence brought FMCG and brand-scale perspective during a period when ecommerce volumes and last-mile delivery economics were being rewritten.
The twin exits, effective from the new financial year, underscore a familiar corporate rhythm: founders consolidate, veterans rotate out, and fresh voices are ushered in to script the next chapter. In India’s hyper-competitive logistics race, even the boardroom does not stand still.
Brands
Brnd.me enters Europe as haircare brands power global expansion
Bengaluru: Brnd.me, the global consumer brands company formerly known as Mensa Brands, has entered the European market following strong momentum across the Middle East, the United States and Canada.
The company has launched across the UK, Germany, France and Spain, with plans to expand into Italy, the Netherlands and Poland over the next year. The push is being led by its haircare and aromatherapy brands, Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure, marking Brnd.me’s first structured expansion into Europe.
The European beauty market represents a total addressable opportunity of over $4 billion across haircare and aromatherapy, supported by high digital adoption and demand for accessible, performance-led products.
Brnd.me’s hair care and aromatherapy business currently operates at an annual run rate of around $6 million, with Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure delivering roughly 10 per cent month-on-month growth, driven by expansion and rising repeat demand.
To support regional growth, the company has appointed a general manager based in Germany and is evaluating investments in warehousing and local team expansion.
Early traction has been strong. Within weeks of launch, Botanic Hearth’s rosemary hair oil ranked among the top five hair oils in Germany, signalling strong consumer pull in a competitive market.
Brnd.me founder and chief executive officer Ananth Narayanan, said Europe represents the next phase of the company’s international strategy. He added that the European business is expected to scale to a $10 million annual run rate by the end of 2026, with long-term ambitions to reach $60 million over the next six years.
The company’s Europe strategy centres on digital-first distribution, repeat demand and TikTok-led discovery, alongside direct-to-consumer expansion to strengthen brand equity and margins.
The move also aligns with growing EU–India trade engagement, supporting long-term sourcing and cross-border supply chains.
Brands
TechnoSport taps quick commerce with launch on Slikk’s 60-minute platform
NATIONAL: TechnoSport has launched on Slikk, the ultra-fast fashion app offering 60-minute delivery, as the activewear brand accelerates its push into quick commerce to capture Gen Z and young millennial shoppers.
The debut brings more than 150 high-performance styles to Slikk’s platform, with an average selling price of Rs 450, expanding TechnoSport’s reach across over 80 pin codes.
The partnership follows strong momentum for TechnoSport across Q-commerce channels, where the brand has recorded around 60 per cent volume growth over the past six months. The company expects quick commerce to contribute nearly 20 per cent of its revenue in the coming years as hyperlocal delivery gains scale.
Slikk, which recently raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed, has rapidly gained popularity among youth consumers seeking speed, trend relevance and impulse-led shopping experiences.
Activewear remains one of Slikk’s fastest-growing categories, driven by shoppers increasingly treating fitness-led fashion as an everyday essential. The platform has reported a 30-fold year-on-year increase in items sold, reflecting rising demand for performance wear that blends comfort with style.
TechnoSport chief executive officer Puspen Maity, said the collaboration would help the brand engage more closely with young consumers whose fashion choices are shaped by instant needs and lifestyle aspirations. He added that rapid delivery bridges the gap between intent and purchase, allowing shoppers to access activewear exactly when they want it.
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