The Hospitality Show will take place Oct. 26-28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The Hospitality Show will bring together 5,000 attendees and promises to drive profitability for owners, operators and hospitality innovators through dedicated content, extensive networking and 400+ operations and technology vendors.
In this installment of The Hospitality Show Sponsor Q&A, we catch up with Kim Twiggs, AVP business development, DIRECTV HOSPITALITY.
What’s one shift you're excited to see gaining momentum in hospitality right now?
We recently saw some interesting shifts in guest preferences in our latest independent research. It shows that aside from room cleanliness, bed comfort, and a quiet room, the TV content and features rank above all other room offerings — even more so than coffee makers or microwaves, room service food quality, lighting, workspace availability and others. Entertainment is clearly top-of-mind for guests and I’m excited to see it rank so highly as a noteworthy guestroom feature.
Source: HUB Entertainment “Guest Media Research” Survey conducted May 2025 with 1,500 U.S. consumers 21+ who stayed five or more nights in hotels within the past 12 months.
What’s one overlooked trend or innovation you believe deserves more traction in the year ahead?
In-room entertainment. With rising costs, labor issues and the multitude of other challenges hoteliers face on a day-to-day basis, sometimes in-room entertainment is overlooked and falls to the wayside, but that can have a negative effect on occupancy since between 30 and 40 percent of hotel guests say it has a “high influence” on their decision of where to stay.
In fact, the in-room entertainment experience is more likely to influence the choice of hotel for guests aged 21–49, with 47 percent of that demographic saying they would return to a property they’ve stayed at previously and 44 percent saying they’d recommend a hotel to someone else.
In an era with increased competition for travel dollars where travelers have a multitude of choices, it’s important that hoteliers offer robust and varied in-room guest entertainment offerings to meet traveler demands and help drive repeat guest stays.
Source: HUB Entertainment “Guest Media Research” Survey conducted May 2025 with 1,500 U.S. consumers 21+ who stayed five or more nights in hotels within the past 12 months.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity for hospitality businesses in the year ahead?
With the adoption of AI-powered solutions, it’s easy to lean on technology for practically everything, however, technology is not a replacement for human interaction. The opportunity for the industry is to use technology to help free up time to have meaningful interactions with guests. The key to balancing technology with human connection lies in ensuring that tech solutions are designed to complement, rather than replace, personal service.
What advice would you give to emerging leaders in hospitality as they navigate the future of the industry?
Continuously adapt and evolve with training, collaboration and an open mind. Be open to mentoring and lifting up the younger generation of hospitality workers. Be your authentic self. Stay grounded and remember what hospitality is about: people, connection and service.
What are you most looking forward to at The Hospitality Show this year — whether it’s on the show floor, on stage, or behind the scenes?
DIRECTV HOSPITALITY is sponsoring the evening reception at the Filmore on Oct. 27. I’m excited to help bring industry professionals together to network in a social setting in a city like Denver that so many DIRECTV employees—including myself—call home. We also have several DIRECTV HOSPITALITY Authorized Dealers exhibiting this year. I’m looking forward to supporting them as they showcase our entertainment solutions.