The Future is Here: Insights from ITB Berlin 2025

Explore the top takeaways from ITB Berlin 2025, where AI, sustainability, and digital transformation shaped the conversation. Dive into the key moments that defined this year’s event.

Every year at ITB Berlin, beyond the industry’s shared goal of continuously improving hospitality, the event centers around key themes that are shaping its future. This year, ITB attracted 100,000 attendees from over 170 countries, with 5,800 exhibitors, making it one of the most influential gatherings in the travel industry.

Probably to no one’s surprise, one topic dominated every conversation, panel, and presentation: AI. Much like the rise of the “World Wide Web” decades ago, AI has become the industry’s biggest buzzword—sparking discussions on its potential, challenges, and current impact on hospitality.

In this blog, we share our take on ITB 2025, highlighting the key moments that stood out to us.

AI at ITB Berlin and Beyond: A Revolution, Not an Evolution

One of the highlights for us has been the talk, Redefining Travel: How AI will Transform Travel in 2025 and Beyond, featuring Matthias Schmid, Senior Vice President of Accommodations at Booking.com. The session explored how AI is driving personalization, improving operational efficiency, and accelerating content creation for hotels and OTAs. With AI becoming an essential tool, the key question remains: What will be its biggest impact? While its impacts cover a wide ground, Schmid sees this as a revolution rather than evolution.

During the talk, many things stood out, but two insights caught our attention the most.

The first was Booking.com’s launch of AI Trip Planner. Already introduced in the US in July, the European rollout is set to follow soon. This new feature uses GenAI to help travelers find the perfect place to stay, analyze guest reviews, and book with confidence. In the case of this becoming a mainstream tool, it could have a significant impact on hotels. Visibility might become even more dependent on AI algorithms, meaning hotels will have to work harder to stand out.

The second key insight was the discussion around Agentic AI—AI that mimics human behavior. Experts predict that within just six months, major usability challenges will be resolved. The takeaway? When an AI struggles with a task, it’s likely a challenge for humans too. This technology could play a big role in refining traveler interactions and enhancing the overall user experience in hospitality. 

Sustainability Remains a Top Priority

If we have to name one other major focus at ITB 2025, it would undoubtedly be sustainable travel. Airlines talked about using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to cut emissions, and hotel groups like Accor showcased AI-powered energy management to reduce waste. Destinations also stepped up—Lanzarote and La Graciosa marked 30 years of sustainable tourism efforts, highlighting how they’re balancing visitor demand with environmental protection.

Travel brands are also making it easier for travelers to make greener choices. New tools help people track their carbon footprint when booking, while AI is being used to optimize transportation and manage hotel energy use. Features like SuitePad's Green Option is streamlining house cleaning and offering the guests the option to skip unnecessary room cleanings, therefore saving time, money and resources. The goal? To make sustainability part of the travel experience without adding extra hassle.

A Question on Everyone’s Mind: What Does the Future of Travel Look Like?

While the industry has always been somewhat interested in its future, this year felt different. Likely triggered by the rapid rise of AI and its revolutionary impact, ITB 2025 had a noticeably stronger focus on what’s next compared to previous years.

The HospitalityNet Hospitality Yearbook 2025 provided key predictions on where the industry is headed, highlighting AI, sustainability, and digital transformation as the most critical forces shaping the next era of travel. Check out SuitePad's take on the top 10 trends shaping the future of in-room guest communication in the Hospitality Yearbook 2025. 

In addition, Wunderlust’s VR goggles caught our special attention. The goggles gave the attendees a chance to try them on, allowing them to virtually step into destinations and hotels with incredible realism. This kind of immersive technology could redefine how travelers choose destinations, accommodations, explore cities, and plan their trips long before they even set foot in a location. This could very well change the pre-stay journey for travelers all around the world.

Final Notes

If there’s one thing ITB Berlin reminds us of every year, it’s that the travel and hospitality industry is constantly evolving. From the pandemic times to now, change, innovation, and resilience have always been the key takeaways. Whether it’s embracing AI in new and creative ways or finding solutions to global challenges like economic crises, the adaptability of hospitality professionals is truly inspiring.

At SuitePad, we’re always proud to play our part in shaping the future of the industry. ITB is a powerful reminder of the importance of collaboration, and this year was no exception. It was an incredible event, and we’re already looking forward to the Jubilee edition of ITB Berlin 2026!

_{Published on 13 March 2025}