Horecava 2026: affordable luxury

Customisation and finding the right balance

The hotel industry is facing a considerable challenge. Costs are rising, staff are hard to find and margins are under pressure. However, this is not only a difficult time, but also an opportunity to do things differently. The new standard is called affordable luxury: smart, human and achievable. Luxury that is not about excess, but about experience, quality and attention. Affordable luxury is not a stripped-down version of the old concept of luxury, but rather a refinement of it. It is hospitality that feels like pampering, without having to cost a lot. By using technology smartly and making processes more efficient, there is room for personal service and genuine attention. And that is exactly what guests find important today.

The figures speak for themselves. In 2025, turnover in the hospitality industry grew by 5.51% compared to the previous year. However, this growth was mainly due to higher prices, not because there were more guests. At the same time, labour and energy costs continued to rise. The result: margins under pressure and entrepreneurs having to be creative to remain profitable.

Hotels are responding to this by organising their offerings more intelligently. The option to check in and out yourself, grab & go, pre-mixed cocktails in the hotel bar. Affordable luxury does not mean doing more, but doing better. Less waste, more experience. Less excess, more meaning. This way, quality is maintained without compromising the guest experience.

The new guest: critical and sensitive

The modern hotel guest is not easy to pigeonhole. They want speed and personal attention. Sustainability and comfort. Health and enjoyment. This combination may seem contradictory, but it is precisely where the opportunity lies for hotels that want to make a difference.

Affordable luxury is all about customisation, about finding the right balance. It's often in the little things: a handwritten welcome card, a playlist with local music in the room, or a breakfast with regional products that surprise without overwhelming. No excess, just authenticity. Guests want to feel that attention has been paid to them, not that money has been thrown at them.

Technology as an ally

Technology has a reputation for being cold and distant, but in the hotel industry, it proves the opposite. Smart kitchens, data-driven staff planning, and personalised marketing automation flows make it possible to do more with fewer resources.

In a sector with tens of thousands of job vacancies, this is a necessity. However, it also yields benefits in terms of quality. Utilising technology to improve efficiency creates space for human hospitality. Staff have more time to assist guests, share stories, and create experiences. Technology therefore does not make the experience more distant, but rather more human.

horecava 2026: affordable luxury in action

Affordable luxury literally comes to life at Horecava 2026. All over the exhibition floor, you can see how entrepreneurs, brands and chefs are shaping this trend with solutions that are smart, sustainable and guest-oriented.

The TrendLAB is all about striking a balance between efficiency and experience. Visitors discover how technology and hospitality reinforce each other. From live cooking to dark kitchens that run on data, from sensory concepts to inspiring Table Talks: here you can see where the future of hospitality begins.

Technology becomes tangible in the AI LAB. You can experience for yourself how AI helps with menu engineering, stock management, or personalised guest communication. These are not just dreams for the future, but practical tools that entrepreneurs can already use today.

And, of course, there is Taste of Horecava by Gault&Millau: a place where top chefs showcase the art of culinary simplicity. Here, you can taste what affordable luxury tastes like: refined, surprising and without excess. The Chef's Table sessions offer inspiration and encounters with colleagues who share the same quest: how do you offer top quality that remains affordable?

Affordable luxury is not a compromise, but an evolution. It is not about less, but about different. About hospitality that makes smart use of technology without losing the human touch. About quality that is tangible, but not unaffordable.

Horecava 2026 shows how hotels and hospitality entrepreneurs are striking that balance. How experience, efficiency and sustainability come together in a new form of luxury, one that is better suited to the times. Luxury that feels good, tastes better and touches everyone.