Welcome to the HSMAI section of Hospitality Upgrade! In this issue, authors explore the pressing challenges facing today's hospitality industry and uncover opportunities. Now more than ever, we recognize the importance of adaptability, foresight, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Kelly McGuire, in The Future of Hospitality Commercial Strategy — Three Myths We Need to Leave Behind, reflects on the HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference and reminds us that success depends on embracing change, staying deeply connected to understanding guests, and fostering leadership that unites disciplines rather than divides them.

Jennifer Hill’s article, Profitability and the Top Line: Why Commercial Strategy Must Deliver Both, examines the volatility of 2025’s hotel landscape and where unpredictable demand, global unrest, staffing instability, and shifting federal policies are reshaping performance and traveler behavior.

In Inside the Black Box: What Revenue Managers Want You to Know, Lynn Zwibak pulls FUTURA back the curtain on revenue management, revealing how pricing, inventory, and demand revenue.

Finally, Sally Kelly’s The Silent Influencer: How AI Is Shaping Where We Go, explores how generative AI and large language models are redefining consumer engagement. She highlights the five critical challenges travel brands face, from accuracy and bias to privacy, security, and real-world integration.

Together, these articles underscore a central theme: the hospitality industry is navigating complexity on multiple fronts, but with complexity comes the opportunity to innovate and lead. As you reflect on these perspectives, I encourage you to consider how they might inform your own strategies for building resilience, driving profitability, and staying ahead in this time of constant change.