If you opened TikTok in 2023, you might have stumbled upon an unexpected trend: Gen Z proudly showing off their old age flip phones. Objective? A digital detoxSome even go on vacation with “dumb tech”: disposable cameras, Polaroids, mini-cameras… A bit ironic to post all that on TikTok, right?
What is the link with the hotel industry?
This movement poses a real question: What place does technology have in our lives? We’ve moved from the Internet (1990) to smartphones (1994), and then to a hyperconnected generation. As a result, today we’re talking about cognitive overload, digital fatigue… but also new needs.
Because tech isn’t just noise. It’s changed the way we do things. communicate, share, inform. Even those who think they can escape it are exposed to it. The proof: you have already said or heard “Don’t you have the reference?”, no ?
Digital fatigue vs. AI in everyday life
In France, 41% of millennials say they are unable to fully enjoy their vacations because of screens. A clear signal: digital fatigue invites itself even into our moments of rest.
And yet, 74% of 18–24 year olds report using regularly artificial intelligence, especially in a personal setting. We dream of disconnecting… while asking ChatGPT to plan the weekend.
Two opposing trends transforming the hotel industry
🚵Trend #1: The return to disconnection
- 38% of UK consumers want a digital detox
- 17% are actively looking for hotels without Wi-Fi
- 32% of luxury travelers consider disconnection as a priority criterion
🚀Trend #2: All-technology
- 74% expect personalized services via AI
- 65% prefer rooms equipped with advanced technologies
- Smart hospitality market to grow from $13,6 billion to $49,9 billion by 2027
So, technology or no technology?
Guests want experiences with a strong personality. Some want to disconnect, others want their room to speak to them and make coffee before they even wake up.
The real issue is not choosing between future or past, but offer an experience aligned with your hotel’s identity.
And that’s where Medialog comes in.
You run a hotel suspended above a crevasse in Greenland, 100% offline?
Or an urban establishment where everything goes through QR codes, chatbots and interactive mirrors?
Our hybrid PMS gives you the choice.
Zero friction. 100% tailored to your customers.
Curious? Intrigued?
Or simply want to discuss tech and hospitality?
(I.e. sales@medialog.fr
📚 Sources
- Sweney, M. (2022) – The Rise of TikTok
- EY (2025) – Digital Detox & Hospitality Trends – UK Study
- Hilton Trends Report (2025)
- HITEC / ALTIANT (2025) – Luxury Traveler Disconnect Preferences
- Hudini (2025) – Smart Hotel Expectations & AI
- IoT Hospitality Report (2024)
- Markets & Markets (2023) – Smart Hospitality Market Forecast
- Blogdumoderateur.com (2024)
- Ipsos (2024)
- The World (2024)
- Digital Camera World (2024)
- Yahoo (2023)
