FIT 2025
WeSpeak took center stage at FIT 2025 with the panel 'From Content to Conversation.' The hotel service model is changing: from transactional to relational.
The Buenos Aires International Tourism Fair (FIT) was one of the most intense weeks of the year for WeSpeak. Let me tell you what happened and the most important thing I took away.
WeSpeak at FIT: "From Content to Conversation"
We took part in a panel called "From Content to Conversation." The title sums up well the change we're seeing in the market.
The transactional model—the traveler searches, finds, books, and leaves—is being replaced by a relational model. The hotel that builds a relationship with the guest before, during, and after the stay has a competitive advantage no OTA can replicate.
Check-in automation
One of the most discussed topics at FIT was automating the check-in process. What's working at the most advanced hotels:
- Early digital check-in: sending the form to the guest 48-24 hours before arrival. Reduces time at the front desk and improves the experience.
- Digital NFC/Bluetooth keys: the guest arrives and goes straight up to their room. No line, no wait.
- Express check-out: the guest drops off the key and leaves. The invoice arrived the night before via WhatsApp.
Not every hotel is ready for all of this. But the first step—early digital check-in sent via WhatsApp—is accessible to almost any hotel today.
WhatsApp is already the channel
If there's one conclusion from FIT that sums up where the market stands, it's this: WhatsApp is no longer an alternative to email or the phone. It's the main communication channel between hotels and guests in Latin America.
Anyone not taking advantage of that channel is losing direct bookings every single day.
— Gonzalo Rioja
