Hotel group Sercotel and technology consultancy SEIDOR have transformed nine Sercotel hotels into hospitality technology laboratories through OpenStay Lab, a joint initiative that has introduced solutions developed by startups into the day-to-day running of the business.

Over recent months, four startups have worked directly with Sercotel’s technology and innovation teams, the managers of the participating hotels and SEIDOR’s technology experts to implement their solutions in real operational environments.

The aim has been to assess how technology can help address specific challenges facing the sector, ranging from operational efficiency and sustainability to task automation, data management and improvements to the guest experience.

The Demo Day, held at Sercotel Rosellón, provided an opportunity to share the lessons learned during the first phase of the programme and present the work carried out by the participating startups.

OpenStay Lab has taken these solutions directly into real hotel environments. This has enabled the startups to work in fully operational hotels, alongside real teams and on specific business needs, allowing their usefulness to be assessed beyond the confines of a conventional pilot project.

Commenting on the initiative, Luis Miguel Martín, CIO of Sercotel, said: “OpenStay Lab has enabled us to introduce technology into the real-world operation of our hotels and assess which solutions can deliver value on a day-to-day basis. The programme helps us learn alongside our teams, measure results and identify specific opportunities to continue transforming our operations.”

Meanwhile, Alberto Delgado, Director of Digital Transformation Consulting at SEIDOR, said: “Technology has a greater impact when it is applied to real business challenges. OpenStay Lab demonstrates how collaboration between companies, startups and technology experts can accelerate the adoption of useful, scalable solutions that respond to the needs of the hospitality sector.”

The participating startups have focused on four key areas for the hotel business: room operations management, online reputation, task automation and the efficient use of resources.

In the area of operational efficiency, Controlá has worked on a solution designed to improve room management by detecting check-outs immediately. This information provides teams with greater visibility and facilitates the more efficient organisation of certain internal tasks. The solution also includes features relating to climate control and energy consumption, with the aim of automating actions that contribute to a more efficient use of resources.

Improving the guest experience has also been a key focus through Jaippy, whose work has centred on data management and online reputation. Its solution helps teams interpret the available information more effectively, identify areas for improvement and implement low-cost initiatives with the potential to enhance customer perceptions and the hotel’s competitiveness.

Meanwhile, ProcessAP Robotics has introduced service robotics into daily hotel operations, using the technology to support logistics and food and beverage tasks. The solution is designed to free up employees’ time so they can focus on higher-value activities, improve service efficiency and reduce some of the physical demands associated with operational work.

In the area of sustainability, Smart Water Flow / Defcon8 has implemented a real-time water consumption monitoring solution. The technology makes water usage more visible, encourages more responsible consumption and facilitates the early detection of incidents, contributing to both environmental efficiency and improved preventive maintenance.

Following this first phase, Sercotel will work with the participating startups to assess potential opportunities for further development and collaboration, with the aim of identifying the solutions offering the greatest potential for scalability and impact across the company.

OpenStay Lab was launched in November 2025 as a joint initiative by Sercotel and SEIDOR, as part of the Sercotel Innovation Hub, which was unveiled at FITUR 2025. The programme was created to connect the entrepreneurial ecosystem with the real challenges facing the hospitality sector and accelerate the adoption of technology applied to the business.

The call for applications received 14 submissions from technology startups, from which four projects were selected to carry out pilot schemes in hotels managed by Sercotel. The proposals were assessed according to criteria including innovation, technical and economic feasibility, replicability and their potential impact on the guest experience, sustainability and operational efficiency.

Through this initiative, Sercotel and SEIDOR are strengthening their commitment to bringing applied technology closer to the business by connecting established companies, entrepreneurial talent and real operational challenges.