As the sharing economy matures, the homestay industry is undergoing a critical shift from fragmented, manual operations to an integrated, intelligent management paradigm. This review examines the evolution and implementation of Intelligent Homestay Management Systems (HMS) and the resulting transformation of service models. By analyzing a tri-layer technical architecture consisting of the Data Layer (Big Data), the Perception Layer (IoT), and the Decision Layer (AI), this paper illustrates how intelligent systems address the inherent inefficiencies of decentralized property management. Furthermore, the study explores emerging service models—such as "unattended" contactless service and hyper-personalized guest experiences—while critically evaluating the economic trade-offs, privacy concerns, and the tension between standardization and cultural authenticity. The findings suggest that while intelligent transformation is an inevitable requirement for operational scaling, the future of the industry depends on a hybrid approach that harmonizes algorithmic efficiency with the core values of human-centric hospitality.
Shan Huiwei (2025) studied this question.