AI in Hospitality: Enhancing Guest Experiences and Operational Efficiency

You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. But the rewards far outweigh the costs, especially as hotels transition from the AI Implementation stage to the AI Day-to-Day Operations stage. Hotels should work closely with their AI providers to ensure that the technology remains cutting-edge and continues to deliver value. The future of hospitality is here, and it’s more human – and more revolutionary – than we ever imagined. This approach would transform the workforce into a hotbed of innovation, with housekeepers potentially becoming AI workflow designers, and receptionists evolving into natural language processing experts.

Kris will share their experiences of introducing AI in this process and the transformation it has brought about, including savings of thousands of hours in the last 18 months. Execs at the major hotel groups have a broadly upbeat outlook as they turn to AI to offset staffing shortages and enhance the guest experience. “Each market offers unique challenges and opportunities that align with Myma.ai’s mission to revolutionise the hospitality industry through AI-driven innovation,” she added. The technology can be extremely effective in providing front-facing customer services such as direct messaging, responding to simple questions or requests, and online chats. Using its experience in the sector, Hotel Management Network has listed some of the leading companies providing products and services related to AI and some of the leading hotel AI companies. AI has opened endless possibilities for improving this aspect, ranging from increased customisation to tailored recommendations.

Webinar recording: Decrypting Data & AI in Hotels, Tuesday 24th September 2024

There, it transforms customer interactions and provides instant, around-the-clock assistance to guests. At the same time, it’s freeing hotel staff to spend more of their time on the little details that delight customers ChatGPT App and make them smile. The data and analytics shared here illustrate just what’s possible, but achieving these results requires more than just adopting AI—it requires a well-structured strategy and system.

• Using Despegar’s AI technology, Karisma Hotels & Resorts plans to provide tailored assistance for its guests.
• A major concern is the cost of implementation, which is particularly challenging for smaller hotel chains.
• This not only speeds up the travel planning process but also significantly improves customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• They include an upgraded search capability attached to the tech so that hotel staff can ask questions in everyday language, such as, “How many check-ins did I have yesterday?
• Today’s travelers, especially frequent travelers, increasingly value efficiency and convenience.

AI could not only reduce the number of jobs, but it has already begun to change the way existing jobs are done by handling tasks such as guest check-ins, customer inquiries and the like. These investments have resulted in a significant increase in revenue in North America and Europe. Looking ahead, IHG will continue its journey of technology innovation, constantly refining its technology and adding new functionality.

Stay Smart, Keep Current

In this evolving landscape, the real question is not whether hotels should integrate AI but how they can harness it alongside human creativity to deliver unparalleled guest experiences and operational success. This is not a trend—it’s a new reality, and those who embrace it with clarity, engagement, and innovation will thrive in ways previously unimaginable. Explanation is about transparency—communicating why AI is being implemented and how it will improve both guest experiences and staff roles. When AI is used to automate routine tasks like check-ins, it should be explained that this shift allows employees to focus on creating memorable, personalized guest interactions.

• This can potentially save hotel owners money, eliminate the risk of human error, and deliver better service.
• Hotel companies are continuing to game out how the innovations and disruptions brought about by generative AI will impact them.
• Leonardo Hotels has successfully integrated HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub across its 213 properties, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration.
• Leila has significant experience working with international hotel brands, hotel membership organisations, restaurant groups and F&B retail.
• Furthermore, the risk to brand reputation is significant if hotels fail to align AI with their customers’ unique needs across different segments and locations.
• Hotel chains are quietly planning to shift their distribution strategies, aiming to bypass traditional intermediaries and boost direct bookings from corporate travel buyers.

With a family of 19 hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has over 6,300 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a development pipeline of over 2,000 properties. Deloitte LLP is the United Kingdom affiliate of Deloitte NSE LLP, a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”). According to the United Nations Environmental Program, 19% of food available to consumers globally — or more than 1.1 billion tons — was wasted in 2022.

Automated Customer Service and Operational

One such tool, the Guest Experience Platform tool Duve, is already being used by over 1’000 brands in 60 countries. Cloudbeds has been using AI since it started, he said, but the company hasn’t done much marketing around it. The new chatbot, named Amadeus Advisor, is integrated into the Agency360+ suite and leverages Azure OpenAI Service to provide quick, natural language responses to complex data queries. However, hotels in the United Arab Emirates saw their revenue per available room jump 30% from 2019 levels during the first half of this year.

The AI technologies we’ve seen doing this are very sophisticated — a customer often thinks they’re speaking to a real person, and they’re saving hoteliers an immense amount of time and labor cost. Additionally, the hospitality industry has been slow to adopt technology compared to other sectors, such as retail and entertainment, which are not afraid to test and invest in digital technologies. Hospitality needs to be more open to learning from other sectors chatbot for hotels and applying those lessons to improve technology use and data management. IHG’s long-term vision is to ensure the tool’s core functionality is valuable and bug-free, with plans for regular upgrades. The chatbot will be able to answer general and specific questions based on Google’s wealth of information paired with IHG’s data. There could also be integrations from third-party travel companies for products like events and attractions bookings.

Groups are heavily booking hotels for large meetings and events.

None of them yet have lived up to the big ideas about the future of travel planning and personalization that experts have been talking about. SabreMosaic includes multiple products and allows airlines to adopt only what they need. Products include tools for airfare and add-on offers based on real-time information, software meant to reduce the impact of delays and cancellations, various payment options, market analytics, and more. The answer lies in the synergy between AI, human creativity, and strategic frameworks like Blue Ocean and Fair Process. When hotels adopt AI as part of a well-thought-out strategy, they open new avenues for revenue growth while improving operational efficiency.

The conference focused on leveraging technology for revenue generation and addressed challenges in the hospitality industry, such as artificial intelligence, green technology, and big data. AI can deliver a more personalized booking service by analyzing customer data, suggesting specific hotels, or recommending add-ons that match their preferences. AI can automate insights and actions by analyzing large amounts of customer data and learning from user interactions. From customized travel recommendations to personalized room settings, AI can deliver a vast and varied range of previously unattainable customization to redefine how companies approach customer service. Powered by its proprietary AI across the full guest journey, HiJiffy allows hoteliers to increase revenue from direct bookings and upselling while automating repetitive tasks to reduce operating costs and mitigate staff shortages. With the expert guidance of HiJiffy’s Customer Success team, Leonardo Hotels enhanced the guest experience during the pre-stay phase, effectively tackling existing challenges.

For years, this industry has relied heavily on human interaction for smooth operations and exceptional guest service. AI is now stepping in to streamline and improve various aspects of service, freeing up human staff to focus on more complex and personalized interactions. Hotels that embrace AI and invest in developing their staff’s skills will be better positioned to capitalize on the opportunities presented by this technology. ChatGPT By leveraging AI to create unique value propositions, enhance operational efficiency, and foster innovative customer engagement, hotels can stand out in an increasingly competitive market. Moreover, AI’s integration into operational metrics like property reviews and Net Promoter Scores promises deeper insights into guest satisfaction and performance, signalling a shift towards a data-driven, customer-focused industry approach.

By integrating artificial intelligence with Internet of Things devices, you can automate the control of thermostats, lighting, and entertainment systems to match your guest’s preferences. Transforming the hospitality landscape, HiJiffy pioneers the integration of advanced conversational AI with its Guest Communications Hub, revolutionising how hotels engage with their guests. This case study illustrates the remarkable impact of HiJiffy’s collaboration with Leonardo Hotels. Travel tech companies heavily market new tools, sometimes branding themselves as AI companies.

The evolution of labour requirements in the hospitality industry

This expense is more than just the initial investment and includes allocating resources for training and ongoing maintenance of the technology. Furthermore, the risk to brand reputation is significant if hotels fail to align AI with their customers’ unique needs across different segments and locations. Beyond enhancing guest personalisation, AI will be a significant enabler of operational improvements across all segments, extending its role to back-office operations. AI already plays a crucial part in revenue management, with departments using algorithms to refine pricing strategies and forecast demand. Now, hoteliers are exploring AI’s application in areas such as investment analysis, where AI can assist in evaluating potential property investments or renovations, indicating a move towards more strategic human resource utilisation.

The hotel giant plans to release the tool in the second half of the year as a feature within its One Rewards mobile app, which the company has been upgrading regularly since relaunching it almost two years ago. IHG Hotels & Resorts sees a future in helping travelers plan their entire trip, not just where to stay. The first version of the AI tool will focus on helping users with the “dreaming phase” of travel. Next, Sabre plans to open use of the tool to hoteliers, which the company hopes would allow them to self-serve when they have product questions if that’s what they prefer. It was designed to answer hotel operators’ questions about any of Sabre’s products without them having to pick up the phone. The generative AI essentially has access to all of the training materials for Sabre’s hotel software products.

According to the Snowflake report, AI will not replace human roles but rather augment them, allowing workers to focus on more strategic and creative tasks. Google Cloud’s approach to cybersecurity, data governance, and privacy also allows IHG to retain control over its data and enables data and applications to meet compliance and security standards, a key priority for IHG. Further, Google Cloud’s responsible and ethical approach to generative AI also means IHG has access to tools which enable direct review of model responses for appropriateness and accuracy. This access enables IHG to tune and update its applications, powered by Google’s models, to ensure optimal performance. Additional functionality and features are planned for later in 2024, enabling hoteliers to further improve the visibility of its wider ancillary services and F&B offering and grow revenues through automating upsells and upgrades. It also respects guest comfort, since the settings can be manually overridden by guests.

This synergy will be essential both now and, in the future, ensuring that the industry continues to evolve in ways that delight guests and drive success. Moreover, AI’s role in dynamic pricing ensures that hotels capture maximum revenue during high-demand periods. AI’s predictive maintenance capabilities help prevent costly equipment failures by alerting staff to potential issues before they escalate (Shiji Group Insights, Canary HMS).