AI is no longer a futuristic buzzword in the hospitality world, it’s already reshaping how hotels operate, communicate, and make decisions. From guest messaging to revenue management, AI is becoming deeply embedded in the day-to-day functions of hotels around the world.
But what do hospitality leaders really think about this shift?
To find out, we turned to experts featured on season 3 of The Turndown for their take. Not only did they share insights into areas where AI is already having a significant impact, they divulged what they’re experimenting with next and why hospitality should never lose its human touch, even in an increasingly automated world.
AI isn’t new – but it’s accelerating
By 2026, the AI travel and hospitality market is projected to surpass $1.2 billion. While the sudden surge in AI investments may seem new, in reality, AI has been running in the background for years, quietly powering everything from facial recognition and revenue management systems.
What’s changed isn’t the existence of AI, but the accessibility, visibility, and conversation around it. Maxim Tint, Founder and CEO of Trevo, says, “We’ve been doing computer vision verification for the last 10 years, long before AI was cool.”
Maxim’s comment points to a larger truth: many hotels have already been using AI without labeling it as such. Forecasting engines in RMS platforms, biometric ID scanning at check-in, and voice recognition in call centers are all examples of non-generative AI at work.
So why does AI still feel so new?
The arrival of generative AI, including models like ChatGPT, has pushed AI into the spotlight. For the first time, hoteliers can see and interact with AI directly, via chatbots, marketing copy generators, and intelligent guest messaging. It’s created a wave of curiosity and experimentation across the industry.
Thanks to stronger data infrastructure, more system integrations, and rising pressure to do more with fewer resources, other forms of AI are accelerating too. Tools that were once limited to enterprise chains are now embedded in everyday platforms.
As a hotel’s tech stack evolves, AI has more of what it needs to thrive: structured, accessible data. At the same time, open APIs and cloud-native design are making it easier to integrate AI across departments.
Machine learning now powers labor forecasting, inventory management, and service recovery. Causal AI helps identify what’s driving performance, not just what’s correlated. And multimodal AI enables systems to interpret text, voice, and visual data together, mirroring how guests actually engage.
“AI is becoming kind of like Wi-Fi in a hotel today,” says Maxim. “Internet connection and Wi-Fi is an infrastructure, a tool that every hotel needs.”
AI is no longer a future investment but a practical, powerful layer of hotel operations and strategy.
AI in guest experience: Faster, smoother, but still human
AI has revolutionized guest experience, but not in the way many expected. Rather than replacing staff, it’s being used to remove friction, surface guest preferences, and free teams to focus on the moments that matter.
From mobile check-in to real-time messaging and virtual concierge services, AI is helping streamline repetitive tasks and provide 24/7 service. What’s more, 58% of guests feel that AI improves their hotel booking and stay experiences.
But hoteliers are clear: automation must stop short of replacing the human connection that defines a memorable stay.
«Routine tasks should be done by machines,” says Diogo Vaz Ferreira, Head of Commercial at Clink Hostels. “Everything that is extraordinary should still be delivered by humans. The trick to remain authentic is how can we automate the parts that should be automated, without losing touch with our guests?”
AI should anticipate needs, help with personalization, and speed up response times, but the delivery of a truly special moment still requires a human touch.
“Use these tools to remove the friction of the process,” says Bashar Wali, Founder and CEO of This Assembly and Practice Hospitality. “But don’t use it to remove humans. Rather, hire more sophisticated humans who can engage with your guests in the art, not the science, of human connection.”
This approach is especially important for setting your property apart from the competition. While some hotel brands focus on efficiency and speed, others pride themselves on warmth, personality, and high-touch service. It’s about what you and your brand represent.
“Just because you can automate something doesn’t mean you should,” shares Maxim. “You’ve got to decide what you want as a business and brand before you blindly take on AI.”
AI in revenue management: From reactive to predictive
Revenue management has always relied on data, but until recently, most systems used historical data and trends. Today, AI is helping hotels move from reactive analysis to strategic foresight, thanks to tools that don’t just spot patterns but understand why those patterns exist.
This is the promise of causal AI. Unlike traditional forecasting engines, causal models are designed to identify underlying cause-and-effect relationships that drive booking behavior, like price sensitivity, lead time, or marketing influence.
“The way revenue management will be done in the upcoming years is going to be totally different,” says Diogo. He goes on later to say, “Let the system predict what is predictable. Let you predict what is unpredictable, or react faster to what is unpredictable.”
Rather than replacing revenue managers, AI is empowering them with automation, handling data analysis and predictions, letting revenue managers focus on strategy. That looks like smarter distribution, more refined pricing, and better alignment with marketing for increased revenue performance.
This new outlook, revenue marketing, uses AI to not just price smarter but to target and convert the right segments through personalized campaigns.
“We talked a lot about AI at HSMAI this year,” says Lori Kiel, SVP of Revenue Management at Pyramid Global Hospitality. “You’ve been using it for years—you just didn’t know it. But now, with tools like ChatGPT, you test it, you see the value, and you trust it. So when your RMS partner tells you it’s AI-powered, you go, ‘Oh… I get it now. This system can probably calculate these trends better than me.”
AI in guest marketing: 24/7 engagement with consistency & scale
For many hotels, marketing has long been a challenge. Limited time, lean teams, rising guest expectations, and departmental silos making it difficult to deliver consistent, personalized outreach. AI is changing that.
Instead of relying on generic promotions, hoteliers can now reach the right guest, with the right message, at the right time across the entire guest journey.
Google’s Performance Max for Travel Goals (PMax), for example, uses AI to automatically optimize targeting, copy, and creative across Google’s full advertising ecosystem. Combined with CRM and intelligence platforms, hotels can trigger personalized emails based on booking behavior, intent, or forecasted demand.
AI chatbots have also become a staple in hotel marketing, bridging the gap between promotion and guest interaction.
“Recently, we implemented AI chatbots on our website,” says Diego de Ponga, CEO of Port Hotels. “You can speak with an AI agent right now driven by a chatbot. This kind of technology helps our guests to have a better experience and helps our employees to be more efficient.”
The benefit isn’t just speed, but consistency.
“At the end of the day, our customer satisfaction score is actually higher than it was in the past,” says Diogo. “Not because the AI answers better than people—but because it answers faster and more completely. It can even adapt to the guest’s tone of voice, which a human might not always do, especially on a bad day.”
Generative AI is also finding its place behind the scenes, helping teams draft campaign copy, brainstorm offers, and produce visuals for ads and emails. What once took days now happens in minutes.
AI in operations: The back-office revolution
Guest-facing AI tools often steal the spotlight, but some of the most transformational use cases are happening behind the scenes. In a labor-constrained industry, AI is quietly reshaping hotel operations, automating administrative tasks, optimizing inventory, and helping teams do more with fewer resources.
“There are a lot of tasks that will be made obsolete by AI in the next three years—repetitive, administrative tasks,” says Diego. “This is the next revolution in our industry. In hospitality, we do so many things in the back office—and that’s where AI is going to have the biggest impact.”
Today, AI is being used to recommend staffing levels based on forecasted demand, flag potential overages in supply ordering, and automate routine reporting. Multimodal AI, which can process voice, video, and text inputs, is also enhancing training and onboarding experiences, offering more adaptive and engaging ways to upskill staff quickly.
At the front desk, AI is streamlining the check-in experience. Tasks like identity verification and payment authentication are increasingly handled by these tools, reducing wait times and minimizing errors.
The challenges of AI adoption
AI is transformative and here to stay, but it’s important to understand the challenges around its adoption. Embracing AI requires not just a technical upgrade, but a cultural shift, navigating uncertainty about what these tools mean for human roles.
Maxim shared, “I was talking to a five-star hotel team and they were saying that look all this is great but this requires change in the way these hotels are going to operate – the front desk getting used to this idea of everything happening digitally is almost like going from a steering wheel to a self-driving car.”
For many, the biggest fear is job displacement. But as Diego points out, the real risk isn’t AI itself, but standing still while the industry evolves.
“Because AI is changing the world, if you are able to manage that AI for you, you will not be replaced,” says Diego. “But if you are only doing tasks that a machine can do really easily, you will be replaced with no doubt.”
Others worry about tech overload, how to implement new tools when existing systems already feel fragmented. “It’s tough for revenue managers who base their decisions on data,” says Lori. “Even for us, it’s like—wait a minute—I’m still trying to figure out how to integrate the technology I have before I bring something new on.”
That’s why education, communication, and cross-functional collaboration are essential to AI readiness. When done right, embracing AI can lead to enhanced roles for staff, focusing on tasks that require human creativity and empathy.
About Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds is the leading platform redefining the concept of PMS for the hospitality industry, serving tens of thousands of properties in more than 150 countries worldwide. Built from the ground up to be masterfully unified and scalable, the award-winning Cloudbeds Platform brings together built-in and integrated solutions that modernize hotel operations & finance, distribution & marketing, guest experience, and revenue & analytics. Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds has been named a top PMS, Hotel Management System and Channel Manager (2021-2025) by Hotel Tech Report, World’s Best Hotel PMS Solutions Provider (2022) by World Travel Awards, and recognized in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 in 2024.
