ATLANTA — With artificial intelligence technology only growing in popularity and proficiency, hoteliers say the industry must come to terms with how best to use it and — more importantly — who should take the lead to implement it within the business.
AI was a huge topic of discussion at the recent Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, and experts are looking at the technology from two different angles: how hotels can use AI to optimize business and how consumers are using it to plan travel.
"I think if you're not using it, you're missing superpowers," Gretta Brooks, CEO and founder at SalesBoost, said on the "AHLA ForWard: The Real Deal AI" panel.
The conversation brought together three experts in the technology, including Brooks, Hireology Chief Revenue Officer Anil Harjani and Modern Context Owner Michelle Carpenter O'Guin. The general takeaway was plug into AI — both personally and from a business perspective — as soon as possible.
Harjani told conference attendees to "start small and scale quickly."
"You just got to figure out, well, where is your lowest-hanging-fruit opportunity, and what does it map to business priorities? ... I think the place that [AI] can most impact is productivity," he said.
Marketing — or any content creation — is something AI can help with, and customer support is another aspect where AI can help.
"We estimate that probably 30% to 40% of our tickets could be responded back to customers without giving intervention," Harjani said.
AI for travel booking
How artificial intelligence intersects with the traveler's booking journey is also top of mind for hoteliers. Kevin Jacobs, chief financial officer and president of global development at Hilton, said on the "Wall Street Talks" panel that bot bookings are on Hilton's radar.
"The agent is the AI, right?" he said. "The thing doing the booking in the future, in the near future, might not be a human. [It] may actually be a bot doing booking, and that has incredible implications for search."
How can hotels "win" on AI-driven booking experiences? After decades of paid and unpaid search strategy, that's the new question the industry faces.
"Search engine optimization, that's not really a thing anymore," Jacobs said. "All of the content is discoverable by the world and can be ingested by these large language models. And so, how are you putting that content out into the world so that it can be found in the right way? This is going to be a revolution in search."
Who will lead AI adoption?
The other big question for AI is who takes the reins in AI adoption. Pete Patel, founder and CEO of Nexera Capital, said on the "Elevate Your Perspective: A 360° Discussion with Brands and Owners" panel that as an owner, he's looking at the brands to take control.
Jacobs is optimistic about Hilton being able to play a role in AI adoption.
"I think our tech stack is plenty flexible to receive what is to come," he said. "But again, what is to come is going to be a lot of technology to drive a lot of efficiencies, but there's going to be fits and starts, and there's going to be testing and learning and figuring out what can be done by bots and what still needs to be done by humans.
"I think the bigger companies will continue to have the advantage if we execute correctly," he added.
Bobby Molinary, chief development officer for U.S. select brands at Marriott International, echoed this sentiment on the "Brands and Owners" panel.
"I think it's a mindset shift where we just have to be accustomed and very comfortable with constantly changing," he said.
AI in execution
For now, AI is not a replacement for human oversight given its current capabilities, Brooks said.
"You have to have the human filter, because I think the internet is only as good as the data in [it]. We all know that. Bad data in is bad data out. You have to look at it and discern it, but I think it can also educate you on what questions to ask," she said.
Brooks likened AI adoption to the transition from Blackberry phones to iPhones. She said you don't want to be the person left behind, holding onto their Blackberry, especially when it comes to what's best for your business.
"It's a tool. It's not going to replace anything, it's going to enhance what you're capable of doing and make it quicker, and that's going to help your performance," she said.
Harjani said everyone in a hotel company should be able to leverage AI.
"What you shouldn't do is say, 'We're going to send it over to the IT department.' ... What I'm trying to say is that you don't want it to be siloed," he said.
How can businesses get started? Carpenter O'Guin recommended getting familiar with the technology via personal use at home beyond the workplace.
"Maybe look at those B and C tasks. Put all of those tasks into ChatGPT and ask, 'What is a good way for me to get started?' So that it can make suggestions and you can continue to be a thought partner," she said.
Not only should current employees get familiar with AI use, but future employees should be expected to have proficiency.
"I think it's important to employ people that are comfortable with changing technology and they really understand the practice," Molinary said. "There's so many things that I don't understand and other people on our team doesn't understand, so when you have people that continue to improve in technology, it just helps out. And you have to be receptive to listening to people that are more comfortable in technology."