Hotels May Be Looking for AI Value in the Wrong Place

The biggest opportunities for artificial intelligence may lie beyond bookings, helping hotels improve the entire guest journey from travel inspiration to post-stay engagement

Tupelo, Mississippi, 7 September 2026 – Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of the hospitality industry, but hotels may need to rethink where they use it. Rather than simply adding AI tools to existing systems, hotel businesses could gain more value by using the technology across the entire guest journey.

Recent research from Google Cloud involving more than 2,400 senior executives found that 86 percent of executives believe artificial intelligence can support cost efficient growth. The research also highlights an important difference between companies gaining strong returns from AI and those struggling to see results. Successful businesses are embedding AI into core processes, helping employees develop AI skills and using technology to make decisions faster.

For hotels, this raises a simple question: where is value actually created? The answer may be much broader than the booking process.

A hotel guest journey begins long before a reservation is made. It can start when someone dreams about taking a holiday, searches for inspiration, considers destinations and looks for experiences. After the stay, the journey continues through reviews, social media posts and recommendations.

The dreaming stage could become an important opportunity for hotels. Travelers are increasingly turning to AI assistants for travel ideas, destination suggestions and trip planning. This means hotels have a chance to become part of the conversation before a traveler has even chosen where to stay.

A property with a clear identity and strong guest experience could become more visible during this early planning stage. Instead of waiting for customers to search for a hotel, businesses can focus on creating experiences and stories that travelers want to discover and share.

The actual stay is another major area where AI could create value. Technology can handle repetitive administrative work, organize information and help employees respond to routine requests more quickly.

The goal should not be to remove the human side of hospitality. Instead, AI can take care of time consuming tasks and allow hotel employees to spend more time interacting with guests. Faster responses, personalized recommendations and easier access to information could improve the overall guest experience while allowing staff to focus on personal service. What happens after the stay is equally important.

Guest reviews, social media posts, and personal recommendations can influence future travelers. In an AI-driven travel environment, this information could also affect how hotels are discovered and recommended. A positive guest experience can therefore become a powerful marketing asset long after the guest has checked out.

This also changes how hotels should think about direct bookings. Booking remains essential because it directly generates revenue, but it is also one of the most competitive stages of the travel journey. Travelers often compare multiple hotels, prices and offers before making a decision.

A stronger strategy may be to influence travelers earlier. If a guest already understands what makes a hotel different before reaching the booking page, the final decision may be less focused on price and more focused on the experience.

The bigger lesson is that AI should not be treated simply as another piece of technology. Its value depends on where it is applied and whether it improves a meaningful part of the business.

For hotels, that could mean using AI to understand guests better, support employees, improve operations and create stronger connections throughout the travel journey.

The future of AI in hospitality may therefore not be about creating fully automated hotels. It may be about creating smarter hotels where technology handles friction while people remain at the heart of the guest experience.

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape travel, the hotels that look beyond the booking screen may discover some of the industry's most valuable opportunities.

• By Editorial Panel
• 08 Sep 2026