6 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com FEATURE property and how employees work. AI can help automate repetitive tasks, freeing up hotel employees to focus on more strategic activities like relationship building and providing topnotch personalized services to guests. Operations and Marketing AI’s capacity to analyze massive amounts of data, forecast trends, and make intelligent decisions based on customer behavior is already reshaping hotel operations. According to IndustryARC, a market research consulting firm, the hospitality and tourism AI market is projected to exceed $1.2 billion by 2026. On top of guest interaction, AI can help hotels prevent internal system disruption by predicting things like maintenance needs and equipment failures. Hotels are already using AI to learn what information travelers are seeking, and then developing marketing materials in their hotel’s voice, utilizing generative AI. “You can use AI to write your first draft and then customize from there,” Carbonniere said. “This helps fuel our client’s marketing strategies with databacked content ideas, and they don’t have to start from scratch.” Hiring and Recruiting AI is also rapidly transforming the landscape of hiring and recruiting, with hotels increasingly relying on AI-driven solutions to streamline their HR processes. Stacey Chiu, a labor and employment attorney at Michelman & Robinson, LLP works with hospitality clients who report that AI programs are significantly increasing their data processing capabilities, particularly in tasks such as sourcing and screening potential candidates. Hoteliers are also utilizing AI to help answer basic HR questions. “Instead of reaching out to an HR rep at a company to ask how many vacation days they have left, employees can ask questions to the AI program and get an immediate response,” Chiu said. While AI holds the promise of efficiency and productivity gains, there are concerns regarding its potential to perpetuate biases and discrimination. AI models are only as objective as the data they are trained on, often reflecting historical biases present in human decisionmaking. Chiu focuses on advising clients on how to implement these AI tools responsibly and ensure compliance with labor laws. “If an AI model is trained on recruiting what has historically been a great candidate for the past 50 years, they might self-select certain people who are say white and male because those might have been the types of candidates that were selected for this position in the past,” she said. Many AI programs are still in the early stages of development, so Chiu highlighted the importance of backing them up with human oversight. Once customers are on your website, personalization can suggest different pages, offers, and relevant content based on their behavior, demographics, and preferences. Chatbots—or programs designed to simulate conversations with users—can also be used to support and engage them, handle routine questions about hotel services, and assist with bookings. These conversion tools can also help deliver exceptional guest experiences, providing tailored itineraries and restaurant recommendations based on their interests. AI can also help power guest feedback and conduct sentiment analysis. “AI is meant to do the heavy lifting and provide humans with the important results that matter most to them,” said Ian Sweeny, CEO and founder of Bepo, a company that provides cashless tipping solutions for hoteliers. According to the Pew Research Center, roughly four in ten Americans in 2022 said none of their purchases in a week are paid for using cash. Instead of using cash, Bepo users can scan QR codes or NFC cards to leave tips for room attendants, valets, and other hotel workers digitally from their phones. Along with the tip, guests can leave feedback. The data is collected by the platform, analyzed, and presented to employees in the form of instant alerts and reports. “If your guest is having a bad experience, you really want to understand that as quickly as possible—and ideally instantly—so you can act on it,” Sweeney said. The AI uses language and ratings to help hoteliers understand if the guest experience was positive, mixed, or negative. “AI can help us understand what guests actually value and provide the data to back it up,” he added. Employee Experience Platforms like Bepo benefit not just tippers but also hotel employees. “The real motivation for us is how do we put more money back into the pockets of service workers,” Sweeney said. AI can help to streamline how guests experience your
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