AI is everywhere, it is a crucial part of our daily lives. In some way or the other, we all are using AI knowingly or unknowingly. Starting our day from using auto correct on our phones to asking voice assistants to dial the number for us and help us do our tasks to communicating with chatbots for quick answers to our queries to smart automatic set replies and reminders on our emails to photos getting automatically organized into albums themselves according to each category, location and person. All this is only happening because of AI, which is helping us live smarter and focus on our highest potential.
AI in hospitality: woven into daily operations
Likewise, because of all the benefits it holds from increasing efficiency to improving decision making and problem solving, enhancing guest experience, enabling personalisation to boosting accuracy in work. Use of AI in hotels and hospitality is being deeply woven into the daily working of the hospitality brands.
From seamless digital check-ins to AI chatbots on websites that manage bookings and queries to smart room controls that adjusts guests comfort according to the guests requirements to virtual concierges and tours of the property and places around to the QR code based menus to using AI for hiring, scanning resumes and taking interviews to using AI for forecasting, automated responses, scheduling services and reputation management.
AI has transformed the working style of hotels and hospitality, it has reshaped and evolved the career structure. Leaving many to wonder: Will AI eat up my employment? Will self check-in kiosks and robots take over my front office role or my server role in the restaurant?
The irreplaceable human touch
It is right to think in those lines, it might be scary and anxious to see AI rising. But, while it may continue to develop and grow, AI in hospitality can’t replace you. And here is why. Would you prefer an AI to greet you on a tired day or a human with a warm smile on his / her face? Or would you like to connect with an AI in a hotel during your stay to ask property related questions or a person who actually walks you through the whole property?
Hospitality is all about people
Hospitality is all about people and warm connections, something that AI can’t deliver. It might be able to take your order and serve you your favourite meal at your dream restaurant or it’ll help you skip long check in queues at the property during your vacation, but the exact service and the exact warm experience that hospitality stands for, would not be possible without any human touch and presence.
Why AI can’t replicate the human experience
It is all because AI can not anticipate guests needs, create genuine emotional connections with guests, solve unexpected challenges and take decisions on ground level with human judgement, it can not handle cultural sensitivity, show empathy, sense urgency, deliver service with a personal touch, nor it can build trust and loyalty, create a warm hospitable environment, go the extra mile to deliver a WOW moment experience, build long term relationships, lead teams and lastly it can not replicate a human smile or offer a heartfelt apology that truly feels from the heart.
Which makes it even more easier and clearer to understand that hospitality is a feeling, which only humans can deeply feel, understand and transform into creating experiences that remain truly unforgettable.
AI might take the spotlight, but soft skills will take the lead
As a result, it also indicates and gives an alarming call to us on how crucial human soft skills are. Beyond memorizing and following procedures and checklists and ensuring perfection of every minor detail in hospitality. It’s the human skills that remain unmatched that can’t be learnt or substituted by AI. While AI is used for it’s speed and accuracy, but it lacks human qualities.
A software might generate a process, but only a person can sense the unspoken details of it to fulfil that request properly. It might rule over the operational efficiency, but soft skills like adaptability, empathy, active listening, conflict resolution are increasingly becoming more valuable in this era. Which in turn is indeed, causing recruiters to focus more on finding the right candidates with these soft skills.
AI at convenience
Taking the example of leading hospitality brands, many luxury hotel properties have AI integrated systems, recommendations and support apps for in house guests, designed to guide them with the property’s amenities, services, menus, transportation services and much more at their convenience. While AI has been used here to reduce the work stress and physical efforts of both the staff and the guests from running around, it is also evident that AI has been used here to our benefit.
The app did not replace the concierge or the front desk services; rather it made the process more smooth and streamlined, leading to no guests calls going unanswered and to every guest getting their questions answered quickly. Which shows advantages for both, the guests are able to enjoy their holiday at peace and the staff are able to work and perform better. This has resulted in a significant boost in guest and employee satisfaction. And this is exactly how the growth of AI is projected to be seen in the coming years. Where AI handles the data, and we the people of hospitality do the magic.
Continuous evolution is the way forward
While AI can’t take over your job, but the point to worry about is that AI can take over your skill. Which makes it necessary for everyone in the industry to reskill and upskill themselves regularly. As the future belongs to those who are ready to adjust, accept, adapt and grow with time.
And in hospitality, the future leaders of the industry will be seen to be those who are tech savvy, hold strong soft skills, are open to upskilling, can operate AI systems, innovate service delivery by combining technology and traditions, analyse data and embrace lifelong learnings.
Emerging roles in the AI era
With AI on rise, multiple job roles in AI and tech are growing in the hospitality industry including: data analyst, digital operations manager, IT, reputation manager, AI ethics and compliance officer, AI systems specialist and digital experience manager.
Humans remain irreplaceable
Summing it up, AI hasn’t come to replace you or take over your position, it’s not your competition. Instead, you remain to be an irreplaceable asset to the industry. AI has come as a support tool that is reshaping the hospitality industry and is encouraging everyone to use it alongside their work to help us perform, lead and build our careers better and faster.
It is helping us to focus on our fullest potential and deliverables and prevents us from struggling through basic foundational challenges that gets us to our actual work before the work even begins. It is here to support and assist us, to thrive in the AI world we must adapt, upskill and embrace changes. As the ones who adapt will become more efficient, impactful and irreplaceable.
