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In hospitality, time is everything. And yet, too much of it is spent on the wrong things. Admin overload, repetitive reporting, fragmented systems… it all adds up. That’s where automation steps in, not to replace people, but to give them back time, so they can connect, think, serve. In this article, I want to share what we’re seeing in the field: the real impact of AI and Automation on hotel teams, and why the future of hospitality is more human than ever.

Hospitality is at an inflection point. 2026 is not just any other year, but a year when everything could change – and yes, AI is at the heart of it.

It seems every day there’s another announcement surrounding some preternatural feat that artificial intelligence (AI) has accomplished. Within the hospitality world, the number of technology vendors introducing (or claiming to introduce!) AI products and features is also mushrooming. It’s all a bit overwhelming.

When ChatGPT opened its Apps marketplace to 800 million users, Booking.com and Expedia were already there. Day-one partners. Ready to intercept travelers at the moment they start planning.

“But professor, will this be useful in real life?”

Expedia and Booking is not a duopoly. I said this some weeks ago when I got a sneak peek at the OTA research data.

Europe remains the world’s top travel destination, attracting millions of visitors each year to its cultural landmarks, diverse regions, and natural beauty. The continent’s diversity also drives strong intra-European travel, reinforcing a shared sense of European identity and local prosperity.

Last year, I wrote an article on a “rule” in customer service that I called the Reality Rule: Treat customers well, regardless of how they treat you. This was inspired by a book I read, Give Hospitality by Taylor Scott. In the article, I talked about four rules.

For years, we have treated robotics and Artificial Intelligence as separate workstreams. AI was “Soft”—it lived in the cloud, processed data, and generated text. Robotics was “Hardware”—it lived in the warehouse, moved boxes, and required expensive coding.