Artificial intelligence is no longer fictional fodder for the latest Hollywood film . It ’ s center stage for corporate America as industries look to harness its power and might . The travel and hospitality industries are making AI a part of their mandate for growth . To that end , education and understanding the implications of AI are crucial . The inaugural Destination AI Summit , held in Washington D . C ., in September , looked to answer some of the questions surrounding AI , while |
also providing an environment for thought leadership exchange .
LAYING THE FOUNDATION Data quality and infrastructure were identified as foundational components for successful AI integration , with Shane O ’ Flaherty , global director of travel at Microsoft , emphasizing that without addressing what he called “ technical debt ,” AI risks becoming a sophisticated tool with limited impact . “ If it sits on a pile of bad data , the output will reflect that ,” he said , calling for an industry-wide
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focus on data standardization and accessibility . His sentiment was echoed by Scott Hornick , partner at Oliver Wyman , who cautioned that the hospitality industry must invest in both modernizing infrastructure and refining data management systems to fully capitalize on AI ’ s capabilities . He noted that the challenge is “ not only gathering the data , but ensuring it ’ s clean , accessible and effectively linked to core systems .” Panelists throughout the event agreed that these preparatory steps will enable |
AI to operate seamlessly within hotel systems , paving the way for transformative guest interactions .
ANTICIPATING GUEST NEEDS With a strong data foundation , predictive AI can be used to enhance efficiency while meeting guest expectations in real-time . O ’ Flaherty described Microsoft ’ s implementation of " agentic agents ," sophisticated AI systems designed to guide guests through the booking process while reducing
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64 hotelsmag . com Jan / Feb 2025 |