As hoteliers’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence have started to shift to one of acceptance, one hospitality technology founder believes they should reframe their thinking about the technology beyond a revenue story.
According to Richard Valtr, founder of Amsterdam-based hospitality software provider Mews, hotels can use AI not only to maximize operational efficiency and revenue, but also to form deeper, more personal connections with guests.
A recent Mews survey found that 59% of hoteliers maintain that some experiences, including the front desk and check-in, should be human-led. It also found that as hoteliers grow more comfortable with AI, the more they see the value in preserving that human interaction.
At the NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum in New York City last week, Valtr sat down with Hotel Dive to share his thoughts on what hoteliers get wrong about AI, how the technology is able to learn from “whispers and signals” and how it can foster more human interaction.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HOTEL DIVE: Could you elaborate more on Mews’ recent survey and what stood out to you in particular?
RICHARD VALTR: I think it’s interesting that people were saying AI is now kind of clicking for them. They're like, “Oh, hospitality should have had this a long, long time ago.”
One of the things that always feels correct from a perspective on how revolutions happen, and how revolutions of thought happen, is that they kind of slowly creep up. Then once someone’s unveiled the big idea, it’s really difficult to remember what the past was like. I think that happens both in technology, but also with consumer behavior. I feel like most people who have ever used an Uber hate the experience of a taxi now.
People talk about efficiency, but for me, efficiency is just one part of it. Like, what exactly are you going to do? Are you really going to have a chatbot instead of a receptionist?
Richard Valtr
Mews Founder
At the beginning of Mews’ Unfold forum, we asked attendees, ‘Would you want Mews to do more things aside from being a PMS?’ Fifty-seven percent of people said no. But by the end of the conference, once we unveiled [what our partnership with SiteMinder looks like] and what we mean by an operating system, 81% of people said this is exactly what they want.
It’s one of those things that, if we just did the thing that everyone asked us for, we would never actually be able to do what we think this industry needs to be.
What do you think hospitality is missing about AI?
There’s two aspects of it. I think one is that nobody has actually said what they want to get. People talk about efficiency, but for me, efficiency is just one part of it. Like, what exactly are you going to do? Are you really going to have a chatbot instead of a receptionist? But that comes with other questions like: Where does somebody access that chatbot? What are you doing about security, for example? I feel you always need to integrate these questions into the intention.
What are other ways of knowing the customer I can get without sending a 20-page survey? That’s exactly where AI is great because it’s able to learn from the whispers and signals, and that gets smarter over time.
Richard Valtr
Mews Founder
The other thing people are missing out on is that we think AI is fundamentally a revenue story, but it actually enables you to have a deeper connection ... it’s how to make sure that offering is better than a human. That means if you are running a luxury hotel, having a WhatsApp-powered concierge is no longer great. That’s no longer a luxury product, so you have to think about other ways of personalization. What are other ways of knowing the customer I can get without sending a 20-page survey? That’s exactly where AI is great because it’s able to learn from the whispers and signals, and that gets smarter over time. It understands both the customer, but also basically the property. It also understands that people are working at the property. It understands when there should be a human in the loop and when a human should be just overseeing the desired outcome.
Some experts think that AI has the opportunity to solve the fragmentation in hospitality right now, especially as hotel brands consolidate. Do you agree with that?
Yes, the answer is yes. Mews wants to create a platform where all the fragmentation can go into its own little bucket. The reason why you create software is that you actually stop fragmentation.
Hospitality is about bringing people together; right now it’s very difficult to figure out how to have a multipurpose human.
Richard Valtr
Mews Founder
It means that you can create better interoperability.
For example, before you had problems where a CRS would want to talk to a PMS. Fundamentally, they’d be using completely different vocabularies. The PMS would care about things happening on the property, while the CRS would be focused on the chain level. What we’re able to do is make sure that they’re meeting together, and that all of those different entry points — whether it’s a loyalty member or a guest themselves, plus the staff on the property — they’re all joined up.
Where do you think the human touch is still necessary?
Everywhere. My ideal hotel would have a staff of 200 people. I feel like AI will create a huge shift toward people actually trying to find more connections for people. Hospitality is about bringing people together; right now it’s very difficult to figure out how to have a multipurpose human.
Where do you think humans are most necessary in hotel operations?
I feel like anytime there is a specific human service. For example, directions you can get from an app or Google Maps. But a lot of times you want to be inspired, and I feel like humans are really good at inspiring each other.
