Humanity has always advanced through innovation. From the steam engine to artificial intelligence, every invention transforms the way we work, live and connect with each other. The hotel sector is no exception to this trend: the arrival of elevators, centralized reservation systems and online platforms has considerably altered the customer experience and the way establishments operate.
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are propelling us into a new era. Delivery robots, concierge chatbots, cooking robots in the kitchen, predictive software to manage inventory or personalize reception… The promises are numerous: time savings, cost reduction, smooth operations. But a fundamental question remains: how far can we go without betraying what lies at the heart of our profession – human hospitality?
AI, a tool for people
It’s not a question of rejecting progress. AI can be a tremendous support for hotel teams: it can help them focus on the essentials, freeing up time for tasks with greater human value. For example, a robot that delivers luggage or meals can lighten logistics, without replacing a personalized welcome at reception. A digital interface can make getting into the room easier, but it can never replace a kind look or a reassuring word.
The key question is how to position the tool. Who is it for? AI must remain at the service of teams, not replace them. Automation can reinforce hospitality, if it is designed to free up availability, presence and attention.
But if it becomes a substitute for human interaction, it impoverishes the experience. And it runs the risk of distancing the hotel from its core vocation: welcoming people, not just managing flows.
Human intelligence: more than just a performer
One of the risks of excessive automation is to reduce the human being to an executor. If everything is prescribed by algorithms – from customer response to cleaning frequency, for example – then where does intuition, emotion and sound judgment fit in?
In my approach to hospitality, quality isn’t limited to a standard, it’s measured by the team’s ability to discern, to capture what’s not being said. An employee who is trained, supported and listened to will be able to adapt, improvise and forge links. He won’t just follow a procedure. It will embody hospitality.
Let’s take the example of a maître d’hôtel. He doesn’t just serve: he guides the atmosphere, observes, listens and adjusts. He measures the atmosphere in the room and adapts the service accordingly. He feels. No machine, however sophisticated, will be able to perceive the climate of a room, the silent expectation of a customer, or the occasion of a gesture that will mark a memory. Because emotion is not programmable.
Hospitality begins at home
I like to remember that hospitality doesn’t start with the customer: it starts with yourself. To welcome others properly, you must first welcome yourself: recognize your strengths and limitations, understand your relationship with others, and know how to be present. This is what I call generous hospitality: a human, sincere and profound commitment. It cannot be born of a computer program. It is born of awareness, training and shared experience.
In my training courses, I guide teams in questioning their posture and developing an emotional intelligence that enhances the quality of their welcome. AI can support this process (by identifying irritants, for example), but it will never replace the inner transformation that a true sense of hospitality requires.
Customer experience: beyond service
Customers remember more than just the cleanliness of a room or the speed of check-in. He remembers the atmosphere, the look, the warmth of a word, the feeling of being understood. This is what distinguishes good service from a memorable experience.
And this quality of experience cannot be automated. It’s created in the moment, with what each employee brings to the table. It’s alive, unique, fragile too. It requires constant attention, an ability to connect with others with respect and generosity.
This is why the hotel industry cannot become an industry of interchangeability. A hotel is a place of welcome, pause and intimacy, not just an optimized transit point. AI must help us to serve people better, but not to standardize living things.
Rethinking priorities: putting people first
In the face of innovation, the question is not so much “can we do it?” but “should we do it?”. What’s the point of automating everything if we lose the most precious thing of all: relationships? The desire to please? The pleasure of giving, of receiving, of creating a unique atmosphere?
My approach is to put people back at the heart of the hospitality strategy. This means training, listening and valuing teams. This also means that innovation must be designed with, not against, employees.
No tool, however intelligent, can replace motivation, attention and listening. These are the qualities that keep customers coming back – not the technology itself.
Combining modernity and meaning
So yes, let ‘s use technology. It would be absurd not to. But let’s be discerning. Let’s always ask ourselves this question: does this improve the human experience, for both customer and employee? what happens next? and the next step?
Ultimately, what customers are looking for is not perfect processes, but positive memories, emotions and a sense of consideration. And what employees want is not to be replaced, but to be recognized, supported and empowered.
Hospitality has always been a subtle art. In the age of AI, this art form is not disappearing: it needs to reinvent itself with lucidity. Progress is not incompatible with human warmth. On the contrary, it can be an opportunity to strengthen our hospitality, provided we don ‘t lose sight of what’s essential: the other, in all his or her humanity.
