'AI takes off in hotel industry too'

More hoteliers, managers, CEOs and professionals from the hotel industry experienced - on the 22nd wedding anniversary of our King and Queen - not only a festive but also an extremely instructive day. At the same venue where the royal couple said "I do" it turned out that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also advancing rapidly within the hotel industry. During the Hotel Leaders Network 2024 in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, attendees got a fascinating glimpse of the future. And it is closer than many think.

The theme of already the eighth edition of the annual Hotel Leaders Network this year was 'The World of AI'. More than 200 industry leaders watched as Remy Gieling, AI expert, founder of ai.nl and author of several books on the subject, kicked off the afternoon in a packed Beurs van Berlage with the statement that "chatGPT is only child's play at what the hotel industry is going to experience in the next two years". Because while AI is really not from today or yesterday - Gieling showed a timeline that went back to 1960 - we are, anno 2024, in the midst of the greatest acceleration in technology in living memory. In a whirlwind keynote speech, Gieling led attendees through the latest trends and innovations and showed an ABN AMRO study showing that 17 per cent of hotels are already "doing something with AI". That percentage will hit 100 per cent within two years, according to Gieling. "And what we now understand by AI will evolve into AGI, or Artificial General Intelligence: artificial intelligence with consciousness, within 10 years."

Presenters of the afternoon Sander Allegro, also a member of the Advisory Board, and Noëlle Veldhuis, student moderator at NHL Stenden Leeuwarden, then announced Matthijs Welle, CEO of Mews, the fast-growing and award-winning Property Management System (PMS). In a riveting session, Welle talked about the crucial role of AI and automation for modern hotel owners and their guests. "Right now, hotel guests in particular are already using AI extensively," Welle reminded his audience. "Hotels themselves still a lot less. But that won't take another 10 years. Rather 1 or 2 years." He explained that Mews itself already has almost 40 per cent of tickets answered by a bot. "Searching for a hotel will be completely different within a few months. All the filters that Booking.com uses now can then be asked in one question. Reviews will become even more important and improved guest profiles are going to help the front desk tremendously, allowing AI to take over complete workflows."

After Welle, the creators and organisers of the Hotel Leaders Network entered,
Jacob de Graaff and Melle Pegman, the stage to announce the three finalists of the Future Hotel Leader Award. From as many as 40 nominees, a professional jury first selected 10 and later three remainers. Aafke Goetheer, Carlos Lasala Loren and Frédérique Selbeck were allowed to introduce themselves to the audience in a short film and were extensively questioned by the jury. The jury report and a vote by the audience in the room then pointed to Frédérique Selbeck as the winner of the prestigious award. She accepted the trophy and the accompanying prize during the lively party that continued into the late hours.

Stef Driessen, sector banker at HLN main partner ABN AMRO, then announced the three scale-ups that were allowed to prove to the audience in a short pitch that a glorious future awaits them in the hotel industry. Michiel de Vor of Runnr.ai, Martijn Rehling of Smart Servant and Patrick Dekker of Wundermart each gave impressive presentations on what they have to offer the industry.  

De Vor built a virtual hotel concierge with Runnr.ai that uses Whatsapp to help guests with both checking in, booking breakfast or room service and arranging a taxi. Rehling gave attendees a glimpse into the future with cleaning and operating robots that can take over more and more tasks from flesh-and-blood humans. Dekker showed how hotels can turn loss-making sales into as much as 35 per cent margin on food and beverage with a simple self-service shop in their lobby. 

The audience overwhelmingly chose Runnr.ai as the winner of the Scale-up Pitch. Michiel de Vor responded with honour: "With Runnr.ai, we offer a solution to the growing staff shortages in the industry. We can take away a significant part of the front desk staff's workload and ensure higher revenue per room. And all with an app that everyone uses several times a day: Whatsapp. We are now working on the possibility of integrating Runnr.ai more and more into hotels' PMS so that communication with and experience of guests is taken to the next level. It also works in all languages. That we are winning here today does show how well the theme of HLN 2024 was chosen. Without AI, you miss the boat very quickly as a hotel."

Peter Heerschop closed the afternoon with an unforgettable Hotel Speech infused with humour and keen insight. The event then moved on to the Walking Network Dinner where attendees enjoyed the food and drinks. To then pass almost unnoticed into a vibrant XL edition of the well-known Hotelvrijmibo with drinks, snacks, DJs and even inimitable circus acts. It was restless on Amsterdam's Damrak for a long time to come. ■

Jacob de Graaff, founder HLN: "What a phenomenal day we got to experience! The Beurs van Berlage was the vibrant epicentre for a day full of inspiration, networking and fascinating insights. This year we welcomed the largest turnout ever, with more hoteliers, managers, CEOs and professionals from the hotel industry than ever before. A very successful edition in other words!" 

Melle Pegman, founder HLN: "AI as a theme was, I think, a hit. You noticed that everyone in the room is working on it in one way or another. I expect the industry to be shaken up in the next few years. Nice that we were able to give the initial impetus. Otherwise, only happy faces here. We couldn't have wished for better."

Marco ten Hoor, Director Hotel Management School NHL Stenden: "Great organisation! And with an impressive theme. AI will become an increasingly important part of our education. Last year, in my opinion, it was still too often about students using chatGPT for their assignments and reports, but let them embrace this technology above all. Because it's not going away anymore. Progress - thankfully - doesn't stop you. So I mainly try to point out to our teachers what it means for the industry. And that they need to bring our students into that." 

Jason Yang, hotel investor: "I have learnt a lot today. An extremely hot topic that we as an industry cannot ignore. To critics, I would say: 'You can be against it, but it is better to delve into the applications of AI. Because this won't stop tomorrow. This train is rumbling on." 

Jaap Blijleven, Key Account Manager Benelux at Groupe GM: "What a well-organised event! As a supplier, we are on the other side as the hoteliers, but it is good to see and hear what they are working on. While I certainly see benefits in AI, I remain more of a people person. I hope it doesn't make human contact disappear. After all, that should remain the core business of hospitality." 

Daan de Smit, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Sbit Hospitality ICT Services: "Content-wise, a very good event. Fast, relevant and highly topical. And you meet the right people there. I learned a lot from the keynotes and pitches. That will definitely be followed up." 

Noëlle Veldhuis, student moderator at NHL Stenden and presenter of the afternoon: "A great honour that I could present this afternoon as a student. And also an incredibly well-chosen theme for the younger generation. I think we as students are even a bit ahead of the older generation when it comes to AI. Yes of course I also use it for school. You'd be crazy not to. It offers an awful lot of inspiration and opportunities. I also definitely heard new things today that I can use in the future. It just made me want to work in this industry even more."