- Hospitality AI council releases guidance.
- Council aims to eliminate duplication and confusion.
- First Hospitality AI Exchange set for Feb. 2–3.
THREE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS formed the Global Hospitality AI Coordinating Council, announced Nov. 13. The council will coordinate artificial intelligence guidance for hospitality professionals worldwide.
The new AI Council’s founders are Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International and the American Hotel & Lodging Association with its Hospitality Technology Next Generation. The council will combine the groups’ capabilities and assets to offer a central authority on hospitality AI, the groups said in a statement.
Each association will keep its own AI initiatives for its members and network.
The groups’ said AI is entering operations across all departments and segments, and they want to help stakeholders address its impact.
“Hospitality leaders are looking for practical guidance they can trust as AI continues to reshape our industry,” said Brian Hicks, HSMAI president and CEO. “By bringing together expertise in sales, marketing, revenue optimization, finance, technology, industry workgroups and public policy advocacy, we’re creating a collaborative approach that helps our members understand the opportunities, address the challenges and move forward with confidence.”
The council is designed to eliminate duplication and confusion from competing AI advisory groups, guidance and information sources, the statement said. Its guidance will serve hospitality professionals, not sales targets, and draw on experts in operations, finance, technology, sales, marketing and revenue management. The guidance will rest on the knowledge of all three groups, whose memberships span six continents and represent thousands of stakeholders.
Frank Wolfe, CAE, CEO of HFTP, said members hear about new AI groups and events almost every week and ask whom they can trust.
“By uniting through the Global Hospitality AI Coordinating Council, we're sending a strong message: our members deserve honest, unbiased guidance, and we're going to deliver it together," he said.
“As AI continues to shape the future of hospitality, it is essential that our industry has access to trusted resources and guidance to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape,” said Kevin Carey, AHLA chief operating officer. “Through collaboration, we can equip hospitality businesses with the tools and knowledge to thoughtfully integrate AI into their operations, enhance the guest experience and empower the people who keep our industry moving forward every day.”
A program coordinated under the initiative is the first Hospitality AI Exchange, a new event set for Feb. 2 to 3 in the Dallas area. HFTP will produce it, with AHLA and HSMAI as supporting association sponsors. Members can expect more updates, resources and opportunities to get involved in the months ahead.
AHLA released a report on AI and the hotel workforce on Nov. 4 at The Hospitality Show, Asian Hospitality reported. The report, produced with software company Actabl, said hotels should use AI to support employees, not replace them. It cited a benchmark study in which 15 percent of respondents said AI improved frontline work.
