Navigating the AI landscape: Insights from the 25th Hoteliers Congress

In late November we were at the 25th Hoteliers Congress, hosted by the Association of Employers in Croatian Hospitality. They are the leading professional association of the hotel industry in the country. The two-day event was held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Zagreb.

The afternoon session of the conference second day was dedicated to demystifying artificial intelligence. A lecture and two panel discussions looked into the presence of AI in tools we already use. Many participants advocated for a broader integration of AI into business processes in hospitality.

How do AI and digitalization impact guest experiences and service personalization? What are the latest trends and solutions, and their impact on the hotel business? How do we implement the best of tech and train people to use it? And how do we stay on top of the paramount concern: data security?

These questions were at the centre of the panel discussion titled “AI-Powered Hospitality: Shaping the Future of Hotels and Tourism“. Our very own Goran Mrvoš of Infosit moderated the conversation. Industry leaders from prominent hotel groups such as Valamar Riviera and Aminess participated, as well as those from Best Hospitality Solutions, a company specializing in hospitality management. The conversation revealed different perspectives, with speakers touching on the prerequisites for digitization. Organizing and connecting data for effective machine learning by AI is critical for success, they agreed.

The following panel was titled “Unlocking Hospitality’s Potential: the AI and Digitally Driven Future of Tourism”. Representatives of IstraTech, Alfatec, and Bavel Travel/Voxel participated, with Goran Mrvoš once again moderating the conversation. They discussed the potential of AI from the perspective of companies that build software for the hospitality sector. They pointed to the existing solutions that already incorporate AI, stressing that AI is no longer a matter of science fiction. On the contrary, software companies are now integrating AI into nearly all of their solutions for hospitality.

IstraTech CEO Davor Brenko spoke about what AI brings to hoteliers. Is it an opportunity or a threat? He demystified several AI concepts and explained AI types. Specialized types of artificial intelligence are in many ways different than generative AI, which has captured our imagination in 2023 and 2024. He gave an overview of AI-supported tools in the hotel industry, pointing to both the opportunities and threats that AI could bring in the future.

Do hoteliers need to understand AI more deeply, program it or hire experts? Davor stressed that all kinds of AI-powered software tools are widely available in the market. They are easy to implement and start using, without the need for specific AI knowledge, he said.

If your company needs a tailor-made AI solution, then it is important to have in-house IT experts or external partners in that domain. Larger companies could find this model feasible, but SMEs could face challenge, Davor concluded.