Can Tech Be Hospitable? 9 Fresh Truths from Tech-Enabled Hospitality Live!

Hospitality’s relationship with tech has never been more… complicated.

On the one hand: AI chatbots, predictive intent tracking, and PMS platforms with API dreams. On the other: guests who just want eye contact at check-in, and hoteliers trying to balance innovation with warmth.

That’s the tightrope Tech-Enabled Hospitality Live! set out to explore. Held at the Art’otel Hoxton in London, the morning event celebrated the launch of Jessica Gillingham’s new book Tech-Enabled Hospitality, featuring insights from nine industry experts across three panels. Speakers from Stripe, Bob W, Apaleo, Minut, Access Hospitality, and others tackled the big themes...from how travelers search to how staff feel about systems they barely know how to use.

Here are highlights of what industry insiders are talking about.

1. The reason guests come back? Spoiler: it’s not your chatbot.

Eighty-four percent of travelers say it’s the staff who bring them back, according to research shared by Philippa Wagner, founder of PeoplePlacesSpaces. And while hotels are scrambling to automate every touchpoint, she reminded us of hospitality’s roots in human care. “The tech should disappear into the background,” she said. “Let people be more present.”

2. Don’t over-communicate, just be responsive when it matters.

Aparthotel brand Bob W’s model is all about invisible service. “Guests could stay and never see a single team member,” said COO Jeremy Slater. But that doesn’t mean you should flood them with notifications. “We've done a lot of rejigging,” he shared. “It's better to send fewer messages, and focus on response time.” Their priority? Lightning-fast support when guests actually ask for help.

3. Payments = trust (and fraud is getting smarter).

James Lemon from Stripe shared a stat that raised eyebrows: while fraud in hospitality is climbing by 20 percent, Stripe has reduced it by the same amount—thanks to smarter, scalable infrastructure. He called payments “the one part of the guest experience you don’t want your staff touching,” and argued that frictionless, secure checkout isn’t just tech-forward, it’s brand-building.

4. The way people find your hotel is already changing.

Forget the search bar. Steve Collins of Access Hospitality said Large Language Model (LLM) traffic will overtake organic Google search by 2027. Today’s travelers might start with ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini, and only switch to Google when they’re ready to book...because they still trust Google more.

For hotels? That means your digital PR—those features in Forbes, Condé Nast, on Virtuoso—are being scraped and served by AI models. And official hotel websites? They’re finally getting some love. “It’s not about keywords anymore,” said Collins. “It’s about intent.”

5. Guests are asking ChatGPT about check-out time. Yes, really.

Jess Matthias, formerly of Sabre, flagged the rise of generative AI during the guest stay. On a recent trip with friends, she observed they now ask ChatGPT for info instead of the concierge or Front Desk, even when the hotel offers WhatsApp messaging. “It’s seeping into daily life,” she said. The challenge? Hotels must keep that sense of connection, even when guests never ask them the questions.

6. Sustainability still matters, and guests want proof.

Sustainability may have dropped down the corporate agenda in some circles, but guests still care. “There’s a risk to pulling back on your commitments,” said Matthias. One bright spot: AI used for good. She highlighted the food waste monitoring program Winnow, which helped Iberostar cut 1.5 million meals’ worth of waste across 40 properties by tracking what goes into the bin—and when. Those results were translated into powerful guest-facing proof points.

Related reading: Hilton 'Green Breakfast' Pilot Results in 62 % Decrease in Food Waste Across 13 Hotels

7. Innovation isn’t a one-time project, it’s a posture.

The future belongs to hotels that can “innovate forever,” noted Stephan Wiesener, founder and CTO of Apaleo. That means daily iteration, flexible stacks, and open ecosystems. Rachel Fearon of Living Rooms echoed the sentiment, saying she’s now prioritizing smaller, newer tech partners over legacy giants: “We can grow together and support each other.”

8. Your replies to reviews? They're feeding the algorithm.

LLMs are hungry for content—and your online reputation is on the menu. Multiple panelists noted that guest reviews, responses, and even tone are now influencing AI-generated rankings. Want to show up higher in those “best boutique hotel in Shoreditch” answers? Start responding with intention—and a human voice.

9. Want your tech to work? Train your people...and reduce the clutter.

Having the tech is one thing. Using it well is another. Both Olivier Delaunoy and Rachel Fearon pointed out that most hotels are only using about 50 percent of their current tech tools’ capabilities. “The future,” said Delaunoy, “is a straight line”—one clean, centralized platform, not a web of disconnected systems. The upside? Better control, lower costs, and higher staff retention. “Make it easier for teams to be brilliant,” Fearon added. “And they will be.”

Parting thought: Tech isn’t the villain. Disconnection is.

Whether you’re fully automated or proudly analog, one thing came through loud and clear: hospitality isn’t about replacing people with tech—it’s about using tech to let people shine.

As Rachel Fearon said: “We’ve got to evolve. But we can’t lose who we are.”

Want to go deeper? Jessica Gillingham’s new book, Tech-Enabled Hospitality, is a thoughtful, practical guide for hospitality professionals navigating the fast-changing world of technology.

Based on more than 30 interviews with leaders across hotels, STRs, and travel tech, the book explores how to adopt innovation without losing the heart of hospitality. A smart, human-centered read for anyone rethinking their tech stack, or just trying to stay one step ahead!

Order the book here.