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The hospitality algorithm: how AI is rewriting hospitality

According to research conducted by Iulm, adoption is not homogeneous and for now focuses on operations

by Gianni Rusconi

17 February 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Untapped potential and the skills challenge
Iet's analysis: technology as amplification of the human

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic conference theme for the hospitality sector: technology has already entered the operational processes of most hospitality facilities, but has done so in an uneven, often tactical, rarely strategic manner. This is, in a nutshell, the picture taken by the research presented by Iulm University and the result of a survey conducted between April and July 2025 on a sample of 864 Italian companies in the sector.

Focus on generative AI for operations

The most evident datum is probably related to the diffusion of AI tools, used in at least one case by 83% of facilities; among those that do not yet use them, 40% plan to do so within the next three years. Adoption is therefore transversal but particularly present in realities such as agritourisms and B&s, confirming the trend whereby small-scale structures now have access to low-cost digital solutions that can be implemented immediately. But how is the capacity of algorithms and chatbots being exploited? Usage, as the study confirms, remains for now concentrated on operational applications and specifically involves generative AI tools for text production and translation, customer communication management, responses to online reviews and digital marketing content creation.

About half of the active structures declare a daily or weekly use of these tools, while the use of predictive systems for analysing demand, prices and competition is more limited and the use of customised recommendation solutions even less widespread. The intervention of technology is therefore concentrated on front office, sales & marketing, revenue management and management processes but does not replace the human decision-maker: if anything, it automates repetitive activities and supports him in analysing results. In essence, the report goes on to say, AI is an efficiency lever rather than a business model transformation engine. It is no coincidence that 63% of those interviewed judge it to have no or marginal perceived impact on performance, while the most relevant effects concern increased efficiency (24% rate it high or very high), improved customer satisfaction and online reputation (19%) and optimised pricing (15%).

Untapped potential and the skills challenge

The potential of AI, as the data collected by IULM clearly show, is high but still far from full maturity, partly because of a still weak 'governance' component. In fact, 68% of the structures do not have dedicated figures for AI and the use of the tools is left

to employee initiative, with a prevalent use (over 90%) of standard, very cheap (or even free) and ready-to-use solutions. Only 11% of companies claim to have a specific policy on AI and just 12% invest in dedicated training courses. The lack of skills and rules is counterbalanced by an average high level of satisfaction with this technology (especially for ad hoc solutions), but it is equally clear that there is no shortage of criticalities, from fears related to data processing to the reliability of the systems and the risk of compromising the relationship with the customer in the event of ungoverned use of chatbots and automated systems.

As Manuela De Carlo, scientific head of the research and Director of the Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumption at Iulm, points out, "the change is already underway but there is still unexpressed potential in the use of advanced analysis tools to support business strategies. To seize this advantage,' he added, 'hospitality companies will have to invest in dedicated skills, strengthen the governance of technology, and define policies capable of guiding a conscious integration between technology and human relations. An integration that will have to be coherent and efficient under the banner of data, dynamic pricing and personalisation of the experience.

Iet's analysis: technology as amplification of the human

The impact of AI on the world of hospitality therefore goes far beyond the purely technological aspect, calling into question the formation of new professionalism and the search for the right balance between innovation and the new expectations of travellers. A theme, the latter, which at the recent Bit in Milan, found space for discussion thanks to Iet, the European Tourism Institute, during a debate from which a very clear message emerged: the crux is not the replacement of man with technology, but the redefinition of roles. 'Artificial intelligence,' explained Simona Sabato, Director General of Iet, 'must be conceived as an amplification of the human. The more we can automate what is automatable, the more time we can devote to genuine customer care'.

Algorithm does not replace reception

Hospitality therefore remains a human fact, the manager goes on to emphasise, with technology helping to make it more effective and aware: the new frontier of hospitality is played out through the intelligent use of data from management systems, the adoption of dynamic pricing and forecasting models, the automation of specific phases of the 'guest journey' and the analysis of online reputation. No less important, according to Iet, are the ethical and regulatory aspects, two other factors that push training to the crucial role of bridge between innovative tools, strategic vision and service culture. In an increasingly digital and interconnected tourism, in which AI and intelligent agents will be increasingly present and pervasive, the real challenge for operators is not

certainly that of racing to adopt new technological tools, but rather that of understanding their meaning and integrating them into a hospitality model that keeps the traveller's experience and the human relationship at the centre. The algorithm, in short, does not replace hospitality, it redefines it.