Guest Post: Hotels risk missing the AI revolution without data

Fritz Müller, SVP revenue (Europe) of RateGain, stresses the importance of being data ready

AI is transforming industries from finance to healthcare, but hospitality remains stubbornly behind. The reason isn’t a lack of ambition, but a lack of something far more fundamental: unified data. Without it, hotels can’t unlock the true potential of AI, leaving them dependent on fragmented systems and slower to meet the expectations of modern travellers.

While digital transformation has advanced across industries, hospitality still lags. The State of Distribution 2025 report, based on a survey of 21,000 hotels worldwide, revealed that AI ranked last among planned technology investments. This does not reflect a lack of interest, but rather a lack of readiness to unlock AI’s full potential. The need for change is even more urgent in the hotel industry, where the adoption of digital tools has been slower than in other sectors. It is no surprise that artificial intelligence is often seen as the next big leap, but what will determine who gains from it is not the model itself, but the data that fuels it.

The heart of this transformation is not technology, but unified data. Without accurate, reliable, and unified information, AI cannot deliver on its promise to automate processes and personalize experiences. Even the best AI solution will be limited and unable to provide real value to guests if it lacks solid data. For AI to function effectively, hotels need clean and consistently structured content, a single view of each guest, real time rates and availability, and visibility into where every data point originates.

However, the reality of data in the hotel industry is far from the standards that AI demands. Most hoteliers still deal with fragmented systems, platforms that do not communicate, and siloed information. This creates poor experiences and benefits OTAs, which have historically dominated personalisation thanks to their access to unified and reliable data. 

Across the sector, common data gaps continue to hold hotels back - duplicate guest profiles spread across PMS, CRM, and loyalty systems; inconsistent room and rate content across channels; and delayed data flows that force booking engines and assistants to work with outdated information. These gaps prevent AI from generating accurate or personalized responses, and they directly erode conversion, pricing accuracy, and guest trust.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform hospitality, but how quickly can hotels adapt. Success will hinge on integrating data, breaking down silos, and building the readiness to embrace AI-driven change. Yet hotels face two major barriers to rapid adoption: fragmented systems and a culture resistant to change.

Operational data flows from multiple sources such as PMS, CRM, POS and others, yet remains siloed across departments, making integration difficult. At the same time, a highly dispersed market dominated by independent hotels, combined with a cautious approach to technological investment, slows innovation. The result is that many hotels wait for others to take the first step, reinforcing the dominance of OTAs and limiting their own ability to drive direct bookings. Until data is treated as an operational asset with clear ownership, quality standards, and accountability, AI will remain out of reach.

Yet the pressure to change is growing. Travellers demand smoother, more personalized experiences, competitors are beginning to use AI, and technology costs are falling rapidly. AI can reduce costs further and improve hotel efficiency, but to harness it, integration and data quality are essential. Hotels that have invested in data discipline are already seeing results — faster responses, higher conversion on direct channels, and fewer operational errors. Those who delay risk being locked out of the next stage of competition.

In this context, AI-powered voice agents are emerging as a key innovation that could reshape how travel is booked. These conversational interfaces go beyond routine queries and expose whether a hotel’s systems are truly connected. A voice agent linked only to the PMS can confirm a booking, but it cannot handle a request like, ‘Can I combine my two reservations under one bill and schedule a late check-out?’ 

To deliver that level of service, it must draw seamlessly from PMS, CRM, POS, and even maintenance systems, becoming a single access point for the guest. In this way, voice assistants are not just guest service tools — they are a diagnostic for data readiness, instantly revealing where gaps still exist.

Where the systems are connected, however, the impact is transformative. AI-powered voice agents are amongst this. In early pilots, it has shown how unified data enables AI to manage multilingual conversations, sync live rates, and handle reservations or upsells in real time. 

Crucially, this isn’t about replacing staff, but about amplifying them, freeing teams from repetitive requests such as date changes, folio copies, or amenity checks, while lowering costs to serve and allowing staff to focus on high-value guest interactions.

The benefits extend directly to guests. With unified data, a voice agent can provide accurate, personalized answers in seconds. A simple query like ‘What’s the best rate for next weekend?’ becomes an opportunity to combine PMS data for availability, POS data for upsell options, and CRM data for loyalty preferences into one natural response. And when the agent cannot answer correctly, it highlights where integration is still lacking - making voice AI both a guest service channel and a barometer of a hotel’s digital maturity.

This is why improving data quality and connectivity can no longer be treated as back-office IT projects. They are competitive strategies that determine whether hotels can harness AI effectively, reduce OTA dependence, and deliver the seamless, personalised experiences today’s travellers expect.

The industry is standing at the edge of its most significant technological shift in decades. Operational challenges will always exist, but they cannot excuse delay. AI has arrived — and it speaks the language of unified data. Hotels that master that language will reduce OTA dependence, delight guests, and lead the next wave of competition. Those that don’t risk being left behind.