Personalisation used to mean remembering a guest’s name… maybe even their favourite pillow if you were really ahead of the game. But today? Travellers expect hotels to know them, anticipate them, and wow them at every step, without them having to ask.
In this thought-provoking piece, Prince Thampi, Co-Founder and CEO of Hudini, explores how AI-powered guest technology is rapidly reshaping hospitality, turning personalisation from a manual art into a predictive science. From unified guest profiles to hyper-personalised journeys and revenue-driving recommendations, it’s clear that AI is fast becoming the backbone of modern hotel experiences.
And the results? Let’s just say the “wow factor” is getting a serious upgrade.
How AI-powered guest technology is driving the next era of personalisation in hotels
Personalisation has long been a key element of hospitality, but guest expectations have evolved faster than traditional service models can keep up. Today’s travellers demand that hotels recognize them, anticipate their needs and tailor experiences seamlessly across every touchpoint. AI is proving a key tool in the hoteliers’ arsenal, transforming personalisation from a manual, reactive process into an intelligent, predictive one.
AI-driven guest technology is no longer a “nice to have” – it has become a strategic enabler for differentiation, loyalty and revenue growth.
From fragmented data to a unified guest profile
Historically, guest data has lived in silos: PMS, CRM, loyalty systems, POS and third-party platforms. AI changes the equation by collecting and analyzing data from multiple sources to create a unified, dynamic guest profile. Preferences, past behaviour, spending patterns and contextual data can now be viewed and interpreted in real time.
This intelligence allows hotels to move beyond surface-level personalisation, such as remembering a birthday, towards deeper, more meaningful engagement. AI can predict what a guest is likely to want next, whether that’s a dining recommendation, a spa offer or a late check-out, and surface it at exactly the right moment.
Alongside the correct digital touchpoints, we’ve seen AI dining recommendations boost revenue on in-room dining by over 650% in a six month period in properties we have worked with.
Hyper-personalisation across the guest journey
AI-powered guest apps are at the centre of this transformation. Pre-arrival, staff can personalise communication, upsell relevant experiences and reduce friction through digital check-in and identity verification.
During the stay, AI functions as a personal concierge, communicating instantly in the guest’s preferred language and channel, intelligently resolving requests, and seamlessly coordinating teams behind the scenes to deliver a smooth, efficient experience.
Hudini’s chat module enables culturally nuanced messaging, personalised solutions, and tailored upselling for guests wherever they are from. As a core part of the hotel experience, chat drives meaningful engagement: some hotels have exchanged over 8,400 messages in six months, with AI helping maintain a negative tone in fewer than 3% of interactions.
Post-stay, AI continues to deliver value by analysing feedback, predicting future intent, and enabling targeted re-engagement that feels relevant rather than generic.
Empowering hotel teams to personalise better
Guest personalisation isn’t just guest-facing. It starts with empowering hotel teams. AI-powered staff apps deliver real-time insights, alerts, and recommendations directly to employees on the move, reducing administrative burden and enabling more meaningful guest interactions. Hotels have registered up to a 40% reduction in response times and hundreds of front-desk hours saved.
With AI-driven insights, staff can personalise service with confidence: welcoming returning guests with context, anticipating needs, and resolving issues proactively. Automating routine tasks like check-in, translation, and reporting frees teams to focus on what matters most: the human connection. The result is seamless convenience for guests and greater clarity and control for staff, a true win-win.
Importantly, this also helps attract and retain talent. Digital-first tools align with how modern employees expect to work, making roles more engaging and less transactional.
Personalisation drives revenue
One of the biggest challenges with personalisation is avoiding over-communication or irrelevant offers. AI addresses this by optimising not just what is offered, but when and to whom. Rather than blanket promotions, hotels can deploy personalised, data-driven offers at the right moment to drive the most engagement from guests. With well timed notifications and offers, guests are more likely to engage with the hotel’s digital solutions, adoption rates go up, and with that, ancillary revenue. AI ensures recommendations feel curated rather than sales-driven, turning personalisation into a powerful revenue lever.
The future is predictive, not reactive
AI-powered guest technology marks a shift from reactive hospitality to predictive hospitality. Hotels that invest in intelligent platforms today are positioning themselves to deliver experiences that feel intuitive, seamless and deeply personal.
In a competitive landscape where experiences matter more than ever, AI is not replacing the human touch, it is amplifying it by turning data into insight and insight into action, connecting and improving fragmented processes and enabling teams to work more efficiently. AI-driven guest technology enables hotels to truly understand their guests and create loyal, repeat customers.
So what is the takeaway? It’s clear that the next era of hospitality belongs to hotels that can move beyond reactive service and into predictive, intelligent personalisation.
AI isn’t about replacing the warmth of human hospitality, but about removing friction, unlocking insight, and giving teams the tools to deliver those magical moments that feel effortless to the guest. When technology can anticipate needs, tailor offers with precision, and empower staff to focus on genuine connection, personalisation stops being a buzzword and becomes a competitive advantage.
As Prince Thampi highlights, the future isn’t just digital, it’s deeply personal; and hotels that embrace AI-driven guest technology today won’t just meet expectations tomorrow… they’ll redefine them.
Also read: How the UAE hacked tourism
