On November 30, 2022, the US company Open AI made its chatbot available to the public. This moment is now compared by leading AI experts to groundbreaking events such as the moon landing: Just two months after its release, over 100 million people were using ChatGPT. Since then, the topic of artificial intelligence has repeatedly dominated the headlines. With all the news, it is difficult to keep track of and decide which AI-related activities should be implemented in your own company. In the following, the experts at Online Birds provide specific recommendations for dealing with AI, especially in hotels.
1. Build Knowledge & Define Responsibilities
It is crucial to build up internal knowledge in this area before implementing AI in your own hotel. Just like any tool or machine, tools such as ChatGPT need to be understood and operated. It is also important to define clear responsibilities. An effective method for this is the formation of an interdisciplinary "AI task force" consisting of employees from different departments. This group ensures a holistic approach, considers different perspectives, and promotes shared responsibility for introducing AI in hotel operations. A clear communication structure within the task force is essential to ensure a smooth exchange and productive development.
2. Record Recurring Tasks
As a next step, the interdisciplinary task force should record recurring tasks in hotel operations. Regularly occurring processes often offer ideal starting points for the support and automation of processes using artificial intelligence. The list could include the following things, for example:
- Creation of menus
- Personalization of offers for potential guests
- Designing online marketing campaigns (newsletters, advertisements, blog posts, social media posts ...)
- Onboarding and ongoing training for employees
- Monitoring invoices and contracts Creating analyses and evaluations
- Answering questions from guests
3. Prioritizing the Fields of Application
After identifying recurring tasks, it is important to prioritize. Hoteliers should analyze where time or cost savings as well as an increase in service quality are possible through the use of AI. This can be done by asking questions such as "Where can we derive the greatest benefit from AI?" and "What can be implemented quickly and effectively?".
4. Select Tools, Plan & Implement Introduction
Based on the priorities identified, hoteliers should select suitable AI tools, develop an introduction strategy, and plan and implement the implementation. It is important to consider the needs of employees and guests and ensure that the AI systems are seamlessly integrated into existing hotel operating processes. Here, it is a good idea to engage with existing service providers and find out about their use of AI and other possible applications.
In Addition: Train Employees & Define Usage Rules
It is also important to ensure that all employees, especially department heads, are informed about the importance of AI in hotel operations. This can include training, workshops, or regular meetings, for example, to raise awareness of the benefits and potential challenges of using AI. In this context, it is also important to define clear rules for the usage of AI in different areas of hotel operations. These rules should include aspects such as data protection, ethics, and transparency so that the use of AI is in line with company values and legal regulations.
