AI will reshape how hotels are found, booked and run

How guests use AI to choose hotels, how to grow revenue when demand is uncertain and how to get teams using new tools are among the pressing topics at the HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference MEA 2026 (CSC MEA 2026), held under the theme “Resilience. Agility. Results. The spirit that defines MEA”.

In the lead-up to the event, Mona Faraj, President, HSMAI Middle East & Africa, put three questions on technology, commercial priorities and AI adoption to four industry leaders. Their answers show broad agreement that AI delivers most when hotels start with a clear business problem, build on sound data and keep people in charge of the guest experience.

With inputs from Ahmad Jaber, Executive Director – Marketing, Creative Studio & Business Development, Dubai Office, JBR Communicators; Andrew Boshoff, CFO Global Hotel Alliance; Dan Hiza, VP of Business Development, Hospitality Upsell, Plusgrade and Nadim Saddiq, Regional Director Middle East & Africa - Amadeus Hospitality.

What is the biggest transformation you are anticipating in hospitality technology in the next couple of years?

Ahmad Jaber: The biggest transformation will be how AI changes the way travellers discover, research, and select hotels. As AI powered travel assistants become part of the guest journey, hotels must rethink their digital visibility and invest in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Marketing teams will need greater agility to adapt their content, channels, and distribution strategies. The challenge will be to embrace new technologies quickly while maintaining consistent brand positioning across an increasingly fragmented digital landscape.

Andrew Boshoff: It’s a cliché now but the answer is going to be related to AI. We recently conducted a survey among our hotel brand CEOs and one of the report’s most striking findings concerns the future of hotel distribution. By 2030, 87% of surveyed CEOs expect AI assistants to be among the most influential hotel-booking channels. Marketing and personalisation is the area where CEOs most expect AI to have an impact (73%), followed by revenue management (67%), distribution (60%) and internal productivity (60%). Overall, 90% believe AI will either fundamentally reshape hospitality or have a positive impact on the industry. I think they are right.

Dan Hiza: I expect the biggest shift will be AI becoming part of everyday commercial decisions across the guest journey. Hotels will be better able to connect guest preferences, available inventory and pricing to offer something relevant at the right moment, whether that’s a room upgrade or a later checkout. The real transformation will be making that level of personalisation practical at scale, with hotel teams retaining control over the guest experience.

Nadim Saddiq: I believe the combination of AI and data will fundamentally change how hotels use technology, moving from individual tools toward more connected, intelligent experiences. The biggest opportunity will be using both AI and data to simplify operations, support better decision-making and deliver more relevant guest experiences, while keeping people at the heart of hospitality.

What do you see as the most important commercial challenge and/or opportunity for hotels in the Middle East and Africa over the next 12 months?

Andrew Boshoff: We are operating in an uncertain geo-political environment but, as an industry, we have learned to stay agile and adapt to changing circumstances. And, most importantly, the travel community is proving more resilient than it would have been in previous decades, so we remain optimistic. International travel demand is rising relentlessly, particularly in the leisure segment, and the strength of our alliance – driven by our loyalty platform, GHA DISCOVERY – positions our brands to capitalise on this momentum. The Middle East continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of tourism, and we remain optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead for our industry. The challenge in the next 12 months will be to build customer confidence in the face of this uncertainty, using tools such as booking flexibility, personalised promotions and a focus on targeting the right feeder markets at the right times.

Dan Hiza: The biggest opportunity is to grow revenue from the whole stay. Across a region as diverse as the Middle East and Africa, demand conditions differ, but hotels can make better use of what they already offer. Premium rooms, dining, experiences and flexible arrival or departure times all have commercial potential. The challenge is making those offers relevant to each guest and measuring their contribution to profit, alongside occupancy and room rate.

Nadim Saddiq: In my view, the opportunity is balancing strong growth ambitions with profitability. Hotels need to become smarter about how they attract demand, optimize distribution and understand their guests. In the Middle East and Africa, using data and technology effectively can be a significant competitive advantage.

Ahmad Jaber: The biggest challenge will be how quickly hotel commercial teams can adapt to changing market conditions. Resilience requires creativity, flexibility, and the confidence to act when others become defensive. Hotels should explore new source markets, anticipate emerging guest profiles, and develop local business, weddings, and MICE opportunities. Marketing leaders must also optimize available resources, leverage external expertise, and remain active across relevant channels. Agility should translate into measurable commercial results.

From your perspective, what can/should hotels do to drive more AI adoption across their operations?

Dan Hiza: Start with a specific problem teams want solved, such as time spent preparing offers or missed upgrade opportunities. Involve the people who will use the technology, choose tools that work with existing systems, and set clear rules for data use and human oversight. Then measure the impact on revenue, workload and guest satisfaction. Adoption becomes easier when people can see the benefit in their daily work and have the training to use it confidently.

Nadim Saddiq: Hotels should start with practical business problems rather than AI itself. Identify areas where AI can genuinely improve productivity, decision-making or the guest experience, then demonstrate measurable value. Strong data foundations, connected technology and working with the right partners to help orchestrate the AI-enabled ecosystem will be critical to scaling AI successfully and responsibly.

Ahmad Jaber: Hotels must invest in AI training and robust data protection protocols to build more agile and efficient teams. Research from Harvard Business School and BCG found that AI-assisted professionals worked over 25% faster, achieved over 40% higher quality scores, and completed 12% more tasks. These findings demonstrate AI’s potential to improve productivity and optimize resources. Human emotional intelligence remains essential. Hoteliers must exercise judgment, evaluate AI-generated work, and monitor outcomes, allowing talent to focus on creativity, strategic thinking, and meaningful guest interactions.

Andrew Boshoff: Hotels should start with clear business objectives rather than adopting AI for its own sake. Analyse how your team members spend their time and use that to identify high-impact use cases where AI can make a real difference today. Don’t underestimate the importance of dealing with the “boring” cases, where AI can to take time-consuming tasks away from staff who will see the quick wins and will be encouraged to bring AI tools to bear on more complex tasks. Encourage teams to experiment with AI and to share their results, both good and bad, so that everyone can be part of the broader AI journey. Develop a culture that celebrates this experimentation and where people are not afraid to fail responsibly. Remember that AI works best on good data, so invest time and resources in making sure that there is a solid foundation to all of your business data.

These questions will be debated at Conrad Dubai on 17 and 18 November, when CSC MEA 2026 brings together the region’s leading hospitality experts in sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution. This year’s programme features 18 hours of learning and insights across 40 sessions, nine engaging content formats, 65+ expert speakers, seven ROCKSTAR award finalists, and four hours of networking to turn conversations into connections. For the full conference agenda, click here.

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