The personal touch has long been at the heart of what defines hospitality. However, delivering personalization at scale is now critical to not only differentiate from the competition, but also meet the demands of today’s discerning guests. Hotels that don’t adapt risk falling behind, and therefore increasingly need to leverage AI to understand guest preferences, anticipate needs, and tailor every interaction. Below are the key ways that AI is reshaping personalization in 2025:
Your Website: Now It’s your AI Gateway
For years, we’ve optimized websites for Google, ensuring that the search giant’s algorithms could easily find and rank them. But now, a new era is here: your website must be ready for the rise of AI Crawlers.
AI isn’t just a buzzword – it’s changing how travelers discover and connect with hotels. OpenAI alone uses three distinct crawlers, each with a unique purpose, and they don’t play by the old rules. For example, as of today, AI crawlers do not support JavaScript, which means they cannot interpret client-side-rendered content. New options are available to enhance your robots.txt file, and even traditional search is evolving, with users increasingly relying on longer, more detailed queries.
Tip: It’s time to rethink your website functions. Do a tech review for AI suitability. Your website is no longer just a digital storefront – it’s your hotel’s first connection with the AI powered world.
Social Media: From Inspiration to Transaction
The internet has become the primary source for travel recommendations, with social media—especially short video platforms—emerging as key marketing channels for hotels.
But now, these marketing channels are quickly becoming distribution channels, merging marketing and revenue management disciplines. Are your teams ready?
Tip: To stay competitive and avoid losing ground to OTAs, adapt your marketing budgets to prioritize this area. Acting quickly is essential, leveraging social media as an extension of the hotel’s website to strengthen their online presence and attract direct bookings. The new guest journey will become more and more social, and AI can help facilitate advanced segmentation of audiences, automation, and trigger-based marketing
Messaging Agents on Call
Generative AI agents are set to be a major trend in 2025. In the past, we’ve seen innovations like Meta enabling bus ticket sales through WhatsApp. Now, AI agents are revolutionizing the hotel industry, offering seamless guest communication via messaging platforms without burdening daily operations—and even enabling direct room sales through these channels.
These technologies have the potential to become a powerful new source of direct bookings, reshaping how hotels connect with their guests and drive revenue.
Tip: 2025 might be the time to start exploring how AI agents can help you bring direct reservations.
Unforgettable stays start with Tech Now
AI solutions designed specifically for travel aren’t the only tools that matter. Generic productivity tools and other technologies can help hotels save time and reduce costs—resources that can then be redirected toward creating unforgettable and personalized guest experiences.
Technology will empower hotel teams to collaborate more effectively, enabling them to deliver the ultimate guest experience.
Tip: Building a tech-savvy team is crucial to harness the power of AI for exceptional service while maintaining a personal, human touch.
AI spreading to different parts of the ecosystem
Every day, new AI tools and agents emerge to assist travelers in planning their next adventure. From intelligent trip planners and personalized recommendations to tools for finding the best deals, these innovations are reshaping how people prepare for travel.
Such tools will keep increasing the dynamics of the market. Hotels must rise to the challenge by leveraging predictive AI to deliver the perfect offer at the right price for each potential guest. As the world becomes increasingly automated, hotels must adapt and embrace automation as well.
Tip: Keep an eye on tools guests are using to find your hotel, and build a strategy to respond to this demand.
Mobile as enabler for Hyper-personalization
Hyper-personalization has been a hot topic in the industry for years, and mobile devices might hold the key to unlocking its full potential. The steady rise in mobile reservations highlights the importance of these devices for travelers, especially Gen Z. As a result, mobile devices are becoming increasingly pivotal in shaping the industry’s future.
From providing tailored and mobile-optimized online experiences before the guest arrives, to leveraging smartphones during their stay for communication, room access, payments, and even location-based (i.e. where the guest is at the hotel) and AI-powered personalized interactions, mobile is set to redefine the guest experience that begins online.
Tip: Ensure your website and booking system is optimized for mobile and take advantage of mobile communication during stay
Attribute-based Selling: the Key for Extra Revenue
Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) enables hotels to increase revenue by allowing guests to pay for specific room features, such as close to the kids pool, away from the elevator, or premium amenities.
Research from HEDNA shows that ABS can boost revenue by 10-20% and increase repeat bookings by 10-15%. Additionally, over 60% of guests are more likely to book extras when given personalized choices.
In a time where the ADR is sometimes at the limit, this can be the solution to bring more revenue to the hotels.
Tip: Once more, technology and especially AI can improve the personalization level of attributes to be shown to each specific guest.
Looking to the future of hospitality and for independent hotels specifically, leveraging AI to efficiently enhance and tailor the guest experience from the very first interaction will be the key to strengthen direct relationships and drive sustainable growth. Furthermore, by automating the complexities of delivering tailored online experiences, hotels can also enable their teams to provide even more personalized services during each guest’s stay—a win for both guests and hotels alike.
About GuestCentric
GuestCentric is a leading provider of cloud-based digital marketing software and services that help extraordinary hoteliers promote their brand, drive direct bookings and connect with customers on all digital platforms. GuestCentric’s all-in-one platform provides hotels with the only unified solution for managing their guests’ online journey: award-winning, high impact websites; an integrated, easy-to-use booking engine; social media marketing and publishing tools; a GDS chain code and a channel manager to offer rooms on Amadeus, Booking.com, Expedia, Galileo, Google, Sabre, TripAdvisor and hundreds of other channels. GuestCentric is a proud provider of solutions that maximize direct bookings to hotel groups and independent hotels from collections such as Design Hotels, Great Hotels of the World, Leading Hotels of the World, Relais & Chateaux, Small Luxury Hotels and Small Danish Hotels. GuestCentric is featured on Skift Travel Tech 250, a list of the top 250 travel tech companies shaping the modern-day travel experience.
Melissa RodriguesContent Manager+35 196 157 3854GuestCentric Systems
