Death of the Chatbot
Patryk Luszcz, UK regional director at Profitroom (www.profitroom.com) says that hospitality needs a better AI conversation
For years, hotels, pub groups and OTAs have relied on basic chatbots to provide round-the-clock customer service.
What operator wouldn’t be interested in automating repetitive queries, easing the burden on staff and offering faster responses to guests? But what began as a promising digital solution has largely become an outdated and frustrating experience.
Guests are now probably more likely to abandon a conversation than complete a booking when faced with a clunky chatbot that feels more like a barrier than a bridge.
Most of these bots rely on scripted replies and limited decision trees. They cannot handle natural language or complex questions and they often fail to provide relevant answers.
When a guest attempts to make a nuanced inquiry or express a specific concern, the system typically falls back on generic responses or loops them through the same set of options. It is impersonal, inefficient and out of step with the expectations of today’s traveller.
The issue isn’t with the idea of automation. It’s with the outdated approach. Guests expect a natural, helpful conversation that mirrors the quality of service they would receive in person. The future lies in something more intelligent, more adaptive and more aware of context.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made this shift possible.
New systems can now interpret language as it is spoken, understand follow-up questions and tailor responses to each guest’s needs in real time.
They draw directly from live booking data, which means they can provide accurate availability, pricing and personalised offers within the conversation itself.
Guests can ask open questions, receive tailored recommendations and complete their bookings without ever leaving the chat. These systems don’t just answer questions, they guide decisions.
They can handle a range of queries from the practical to the personal, including multi-language support and individual preferences. All of this happens instantly, without needing to transfer the guest to email or another platform.
For hotels and pubs, this kind of technology does more than improve the guest experience. It helps increase direct bookings by simplifying the decision-making process and reducing drop-off.
It eases the load on reception teams by dealing with common queries automatically. It also brings together all guest interactions, whether they begin on the website, WhatsApp or Messenger, into a single, manageable inbox. This provides a clear view of guest needs and enables more consistent service across every channel.
The best of these systems are deeply integrated with your hotel’s booking engine, staying constantly up to date with real-time availability, offers and pricing. They leverage advanced large language models and natural language processing to offer real-time assistance, personalised recommendations, and efficient multi-channel communication with your guests.
It appears that the traditional chatbot has reached its limit. It cannot keep up with the expectations of a modern, connected guest who values speed, relevance and personalisation.
Technology should support hospitality and allow hotels to deliver service that is efficient but also thoughtful.
The goal is not to replace the human touch but to extend it – to bring the warmth of welcome into the digital space and to make every guest feel understood, valued and well looked after.
The real future of AI in hospitality is not a chatbot, but a conversation.