As the industry looks toward 2026, the conversation around artificial intelligence is entering a more considered phase. The question is no longer whether AI has a role to play in hotel operations. That debate has largely been settled. The focus has shifted to how AI, when built on the right technology foundations, can meaningfully support better decision-making, operational performance, and guest experience without introducing unnecessary complexity.

The difference is no longer access to AI, it is whether hotel teams can apply it in ways that reduce friction and improve performance.

For this edition of Leaders Pulse, ExploreTECH engaged with a select group of senior hospitality technology leaders whose experience and influence are shaping how digital solutions are designed, deployed, and scaled across hotels worldwide.

In this article, Michael Bennett, CEO and President of Cendyn; Aditya Sanghi, Co-Founder and CEO of Hotelogix; and Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, President, Chief Scientist, and Co-Founder of IDeaS, share their perspectives directly with the ExploreTECH community. Together, their insights offer a clear view of how AI is shifting hotel operations from reactive execution to smarter, more confident decision-making as 2026 approaches.

What you’ll take away: AI’s real value is not automation alone, but better decisions made faster, at scale.

Michael Bennett, CEO and President, Cendyn

From Manual Processes to Intelligent, Automated Optimization

“In 2026, the greatest disruption Cendyn’s AI solutions will bring to hotel operations is the shift from time-consuming, manual processes to intelligent, automated optimization that saves time while helping hotels connect with their guests on a deeper level.”

Our AI capabilities will work to transform buried data into real-time intelligence by surfacing insights that previously took hours or even days to uncover, turning siloed guest, revenue, operational, and digital signals into data-backed recommendations and, ultimately, automated actions.

This will allow hotels to move away from reactive management with intelligent predictive analytics. Whether it is anticipating pace shifts, analyzing segment performance, or understanding guest value, these insights would empower teams to make proactive decisions with confidence.

At the front desk, AI is redefining the possibilities for engagement. By integrating CRM intelligence directly into workflows, staff would gain immediate access to actionable guest insights in real time, including enhanced personalization and targeted upsell opportunities, without significant training requirements.

We have also already launched Cendyn AI Connect, a new distribution channel within the Cendyn DMP, that pushes hotel Availability, Rates, and Inventory (ARI) directly into AI search platforms. This ensures that a hotel’s direct rates and availability can be surfaced organically when travelers use AI trip planners, reclaiming online visibility and driving more direct bookings.

Ultimately, these processes redefine value for hotels through a powerful combination of automation and intelligence. Across every use case, Cendyn’s AI will reduce manual analysis, eliminate guesswork, and free teams to focus on creating memorable guest experiences while driving higher revenue and building more efficient operations.

Aditya Sanghi, Co-Founder and CEO, Hotelogix

AI as the Central Nervous System of Hotel Operations

“AI is no longer in an experimental stage; it is fast becoming the central nervous system of end-to-end hotel operations.”

I have witnessed hotels modernizing various aspects of their operations in phases, upgrading to the cloud, digitizing reservations, centralizing distribution, adopting revenue management systems, and more. However, today, AI is no longer in an experimental stage; it is fast becoming the central nervous system of end-to-end hotel operations. AI-driven orchestration is rapidly redefining efficiency, personalization, and profitability at scale.

In hotel revenue management, AI will shift the whole practice from periodic rate-setting to continuous demand sensing. AI-powered revenue management systems will analyze data from the hotel PMS and central reservation system, such as booking pace, channel mix, market trends, events, no-shows, cancellations, competitor rates, and more, to dynamically recommend optimized room rates in real time.

By doing so, it will enable hotels to achieve optimal ADR and RevPAR while selling at the best possible rates. In fact, AI-driven revenue management has the potential to boost a hotel’s RevPAR by approximately 20% to 22%.

Guest service will evolve from reactive to anticipatory. AI will unify fragmented guest data, such as pre-arrival messages, loyalty information, sentiment, and on-property behavior, and enable hotels to ensure smart room assignments, proactive service delivery, and personalized offers across touchpoints, including voice, chat, and the front desk. It can lead to an approximate 18% boost in guest satisfaction.

Operations will become predictive. For example, AI-driven orchestration in housekeeping will help hotels optimize staff allocation, task sequencing, and maintenance cycles, based on their requirements, thus eliminating downtime and boosting efficiency by about 23%. At the same time, AI will also help hotels meet sustainability goals through energy optimization, adjusting HVAC and lighting to occupancy patterns.

Hospitality has always been a people business. AI will not change that. With AI, what will change dramatically is how quickly hotels can sense what is happening, what will happen, decide what matters, and act in advance.

Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, President, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder, IDeaS

Why AI Success Depends on Leadership, Not Technology Alone

“The extent and success of that impact rests on leadership’s mandate to not simply ‘use AI’ but ensure the organization is structurally and strategically positioned to take advantage of what AI makes possible.”

AI will undoubtedly have an impact on the future of hotel operations. However, the extent and success of that impact rests on leadership’s mandate to not simply “use AI” but ensure the organization is structurally and strategically positioned to take advantage of what AI makes possible.

In practical terms, this means rethinking strategy, operating models, and staff education models in both the near and long term. Yes, operators will need to reassess core assumptions about where to find efficiencies in scale, speed, and cost. But the true value will be fundamentally reshaping how work is done and optimizing how decisions are made, rather than focusing on how efficiently a task is done.

From our perspective, there are very exciting things on the horizon for hotel commercial operations that are beyond the “GenAI” buzz. With quality foundational MathAI and the ability to incorporate unstructured data like never before, it has enabled an “Agentic Team Optimization” approach that accelerates new pricing and segment innovation.

Cross that with new insights and actionable traveler data gleaned from unstructured data, and we can build new and novel ways for hoteliers to merchandise across the journey.

Hoteliers need to start educating themselves now on the most critical action steps to be successful. That starts with three key areas.

First, avoid “AI workslop”. Make sure your data, processes, and forecasts are clean and accurate. If you teach models with bad data, you get bad results, no matter how cool your new AI-generated daily summary looks.

Second, learn to be future visible. Things like distribution will change, and you need to ensure the hotel’s information is machine readable.

Thirdly, invest heavily in educating yourself and your staff on your organization’s use of AI, including how they should interact and create value with a “Human + AI” rather than a “Human vs. AI” mindset.

Why this matters now

AI is no longer a future consideration for hotels. It is already influencing how decisions are made, how teams operate, and how organizations respond to changing market conditions, largely through the technology platforms that underpin modern hotel operations.

As the industry approaches 2026, the divide is becoming clearer between hotels that are experimenting with AI and those that are embedding intelligence into their technology stacks and operational systems. This distinction matters. Early decisions around data quality, system architecture, and organizational alignment will determine whether AI becomes a sustainable advantage or a recurring source of friction.

The perspectives shared in this article reflect that reality. They focus less on abstract capability and more on the foundational technology and leadership choices required to ensure AI delivers value where it matters most.

From automation to intelligence: A shared shift

While each leader approaches AI from a different vantage point, a common theme emerges. The shift underway is not simply about automating tasks. It is about improving the quality, timing, and confidence of decisions across hotel operations through smarter technology orchestration.

AI-enabled platforms are allowing hotels to move beyond reactive workflows and retrospective analysis toward predictive, intelligence-led operations. However, technology alone is not sufficient. Data integrity, system connectivity, and leadership clarity play a decisive role in determining whether AI becomes a strategic enabler or an additional layer of complexity.

What these perspectives signal for 2026

Taken together, these perspectives point to a clear direction. By 2026, AI will be judged less by novelty and more by its ability to consistently improve decision-making across hotel operations, enabled by well-integrated hospitality technology platforms.

The signal from hospitality technology leadership is clear. Differentiation will come not from the volume of AI tools in a technology stack, but from how effectively intelligence flows between systems and informs action. The emphasis is moving beyond adoption toward orchestration and governance, ensuring AI supports operational clarity, commercial performance, and long-term scalability.

Applied thoughtfully, AI does not diminish hospitality. It strengthens it by giving hotel teams the clarity and capacity to focus on service quality, outcomes, and sustainable value creation.

What this means for hoteliers

For hoteliers planning ahead, these perspectives point to a small number of priorities worth focusing on now:

Decision impact over feature adoption
Strong data foundations and system integrations before scaling AI initiatives
Organizational understanding of how AI-enabled technology supports daily workflows

The opportunity is not simply to move faster, but to act earlier, with better information, stronger alignment, and greater confidence.

Editor’s note

Leaders Pulse is an exclusive ExploreTECH editorial series spotlighting the perspectives of senior leaders shaping the hospitality technology ecosystem.

Each article is carefully curated, featuring voices whose leadership and industry influence carry real weight. Contributors speak directly to the ExploreTECH community, sharing strategic insight on the decisions and shifts defining what’s next.

Rather than trend commentary, Leaders Pulse focuses on perspective, how experienced leaders think, decide, and act when it matters most. The result is a collection of authoritative viewpoints designed to inform and guide technology decision-makers across the industry.

How AI will redefine hotel operations in 2026