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What do guests want from hospitality technology?
Guests are ready for smarter, faster service
To understand what modern-day expectations are, we asked 2,000 consumers within the UK and Ireland about their thoughts on hospitality technology and AI in hospitality.
The verdict? 53% of customers say that hospitality tech has improved their overall experience at bars, restaurants, hotels and venues. On top of that, 35% think that AI would improve their experience, providing faster service (51%), fewer mistakes in bookings and orders (41%) and more accurate recommendations (45%).
It’s no surprise that hospitality guests want the same fast-paced, streamlined service from all of their experiences. Voice assistants, recommendations on streaming services, generative AI search engines; currently 10% of Britons use AI for personal or leisure reasons every day, while over a quarter (26%) use it at least weekly.
And when they can access almost anything at their fingertips on their phones, why wouldn’t they want the same ease of use at the venues they visit?
To keep up with this demand, 79% of businesses surveyed have already started the process of AI adoption, with almost a quarter (23%) saying that customer service and bookings are their top priority when it comes to automation.
What do operators need?
Operators are feeling the strain of inefficiency
Yet even if operators know what their customers want, they can’t deliver supercharged tech if they are struggling with their existing systems.
Across 400 hospitality leaders in the UK and Ireland, our operator survey paints a disheartening picture:
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Tech overload: 41% use 2 - 4 systems daily and 37% spend up to two hours a day switching between them.
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Admin fatigue: Staff scheduling, training and manual reporting top the list of operational pain points.
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Stock headaches: 46% say inventory management is a major challenge and 56% regularly miss upsell opportunities because items aren’t available.
It's clear that modern operators aren’t feeling the benefits of technology that were promised but instead are wrestling with the systems that were supposed to support them.
Despite this, operator sentiment is positive. 51% of UK hospitality businesses believe that AI search tools will reshape the industry in 2025 and beyond.
They are recognising the value of AI, not just for guest experience but for operational efficiency. When asked what their main expectation was from implementing AI technology, the top answer was better decision-making through improved insights.
Businesses need increased efficiency – for their own sake operationally and to keep pace with the expectations of their guests. To achieve this, they need fewer systems to manage and AI-enhanced support for smarter decisions and faster processes.
How hospitality technology and an AI reservation system can help solve common pain points
Our survey data shows us what guests want from hospitality experiences and what operators are facing within the hospitality industry.
Now, we need to look at how technology and AI in restaurants, bars, hotels and other venues can solve operator challenges and close the gap between reality and guest expectations:
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Pain point |
Solution |
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Too many tools: 37% spend 1–2 hours per day switching between systems. |
Centralise discovery, bookings, procurement, payments and marketing in one platform. Having a singular connected system, with all integrations managed in a central location, saves businesses time, money and stress. |
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Consumers want speed and fewer mistakes: 27% of guests want instant booking and table reservations. 32% want faster ordering and payment processing. |
Using AI booking software with a real time feed and integrations with Reserve with Google and DesignMyNight shortens response time. Built-in AI chatbots like Copilot can also answer questions faster, prompt clearer instructions, automate workflows and reduce human errors that might occur during hectic service. Offering order and pay-at-table options is also a great way to streamline service for guests, so that they can make the choice between waiting for a server or quickly ordering themselves. |
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Missed upsell opportunities (56%) tied to stock availability and planning gaps. |
AI reservation systems can take pre‑orders and deposits up‑front, to gauge stock demand. If you integrate your reservation system with your inventory management system, AI insights can predict demand and proactively alert teams to stock availability for pre-orders or set menus, so you can always deliver for your bookings. |
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Consumers want personalisation: |
Smart CRM systems can integrate with reservation systems and take personalisation to the next level for operators. AI-infused tools can take guest data and create comprehensive customer profiles, used to effectively target marketing offers and build brand loyalty. Set your campaigns once and let AI manage personalised marketing, completely hands-free. Using a connected CRM and AI reservation system, you can even trigger custom add-on recommendations during the booking process (something 18% of guests say they’d like!). |
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Overwhelming admin (34%) and staff scheduling/training. |
AI-powered hospitality technology digitises and automates tedious admin processes - removing manual chase‑work and keeping teams focused on guests. When smart scheduling systems, e-learning platforms, table management systems and reporting dashboards work together seamlessly, business operators are freed up to think about the bigger picture instead of menial day-to-day tasks. |
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Operators want better decision-making: 34% say that it’s their main expectation from implementing AI tech. 75% of operators say their data is currently incomplete or missing. |
One of the benefits of AI in restaurants is the improved insights and reporting that comes with it. AI thrives on integration and integration means clearer data visibility. So, smart and connected hospitality tech can provide instant insights and dig deeper into data to help operators make faster, well-informed decisions. |
When solving tech inefficiencies, it’s important for businesses to remember that we want AI to empower teams, not replace them. Hospitality operators can strike the right balance between automation and human connection by using integrated tools that complement each other. Let AI tech look after those tedious admin tasks while your team take care of that all-important personal connection.
Read our blog on ‘When 1995 hospitality meets 2025 tech: How technology is helping restaurants and hospitality venues’ for more insight on how to balance implementing AI in restaurants with maintaining the magic of hospitality.
The complete guest journey with an AI reservation system and hospitality tech
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Discovery → Booking
Guests can find you on DesignMyNight or Google, which integrate directly with your booking system so that enquiries land instantly in your diary. Speedy.
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Pre‑arrival → Service
When making the booking via their chosen channel, the option to take a pre-order or pay a deposit within your booking widget secures intent, streamlines prep and reduces stock‑related disappointments.
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On the floor
The day has arrived and your customer is in your venue. A smart mobile order and pay option allows guests to control the speed of their own visit if they don’t want to wait for a server (though the option is still there and your server will arrive with a smile momentarily).
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After service
Connected EPoS and booking tools allow you to conduct quick and accurate performance analysis to see what worked well for your service. Plus, your CRM system can send an automated ‘Thank you!’ email with a revisit offer to entice your guests back in.
The numbers
AI-integrated systems can save you time and money.
Having a connected hospitality tech stack saves businesses 1-2 hours daily. That’s time that can be reinvested into delivering guest satisfaction.
Not only that, but on average AI infused booking tools, like Access Collins Evo, generate +14% more web bookings, +24% enquiry conversion and up to 1,000 hours saved annually. And that’s only one tool in your tech arsenal.
So, if you could improve performance in each of your systems individually, while also improving overall operational efficiency and making the space for new AI-enhanced services to be offered, why wouldn’t you?
Ready to see what AI tech can do for you?
When guest expectations are accelerating and speed, personalisation and accuracy is the new be-all-end-all, it’s time for restaurants, bars, hotels and other venues to fix their fragmented systems, address their operational challenges and adapt to meet these desires.
From speedy booking processes to confidence in stock levels and accurately forecasting footfall, AI in restaurants can transform your everyday operations.
Book a quick demo today and discover how AI can turn every booking moment and guest touchpoint into an opportunity for revenue growth.
