UK
AU & NZ
SG
MY
IE
H2c’s AI & Automation in Hospitality study (2025) surveyed 189 executives from 171 chains across the globe and their findings are a wake-up call for every commercial leader. Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
- 78% of hotel chains already use AI.
- 89% plan to expand their use of AI.
- Yet reliance on AI is shockingly low with just 4.7 out of 10, compared to trust at 6.6.
- Only 8% have a formal, company-wide AI strategy.
This gap between belief and reliance is where independent hotels find themselves stuck and where the biggest opportunity lies. In this article, we will be looking at the AI gap within independent hotels and what the solutions are to help hoteliers find the right technology path to thrive in our rapidly evolving industry.
The AI gap for independent hotels
The h2c study highlights a striking paradox as hotel leaders trust AI in theory, but they believe in its potential to improve revenue, personalize the guest's journey and reduce inefficiencies. In practice, AI adoption remains limited to pilots, public tools or narrow use cases like chatbots. So, the main question is; why?
- Lack of expertise - 62% of hotels say skills shortages are the single biggest barrier.
- Unclear strategies - 51% report no roadmap or alignment across departments.
- Fragmented systems - Data silos and incomplete integrations undermine personalization and automation.
- Weak ROI measurement - 42% of hotels don’t track AI ROI at all.
The results here are what we like to call the AI gap. Everyone talks about AI, but very few are embedding it into the commercial core of their hotels.
Independent hotels and the “tech fragmentation trap”
If you run an independent hotel, you know this pain better than anyone. Your guest journey isn’t broken because of your staff, but might be at risk because of your tech stack.
Instead of one seamless flow, you’re stuck with:
- An antiquated booking engine here.
- A chatbot widget there.
- An upsell tool bolted on top.
- Spreadsheets and emails plugging the holes.
This chaos of disconnected systems wasn’t built to talk to each other, let alone think for the guest, and the signs will show as:
- Guests abandon halfway through.
- Personalization feels nonexistent.
- Revenue opportunities slip away.
- Loyalty never gets built.
This is known as the tech fragmentation trap, and independents pay the price in lower conversion rates, higher OTA reliance, and higher operational costs.
Assistants vs. agents and why hotels are stuck
The h2c study points to the future of guest-facing AI and hotels are planning major investments in:
But here’s the challenge; most hotels are still working with assistants, not agents. So, what is the difference?
- Assistants are reactive. They answer FAQs, respond to queries and execute simple tasks. Think about how chatbots answer “What time is check-in?”
- Agents are more proactive. They interpret intent, make decisions and complete multi-step tasks without constant input.
In other words: assistants react and agents act.
This difference is critical to ensure your hotel business can grow in the age of technological advancements. If your tools only react, they’ll always be bolted on. If they act, they become a core part of your guest journey.
Why personalization matters more than ever
Guests don’t want to feel like a mass number, but they want to feel unique and special. In the h2c study, the research proves it:
- Personalized offers increase booking likelihood by 49%.
- Optimized property descriptions directly impact both room rates and booking volumes, according to the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research.
- Yet hotel marketing automation today scores just 4.2 out of 10, far below its potential.
That means most hotels are still sending generic emails, posting static offers and showing every guest the same outdated property description regardless of who they are or what they want.
Compare this with what is actually possible:
- A couple searching on Valentine’s weekend sees romance packages and late checkout.
- A family browsing in July sees activity bundles and child-friendly dining.
- A loyal guest is greeted with personalized upsell recommendations based on past stays.
This is what agentic personalization looks like, and it’s where independent hotels can stand out against larger chains.
The content bottleneck in hotels
Take content management for example. In many hotels, teams still:
- Copy and paste room descriptions across channels.
- Translate content manually.
- Scramble to update promotions across direct and third-party sites.
The h2c study confirms that data silos and poor-quality data remain core barriers to AI adoption.
The cost of this inefficiency can be detrimental with:
- Inconsistent messaging confusing guests.
- Poor translations pushing international travelers to OTAs.
- Slow updates mean promotions miss their window.
Independent hotels don’t need more staff to fix this problem. They need smarter systems that automate content generation, optimize each channel, and handle multilingual distribution seamlessly.
The human touch is not being replaced
Of course, AI in hospitality sparks valid concerns. The h2c case study found that:
- 58% of hoteliers worry about bias or errors in AI-generated decisions.
- 50% worry about losing human interaction.
- 47% worry about guest data security.
These concerns about AI are real but they also highlight the opportunity as AI isn’t here to replace the human touch, it’s here to elevate it.
By automating repetitive content tasks, booking flows and upsells, hotels can free their staff to do what matters most such as connecting with guests, resolving complex issues and building loyalty.
As one hotelier in the h2c study suggested, “AI is here to make jobs easier today freeing staff to spend more time on strategy and guest care.”
The independent hotel advantage
While independents often feel under-resourced compared to big brands, they’re actually better positioned to move faster.
Large chains face bureaucracy, legacy systems and slow-moving committees. Independents can be agile, integrating AI-driven personalization and guest engagement ahead of the curve.
By doing so, independents can:
- Increase direct bookings by offering personalized, conversational booking flows.
- Reduce OTA reliance by matching their content and personalization strengths using digital marketing software.
- Boost efficiency by cutting out manual workflows and data silos.
This is the path out of the AI gap.
The best path forward for hoteliers
For commercial leaders, the mandate is clear:
- Break the fragmentation trap - stop stitching together widgets and start thinking in terms of integrated systems.
- Move from assistants to agents - don’t settle for reactive tools. Invest in AI that acts, orchestrates, and personalizes in real time.
- Measure ROI from day one – Try not to let AI be another cost center. Track impact on bookings, upsells, and guest satisfaction.
- Empower your team - AI isn’t about replacing staff, it’s about freeing them to focus on higher-value, guest-facing work.
Ready to get your hotel started on its AI journey?
The main message of the h2c study is that the future of hospitality isn’t about whether you use AI, it’s about how. Hoteliers who embed early AI into the commercial core and treat it as a strategy, not a widget, will set the new benchmark.
Independent hotels don’t need to wait for the big chains to figure it out. You have the ability to close the AI gap before the industry standardizes it. In hospitality, the next competitive advantage won’t come from another campaign or channel. It will come from agentic, integrated AI that transforms guest journeys from transactional to conversational.
That’s why at Access Hospitality, we design hotel management software that fits your hotel needs, with our AI-tools, powered by Access Evo, coming very soon to help you get ahead of the AI curve.
Book a demo today to see how you can elevate your hotel to new heights with smart software solutions.
