Balancing AI and Human Touch in Hospitality: Expert Opinions

In today’s fast-evolving hospitality landscape, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is no longer a futuristic concept but it is a present reality. AI is revolutionizing efficiency, personalization and guest satisfaction by performing or giving services from virtual concierge services and smart room automation, to predictive analytics in revenue management. However, the question that arises is, will AI replace the human touch that lies at the heart of hospitality?
My answer is big NO, at IHM Ranchi, one of the premier institutes in Hotel Management shaping future hoteliers, we believe AI is an enhancer, not a replacer. Technology can streamline operations, but it cannot replicate Empathy, Intuition, and Cultural Warmth which are the qualities intrinsic to hospitality professionals. AI may greet guests or process requests swiftly, but it is the human smile with the personalized service and the ability to adapt to emotional cues that truly define guest experience.
As educators, our responsibility is to integrate digital intelligence with emotional intelligence. By embracing AI tools while nurturing soft skills, we prepare students for a future where humans and machines coexist and not compete, in delivering exceptional hospitality.

Bhupesh Kumar, Principal, IHM Ranchi

AI will never replace humans, it will only make hospitality more meaningful. Hospitality is ultimately about human warmth: a friendly welcome, local stories shared over chai, or spontaneous jam sessions that turn strangers into lifelong friends. These connections can’t be automated. However, AI is a powerful enhancer. At The Hosteller, we use it to automate check-ins, personalize activity suggestions, and optimize operations. This means our team can focus more on curating authentic experiences rather than getting stuck in repetitive tasks.
AI also helps us understand our guests better, allowing us to design local experiences and community activities that truly resonate. It makes travel more inclusive too, from language translation tools to wellness suggestions tailored to each traveler’s needs. But even as tech evolves, it can’t replace the magic of a heartfelt conversation or the joy of discovering a hidden waterfall from a local tip. In fact, the more digital the world becomes, the more travelers crave authentic, human touchpoints. At The Hosteller, we let AI handle the heavy lifting, so our people can deliver the heavy feeling. Together, they create the future of soulful, community-first travel.

Pranav Dangi, Founder & CEO of hosteller

AI plays a major role in enhancing the hospitality sector. While it cannot replace human involvement completely, it will significantly improve efficiency and operations. AI will help in good decisioning, in checklists, SOPs and processes. These are areas where technology can support staff and management by reducing manual work, improving accuracy and saving time. However, it’s important to understand that the human touch in hospitality remains irreplaceable. Whether it’s the personal interaction with guests or the actual preparation of food, these tasks still require people. At the end of the day, food has to be made by hands, and no machine can fully replicate that warmth and creativity. So ideally, AI will actually act as a powerful support system. In short, AI won’t take away jobs, it will make them smarter and easier. It will allow hospitality teams to focus more on guest experience while the backend operations run smoother than ever before.

Vikesh Shah, Founder, 99 Pancakes

At Adarsh Sweets, we see AI as a valuable tool that can support but never replace the human essence of hospitality," says Sumit Thakur, Founder of Adarsh Sweets.

In a legacy-driven business like ours, built on trust, tradition and personal relationships, technology can enhance operations—whether it’s optimising inventory, predicting customer preferences or streamlining delivery systems. However, the warmth of a personal greeting, the nostalgia in a shared story, or the joy of offering someone their childhood’s favourite mithai—these are human moments, not machine outcomes."

He adds, "AI can help us become smarter and more efficient, but the business of sweets and our desi food at its core is emotional and cultural. In a space like traditional Indian sweets and snacks, where the right nuances matter just as much as flavours, the human connection remains irreplaceable. The future lies in blending data-driven insights with heartfelt service but what an age-old halwai can do, no AI can.

Sumit Thakur and Yash Thakur - Founders, Adarsh Sweets

Hospitality guest experience is shaped by personal warmth, cultural awareness, and emotional savvy, which algorithms cannot reproduce. AI streamlines operations, predicts preferences, also reduces errors. However, it cannot anticipate mood, empathize, or craft a real smile at check-in.

Where AI survives is still behind the scenes, tracking the inventory, completing repetitive work, and analyzing information for better service. This immune system for human teams allows them to engage, communicate, and provide care.

It is not humans versus machines for the future of hospitality. It will be humans in tandem with machines. Those who can use AI to empower their staff, rather than replace them, will create brands that balance efficiency and emotion.

Tech can serve the table, but only humans can create the experience. 

Pulkit Arora, Director, CYK Hospitalities

AI should be seen as something supportive to hospitality industry, not something that replaces the people behind. This industry has always been about human connection and empathy - a warm smile, a kind word, someone just genuinely caring. No algorithm can truly copy that feeling.

AI can definitely be useful. It can take care of repetitive stuff, help teams manage things faster, and even give a better experience of what guests might want or expect. But the real experience? This still comes from the people on the ground.

When we use an AI in a right way, it will help us to do our jobs better - lets us focus more on guests instead of getting stuck in the backend chaos. It's about balance, not competition.

When we combine smart tools with human warmth, that’s where the magic really happens. At the end of the day, hospitality is still - and always will be - about people.

Nidhi Singh, Co-Founder, Samosa Singh

"Yes and no,"

AI is like a perfectly trained bartender who knows every cocktail recipe but can’t read or feel the room.

In hospitality, AI won’t ever replace the human touch. The warmth of a smile, the ability to sense a guest’s mood, the right words at the right moment, that emotional intelligence is what makes hospitality hospitality.

People-facing roles like hosting, table service, or resolving tricky situations need real people. That’s not changing.

But when it comes to the backend, planning, analysis, forecasting, to some extent marketing -AI is incredibly powerful. It can dig out insights, analyze guest behaviour, predict demand, and suggest smarter decisions with more accuracy.

That’s because large language models at their core are statistical engines. They recognize patterns and suggest outcomes based on probabilities, that are in turn based on training data.

It's important to understand that hospitality is at its core relational, with a transactional structure.

So, it is hard to imagine AI replacing the human aspect of the relationship between a host and the guest.

But yes, it can enhance what we do, by making the consumer experience smoother, thoughtful, and personalized.

Teja Chekuri, Founder- Full Stack Ventures & Global Entrepreneur.

I think our perspective on AI needs to shift. AI is inevitable, across every industry. It’s important we start seeing it as an accomplice and a convenience, rather than a threat. I feel the same way about the hospitality industry. AI may reduce the workload, and perhaps even the number of human touchpoints, but it won’t replace humans.

Coming to hospitality. This industry at its core is a deeply personal industry, one where people actively seek connection, warmth, and personalised experiences. In many ways, it offers solace from an otherwise hyper-digital world. That’s why humans will continue to be at the centre of it.

That said, I do see AI playing a significant role, especially in enabling convenience and elevating the customer journey through smart, AI-led interventions. It's imperative that we make it work for us, and are industry-first in the knowledge we need to gather around and about AI. We see it as an enabler to make our lives better.

Prerna Sangal, Marketing Head of ZigZag Vodka & Simba Beer

It’s undeniable that AI offers numerous advantages for the travel industry. However, viewing it as a complete replacement for human interaction is a stretch. Starting from operational efficiency and enhanced customer service experience to revenue management and forecasting, AI can add immense value to travel operations. However, human interaction still has an edge, because AI may not be able to help someone during anxious times of flight delays, cancellations, and mishandled luggage. These are the times when travelers want and need someone calm to talk to who can help them find a solution – a real-life travel agent instead of a bot. During fragile moments, AI will strictly follow processes and rules sometimes at the cost of rigidity. However, humans can go the extra mile and try to find a way to solve the problem for the customer by making exceptions or finding some unique solutions. Additionally, since customers usually call support because something went wrong, they are often emotionally charged – frustrated, stressed, angry even. Having a real person on the other end can help soothe the situation and offer actual empathy, allowing to approach the issue with a clearer head rather than escalating due to heightened emotions. I believe AI will empower people to perform at their best in this sector, but it’s unlikely to fully replace them.

Aleksejs Histjajevs Sales Country Manager, Dyninno India

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