So, what’s really next for AI in hospitality?

I’ve spent the last 15 years building tech companies, and the last 10 focused on solutions for frontline workforces. Before Sona, I co-founded a gig economy company that supplied staff to hospitality and retail businesses. At its peak, we had over 10,000 employees across the UK and Germany. That experience taught me a lot about the realities of workforce management—both before and after the rise of AI.

But when we talk about AI, there’s a lot of noise. Is it just “big data” or “machine learning,” like what we saw back in 2017? Or is it something genuinely transformative, like ChatGPT? The key is understanding the difference.

Think of it this way: traditional AI was like adding driving assists to a car—useful, but limited. It could buzz the steering wheel if you veered out of lane, but it couldn’t take you anywhere on its own. Cognitive or agent-based AI is the self-driving car: built from the ground up to handle everything, from start to finish.

That’s what’s exciting about cognitive AI. It can take in an overwhelming amount of data—things like room rates, bookings, employee performance, and even CCTV footage—and make sense of it all, spotting opportunities and taking action. For example, it could analyse the difference between conference and wedding bookings, predict how they’ll impact restaurant demand, and let the manager know how to staff accordingly—or even adjust the schedule automatically.

And this is the real next step for AI in hospitality: moving beyond just cutting costs to driving sales and freeing up your team to focus on what really matters—delivering a brilliant guest experience.

It’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind when your LinkedIn feed is full of people talking about their AI strategies. But the truth is, the most exciting developments in cognitive AI have only emerged in the last year or so.

The key question now is this: if you had an army of super-intelligent assistants who could process infinite amounts of data and make the right decisions every time, what would you ask them to do?

At Sona, we’ve built our platform from the ground up to unlock the potential of AI for hospitality businesses. It’s a powerful tool designed to tackle the unique challenges of this industry and help you stay ahead.

The future of AI in hospitality isn’t just about technology—it’s about what you can achieve with it. Let’s find out together.

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