You will be the next guest at your hotel, even though they have never chosen you.
Allow that to sink in.
Agentic AI is a revolution that has quietly been building while we have been focused on website conversion rates and booking experiences for mobile devices. It’s not just another tech buzzword—it’s the most profound disruption to hospitality distribution since online travel agencies emerged two decades ago.
OpenAI’s operator is more than just impressive technology; it’s a harbinger for a new guest acquisition eco-system. One where algorithms make the decisions to fill rooms, and not humans.
What many people overlook is that this story is not fundamentally about technology. This is a behavior revolution that will change the way billions of travelers around the world discover, select and experience accommodation.
The recent debut of tools like OpenAI’s Operator—an AI agent capable of browsing websites, clicking buttons, and completing bookings—marks more than just another step forward in technology. This is an early glimpse at a significant transformation in the way hotels and travelers will interact and connect.
It’s crucial to understand what “agentic AI” means in order to fully grasp the implications. Agentic AI is a more advanced version of digital assistants such as Alexa and ChatGPT, which wait for our commands. These AI agents don’t just respond—they act. They can navigate the digital landscape independently, without constant human input, and deliver results as if a digital assistant was working behind the scene.
Picture this: A guest’s AI agent keeps an eye on their travel calendar, notices an upcoming business trip to Berlin, and—based on past stays—automatically books their preferred room at their favorite hotel. It can arrange airport transportation and reserve a table in restaurants that meet their dietary requirements. The best part is? Travelers never have to lift a single finger.
It is a fundamental shift in our industry and the behavior of guests that will require hoteliers to be prepared. Let’s examine the implications.
Behavioral Shifts – How Agentic AI will Change Travel Patterns
In the history of technology, new tools created unanticipated behavioral changes. Call screening was made possible by the answering machine. Smartphones have created constant connectivity. Social media changed the way people maintain relationships.
The use of AI in travel will also reshape the behavior of travelers, challenging traditional hospitality models.
1. The End of Browsing
Travelers today spend countless hours reading reviews and comparing rates on multiple websites. This behavior will largely disappear in an agentic environment. These tasks will be delegated to the AI by guests, who will filter options efficiently based on their preferences.
For hotels, this means the traditional “shopping” phase of the customer journey—where brand impressions and emotional connections are often formed—could vanish entirely. Booking decisions are likely to be influenced by a smaller window or through entirely new touchpoints.
2. Preferences Become Permanent
After an AI agent learns that a traveler prefers corner rooms, king-sized beds with firm mattresses and properties with 24-hour gyms, their preferences are remarkably sticky. The easiest way to proceed is to keep doing what you’ve been doing.
It’s a win-win situation: hotels that are able to earn a position in the preference profiles of guests gain enormous loyalty advantages. Those who want to attract new customers face an even higher barrier to entry.
3. Decision Offloading
As humans, we make countless low-stakes decisions daily. What time should I check in? Which restaurant should you try? Standard room or upgrade? Agentic AI simplifies the decision-making process.
The psychological impact on travelers will be profound. Arriving at the property, travelers will make fewer conscious decisions and more algorithmically. This will lead to a greater expectation of frictionless experiences, while also potentially decreasing emotional investment.
4. New Intermediaries
Hotel distribution has always involved intermediaries—from traditional travel agents to OTAs. AI agents are the next generation of intermediaries, but they have a crucial difference: They serve only the customer, and not the hotel.
These AI agents will not be influenced by marketing campaigns, emotional appeals or commissions. They’ll optimize their bookings ruthlessly to meet the needs of users.
Personalization vs. Commoditization
Hoteliers are faced with a central dilemma: AI agents can provide unprecedented personalization but they also risk commoditizing hotel selection.
AI agents that make booking decisions using explicit criteria (locations, prices, and amenities) remove the emotional and aspirational aspects of hotel brands. When an algorithm is the target audience, it matters less what a hotel says about itself.
Yet paradoxically, these same agents create opportunities for hyper-personalization once a guest is on property. When a hotel knows exactly what a guest prefers—not just room type but temperature, lighting, minibar contents, and service style—it can deliver experiences tailored with remarkable precision.
How can hotels survive in this new paradigm of business? It’s not just about adapting to AI, but also rethinking how the guest experience will be in a world mediated by agents.
Criteria Visibility
Understanding the criteria AI agents are using to make their decisions is critical. These algorithmic preferences will change constantly and vary depending on the platform. Hotels need to be able to see them. The success of the hotel will depend on constant monitoring and adaptation.
Smart hoteliers will hire AI agents to help them understand their behavior, just like they employ revenue managers who are familiar with pricing algorithms. These “AI relationship managers” will be as important as traditional sales teams.
Experience Unbundling
Hotels have traditionally sold bundled experiences—a room that comes with service levels, amenities, atmosphere, and location. AI agents excel in unbundling elements to match specific preferences.
This unbundling will be embraced by forward-thinking hotels, which will allow guests to specify (via their agents), and pay exactly for what they value. Component pricing may replace the standard hotel rate cards, better matching how AI agents evaluate their options.
Beyond Digital Reach
The most important thing for hotels to realize is that they will need strategies that go beyond digital. How can you stand out when digital marketing is filtered by algorithms?
It may be possible to create real-world experiences that are so memorable, they can override default algorithmic settings. An AI-booked guest who was impressed by the boutique hotel they stayed at might tell their agent that this hotel should be prioritized for future trips.
The Human Element is More Valuable – Not Less
The irony is that as AI becomes more prevalent, it may actually enhance the value of human-centric hospitality.
In a world in which AI is handling the transactional aspects, the authentic human connection will become the differentiator. The front desk agent who remembers a guest’s name, the bartender who recalls a preferred drink, the housekeeper who notices and accommodates an unspoken preference—these human touches will stand in powerful contrast to the algorithmic efficiency governing the rest of the travel experience.
AI agents are not just a booking channel for hotels. They have a deeper impact. This isn’t just about adapting your distribution strategy—it’s about rethinking the very nature of hospitality in an age where many guest interactions begin with algorithms rather than humans.
The Way Forward: Questions every Hotelier Should Answer
Instead of prescribing an all-encompassing approach to the future of agentic hospitality, I encourage each leader in hospitality to ask themselves these fundamental questions.
- What unique value can your property provide that will be reflected in their calculations if AI agents are the primary decision makers for travel planning?
- How will your brand balance the need for AI agents to be efficient with the emotional components that have defined it historically?
- How can you make meaningful moments for your guests who arrive with fewer conscious decisions about their stay?
- What data do you capture today that can help you influence and understand the AI agents of tomorrow.
- How can the very definition and concept of hospitality be redefined in a digital world, where transactions are becoming increasingly automated yet human connections remain impossible to digitize.
Hoteliers with the best technology stacks and the largest digital marketing budgets will not be the ones who succeed in the age AI agentic. The hoteliers who adapt to the changing human behavior and understand it will win.
The future isn’t about competing with AI agents—it’s about creating experiences so memorable that travelers specifically instruct their agents to seek you out. In an age of algorithmic efficiency and a focus on customer service, genuine hospitality will be the ultimate differentiator.
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Alan Young
Infor
Infor
