See the latest survey data on how hotel company leaders are using AI, where they’re seeing business benefits, and what's needed to do more.
107 hotel company leaders shared how they use AI, where they see results, and what gets in the way.
107 hotel company leaders took part in the State of Hotel AI survey, fielded August–September 2026. Management companies (33%) and owners or investors (28%) are the largest groups. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Respondents describe very different levels of weekly AI engagement.
44% of the hotel company leaders surveyed spend 10 or more hours a week working with AI. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Excitement and curiosity coexist with hopeful, uncertain, and overwhelmed feelings.
73% of responding hotel company leaders say they feel excited about AI at work, 67% curious and 26% overwhelmed. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Most respondents report improvement in the time they spend on routine tasks.
90% of hotel company leaders who answered say AI has improved the time they spend on routine tasks. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Operational efficiency is the most commonly selected domain of AI’s strongest results.
38% of responding hotel company leaders say AI has delivered its strongest results in operational efficiency; 28% name commercial performance, such as revenue. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Guest communications and finance lead the reported operational improvements.
Guest communications and finance are where the most hotel company leaders report operational results from AI — about a third each. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Respondents report redefined corporate roles more often than redefined frontline roles.
Hotel company leaders report redefined corporate roles (19%) far more often than redefined frontline roles (4%). State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Personal productivity gains do not automatically establish organizational investment returns.
24% of responding hotel company leaders say their AI investment has paid for itself overall; 28% say it is too early to tell. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Respondents giving a directional answer expect AI spending to stay steady or rise over the next 12 months compared with the last 12 months.
No hotel company leader surveyed expects to spend less on AI in the next 12 months than in the last 12; 37% expect to spend more than 10% more. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Cost reduction and productivity are the most selected single investment goal for the next 12 months.
34% of hotel company leaders name reducing costs or improving productivity as their primary AI investment goal for the next 12 months; 32% pursue several goals equally. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
General-purpose tools are the most commonly selected source of AI capabilities.
72% of responding hotel company leaders get AI capabilities through general-purpose tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot; 33% through their existing hotel software vendors. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
More respondents cite change management, data quality, or integration than model limitations.
67% of hotel company leaders cite change management, data quality or systems integration among their top barriers to value from AI; 8% cite limits of the AI models themselves. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Defined strategy and governance do not always come with execution at scale.
Among hotel companies with a defined AI strategy and governance, 70% say execution is still fragmented. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Confidence in data readiness is divided across respondents.
42% of responding hotel company leaders are confident their data is ready to support their AI goals; 48% are not. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
The leading barriers involve adoption, data, and connecting systems.
Change management (35%), data quality (34%) and systems integration (29%) are the barriers hotel company leaders most often cite to getting value from AI. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
Respondents most often credit experimentation, team initiative, workflow redesign, and data infrastructure.
Hotel company leaders most often credit experimentation (34%), bottom-up team initiative (32%) and workflow redesign (32%) for AI success. State of Hotel AI, Fall 2026 edition
About this study
An online survey of 107 hotel company leaders, fielded August–September 2026. Percentages use the respondents who answered each question. Research by Josiah Mackenzie; commissioned by Nazpari Aydin for Destination AI. Published September 29, 2026.
An ongoing research series
The data on this page are just a few of the data points from the full study. Participants get full access to the complete results. Share how you’re using AI, what’s working and what’s in the way.
Take the survey
Research by
Josiah’s mission is to empower the people powering hospitality. He does this by sharing the stories hotel leaders need to know on the Hospitality Daily podcast, conducting research and publishing guides and case studies at HotelOperations.com, and leading marketing at Actabl.
Explore Hospitality Daily Explore HotelOperations.com Learn about Actabl
Commissioned by
for Destination AI
Destination AI brings hotel leaders together to explore AI and innovation through practical insights, real examples, and conversations about their impact on hospitality.
Explore Destination AI