When your next guest is an algorithm

AI agents are taking over travel decisions, forcing hotels to rethink loyalty, visibility, and the very definition of guest experience

Loyalty used to be about winning hearts and minds. Now hotels may need to win over the code. A new paper from Florida Atlantic University researchers suggests that AI agents — the tools travelers will increasingly rely on to plan and book trips — are about to become the real gatekeepers of loyalty. And that means the hospitality industry has to rethink everything from rewards programs to digital visibility.

Key takeaways

• Algorithms in charge: Instead of guests choosing hotels, AI agents will increasingly filter and book options on their behalf.
• Ads don’t matter here: Emotional branding and traditional marketing campaigns won’t sway a bot that only cares about budget, reviews, and availability.
• Designing for two audiences: Hotels will need loyalty programs and guest experiences that appeal to both human travelers and the AI systems guiding them.
• Out of sight, out of booking: If your property doesn’t meet an algorithm’s filters, you may never even be considered.
• Messy trade-offs ahead: Bias in training data, privacy concerns, and opaque decision-making could complicate AI-driven loyalty.
• The human factor remains: No amount of algorithmic preference can compensate for a poor stay — experience still anchors true loyalty.

Get the full story at Florida Atlantic University