Keep Your Friends Close and ChatGPT Closer: AI in Hospitality Sales

Mercedes Blanco, Chief Partnerships Officer, The Hotels Network, HSMAI Sales Advisory Board Member

In the world of hospitality sales, ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have gained attention lately for their potential to streamline processes. It’s a topic I brought to the HSMAI Sales Advisory Board to see how sales leaders are utilizing it in their business practices.

5 Takeaways from our discussion

Use chatbots and AI technologies cautiously, avoiding sensitive data. And remember, ChatGPT can only fetch data prior to the year 2021.
Consider the ethical implications and transparency of using chatbots for content creation and disclose when appropriate. Infuse final content with personal touch and authenticity.
Stay updated with developments in chatbot and AI technology.
Explore other potential applications of chatbots and AI, such as research tools, to leverage their benefits in hospitality sales.
It helps sales teams considerably on their prospecting efforts and can be used for travel inspiration.

Going Deeper:

One of the first questions that I brought to the group is if AI in hospitality sales is here to stay. The answer was a resounding yes. Chatbots and AI technologies have rapidly advanced in recent years from automating repetitive tasks to enhancing customer experiences.

Uses

One area where we have used AI is in copywriting emails. These technologies can analyze data and generate content that can be personalized to suit specific customer segments or target audiences. Chatbots can also be used to kickstart articles or email copy and suggest strong email subject lines to improve open rates.

In addition to content creation, chatbots and AI can also be integrated into hospitality sales operations for data analytics.

Ethics

The group also raised some ethical concerns.

Where is the moral line drawn between content generated by chatbots and human-authored content?
Should sales professionals claim the rights to content created by chatbots, or should there be disclosure when using such technology?
Universities are struggling to decipher content created by students as opposed to AI, thought tools are already being developed to distinguish AI generated content.

While chatbots and AI have the potential to streamline processes and enhance customer experiences, they are unlikely, in the near term anyhow, to replace the expertise and personalized touch of humans.

Questions to Think About:

Are you exploring any integrations or business development?
What do you see most beneficial for sales?

Further Reading: