Dr Jane Thomason is a globally recognized thought leader on metaverse and Web3. Here, she discusses ways in which AI can enhance the customer experience.

Hyper-personalization with AI

The hospitality and tourism industry has always strived to provide exceptional customer experiences. Through AI and immersive activations, businesses can attain unmatched customer satisfaction, enhance personalization and deliver superior service in this sector.

AI enables providers to better understand customer feedback and anticipate their needs. It also offers unique solutions to the sector’s inherent complexity and provides revenue-generating opportunities. By delivering personalized experiences, businesses in hospitality and tourism can boost their revenue and improve their bottom line. Moreover, numerous studies have shown that customers are more likely to make purchases when they receive personalized recommendations. Additionally, customers who receive personalized experiences are also more likely to become loyal customers, leading to increased lifetime value.

AI-powered hyper personalization is a game-changer for the hospitality and tourism industry.

Integrating AI and blockchain for simplified travel

Currently, travelers must procure various services from disparate sources. For example, an airline passenger needs to book a plane ticket, arrange transportation to the airport and coordinate local travel afterward.

By integrating AI and blockchain, these cumbersome processes can be streamlined or even eliminated. All mobility-sharing, car rental, taxi and public transit options within a region could be consolidated into a unified application.

According to SITA (2022): “By 2030, Metaverse operations will be commonplace at leading airports.”

AI for optimizing operational processes

AI optimizes operations by analyzing data from various sources thus identifying areas for enhancement. This data-driven approach will enable hotels to create greater operational efficiency. Moreover, intelligent experience engines must focus on micro goals—positive moments composing the customer experience. These capabilities have created intelligent ways to reshape customer experiences, enabling brands to be distinctively valuable and deepen engagement. For example, Starbucks targets lapsed customers nearby with ads for new seasonal drinks and offers personalized in-app incentives for visits.

AI-powered self-service options  

AI-powered self-service options, like chatbots, expedite customer support, addressing inquiries promptly as customers explore your product or service. They can also enable customers to solve problems independently and outside business hours. These AI-powered technologies can significantly improve the customer experience by reducing handle and wait times, ultimately increasing customer satisfaction. AI uses keywords in the message for skills-based routing. For example, you can direct incoming messages from Portuguese-speaking customers to Portuguese-speaking agents. The ability of AI to analyze large sets of customer data also prevents confirmation bias from creeping in during decision-making. This helps with more accurate predictions about customers, offering personalized recommendations and anticipating the needs of customers.

Personalized customer data at scale

Personalized customer data and AI can give the hospitality industry a competitive edge. Furthermore, large-scale personalization can lead to revenue increases of 6 to 10 percent. As for net incremental revenue, it can increase by 40-100 percent. Additionally, AI can help hotels provide 24/7 assistance, handle queries and suggest personalized recommendations. Moreover, by analyzing customer data, hotels can gain insights into guests’ preferences and offer tailored experiences. Furthermore, predictive analytics can anticipate customer needs and improve retention. Additionally, AI-powered sentiment analysis can examine feedback from various channels to identify areas for improvement and address customer concerns. For example, Hilton Hotels and Airbnb use sentiment analysis to identify areas for improvement.

In conclusion, capturing, analyzing and utilizing personalized customer data at scale is crucial for staying competitive in the hospitality industry. By using AI to improve the customer journey and provide personalized experiences, hotels can increase revenue, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. However, it is important to handle data collection and usage with care to maintain guests’ privacy and trust.