7. April 2025

From booking to checkout: do digital experiences and AI foster loyalty better than human interaction?

Today’s hotel guests can breeze through their entire stay - from booking to check-out - without ever speaking to a staff member.

Think about it: they confirm reservations online, unlock their room with their mobile phone, order extra towels with a few taps, and check out before breakfast. 

It’s fast. It’s seamless. But does it build loyalty?

That’s the question a group of hospitality tech leaders tackled during a live panel at ITB 2025, titled From booking to checkout: do digital experiences and AI foster loyalty better than human interaction?

 The session was moderated by Thorhildur Edda Gunnarsdóttir, CEO at Sweeply, and featured three industry experts:

Erlendur Steinn Gudnason, Co-Founder and COO of Sweeply

Frederik Meinhardt Møller, Global Director of Sales at AeroGuest

Ulrich Pillau, Co-Founder of Apaleo

Together, they explored how AI and automation are reshaping every stage of the guest journey - and whether digital convenience can ever replace the power of human connection.

What became clear: this isn’t a debate between AI and the human touch. The most forward-thinking hotels are combining both, not choosing between them. Let’s dive in👇

The loyalty debate isn’t either-or 

Moderator Thorhildur opened the session with a question: if you had to pick between the two, does AI-driven convenience outperform human interaction in driving guest loyalty?

Just 12% of the audience raised their hands in favour of AI.

That response says a lot. People still value personal service. But there’s also no denying that guests now expect control, personalisation, and speed as a given.

So, where exactly does AI fit into the customer journey?

Erlendur Steinn Gudnason, Sweeply’s Co-Founder and COO, offered a clear answer.

“AI and automation are all about enhancing the guest experience - not replacing it. You can [use it to] save time where you're not adding value and connect with the guest in more meaningful ways.”

The idea is simple: let technology handle the admin, and free up your team to focus on service moments that matter. Now, what does this actually mean - at every stage of a customer’s stay? 

Booking and pre-arrival: personalisation sets the tone 

The first opportunity to create loyalty starts long before a guest checks in.

As Frederik from AeroGuest pointed out, booking used to be a purely transactional process. But today, guests want more - faster confirmations, targeted offers, and personalised messages that make their trip feel tailored:

“Travellers seek relevance, they want convenience and speed... AI is able to provide that data so people get relevant pre-arrival information and check-in invitations”

With the right systems in place, hotels can offer guests flexible check-in times, upsell services they’re likely to want, or even send weather-based recommendations. It’s all about anticipating the needs of each unique customer.

Erlendur echoed this idea, noting that expectations have changed across the board.

“Guests expect more from hotels and accommodations - I think every hotel is working on improving loyalty. That’s where technology really can do good things.” 

“You can take a lot of tasks that are manual today [and] convert them to auto-optimisation. So in that sense, you can save a lot of time - and that time can then be used to cater to the guest… and foster more loyalty.”

Infrastructure matters more than you think 

Of course, AI and automation won’t work without strong foundations.

Ulrich from Apaleo didn’t hold back when talking about the state of hotel technology today:

“Hotel tech is totally broken… 90 percent of it is legacy systems.”

Many hotels are trying to layer modern guest apps over outdated systems, but that creates friction - think slow websites, broken check-in experiences, and lost data. As Ulrich put it, even some of the biggest hotel brands still struggle to get the basics right.

For loyalty to grow, the guest journey needs to feel near-effortless from start to finish. That means getting serious about integrations and eliminating tech silos behind the scenes.

Arrival: blending speed with connection

Check-in is a moment of truth. It sets the tone for the stay - and it’s one of the clearest examples of where automation and personal service can work together.

“Mobile check-in is accelerating. It’s no longer an innovation - it’s a huge demand from guests” said Frederik. 

“You don’t want to be that human robot standing behind the desk, taking in a lot of people, saying ‘next in line’...you want to create real, meaningful relations - and that’s not possible when you also need to fill out registration cards, take care of payments, ask for nationality, date of birth. That needs to be done on your own device before you arrive.”

That type of service certainly doesn’t drive loyalty.

One example that stood out during the discussion was CitizenM. Guests check in at kiosks, but “ambassadors” roam the lobby to help, recommend local spots, or just chat. According to Ulrich, that experience often outperforms traditional luxury check-ins:

“Guests often say it’s better than a 5-star hotel. The technology does the bad job, and the ambassadors take care of the people”.

Erlendur agreed, noting that the right mix depends on your brand:

“If you have a more five-star experience, then obviously there is more personal interaction involved… think about what you need, choose the right technology.”

In-stay service: behind-the-scenes AI makes the magic happen 

Some of the best guest experiences come from invisible moments - the room that’s perfectly turned down, the towel that arrives five minutes after a request.

“You ask for something and [it] magically appears - and that magic is what hotel operation is really about” says Erlendur. 

AI in hospitality is about smart check-in, task automation, maintenance tracking, and guest request routing - all the things that keep a hotel running without anyone noticing.

Back-of-house automation means staff aren’t running around guessing what to do next. Instead, the right task gets done at the right time - and that frees them up to focus on the guest. 

Checkout and loyalty: it’s about more than points 

Even the end of a stay offers a chance to drive repeat visits. And how efficiently you manage that process matters:

As Erlendur explained: 

“Checkout is also preparing a check-in… it’s not the end of the operation for a hotel - it’s a starting point for a new experience.”

Meanwhile, loyalty isn’t just about collecting points anymore. It's about relevance. Are you following up with a business traveller about their next meeting trip, for example?

When messaging is timely and personal, guests are far more likely to return.

Know your guest, choose the right tech

The panel wrapped up with a final insight from Erlendur, aimed at hoteliers still in the tech adoption process. He noted that if you really know what you stand for, it’s easier to test and adopt tech - you just need to look for something that helps you deliver it. 

Technology should reflect your brand rather than reshape it. When you understand your guest journey, you can match the right tools to the right moments - and create those moments of magic. 

Digital tools and AI aren’t here to replace your team. They’re here to help them focus on what they do best. Want to explore how automating your operations can support a smarter, more loyalty-driven guest experience? Speak to the Sweeply team today. 

Watch the whole ITB Panel on our Youtube Channel.