The Automation Advantage: Empowering Staff Through AI and Smarter Systems

Staffing shortages present a huge roadblock, limiting the efficiency of hotel operations, reports Agilysys.

At the same time, hoteliers are still grappling with growing guest expectations. Today’s guests expect more personalisation, faster service and greater convenience than ever before. For hotels operating with tighter teams, the challenge becomes maintaining standards while continuing to deliver exceptional guest experiences. This is where smarter operations - such as AI and automation - can truly empower staff. Automation allows smaller teams to focus on high-value interactions that truly drive revenue and guest satisfaction.

Our 2024 Hospitality Impact Study revealed that guests crave genuine human connection, with 46% of respondents valuing when staff go the extra mile. By automating routine tasks such as check-ins or housekeeping schedules, hotels free their teams to focus on what truly matters.

A New Era of Efficiency

As automation becomes embedded across hotel operations, a new era of efficiency is taking shape - one that enhances both staff productivity and the guest experience. Across the industry, hotel teams are embracing automation to remove friction from everyday operations. Tasks once bogged down by paperwork, phone calls and spreadsheets are now handled seamlessly in the background. Mobile check-ins eliminate front desk queues, allowing guests to head straight to their rooms while staff reclaim valuable time. In fact, 66% of travellers would likely spend more if wait times were reduced across all hotel experiences. Agilysys’ systems, powered by Guestsense.AI, track real-time availability and Intelligent Guest Profile (IGP) data to present personalised upgrades and amenity options at exactly the right time, creating a faster, smoother arrival that boosts RevPAG (Revenue Per Available Guest).

AI is also redefining how hospitality teams work - not through replacement, but by enabling them to operate at their best. For example, Agilysys’ PMS-powered workforce management solutions make it easier to onboard new staff quickly and utilise real-time data to automate complex operational decisions, from scheduling and pricing to resource allocation. Automation tools can also adjust availability based on demand, reducing administrative load and minimising lost sales.

Solutions like Agilysys Service modernise and mobilise housekeeping operations, removing tedious manual processes altogether. Real-time alerts, dynamic planning, and instant communication allow staff to respond to service requests, maintenance needs, and preventive tasks seamlessly. For instance, when a guest checks out, room attendants can receive automatic notifications, eliminating the need to check manually with reception.

Automation may be working in the background, but its impact is visible from the moment guests walk through the door.

Real-Time Intelligence

Operational automation is only part of the story. AI-driven intelligence is now transforming how hotels optimise revenue in real time. Hospitality has always been a dynamic industry, but the speed of today’s market makes manual revenue management almost impossible. AI changes that by adjusting room prices automatically based on demand and data.

The biggest shift is happening beyond the room. Ancillary revenue is becoming just as dynamic. With automation integrated across PMS, POS and amenity booking systems, hotels can surface offers for spa treatments, late check-outs and more, harnessing the opportunity to personalise guest experiences.

Personal service has always defined hospitality. AI simply scales it. With dynamic guest profiles that learn over time, hotels can recognise preferences, and act on them automatically. Agilysys found that 40% of guests surveyed value being given their favorite room - yet teams don’t have hours to comb through stay histories, and AI does. Technology handles the data while people deliver the moments that matter.

Automation Must Enhance, Not Replace

Automation isn’t about building a future without people. It’s about building a future where hospitality teams are equipped to do what they do best. AI and automation give staff time back, time that can be spent enhancing the guest experience, solving problems and creating experiences that build loyalty.

Hotels that embrace AI and smarter systems will build the operational resilience needed for long-term growth. With AI and automation already reshaping the industry, the future of hospitality won’t be defined as cost cutting with staff, but by who uses technology the smartest. Hospitality isn’t disappearing - it’s evolving. The hotels that will win aren’t necessarily the biggest, but the most adaptable.