This insight summarises The Algorithm is in the Middle: Navigating the 2026 Intelligence-First Distribution Overhaul, by Francesco Derchi, Associate Professor and Director of SPARK at Les Roches, published on Hospitality Net on 1 October 2026.
From searching to delegating. "We are currently witnessing a massive shift from traveler searching to AI delegating," Derchi writes. Instead of browsing OTA listings, guests increasingly hand the decision to assistants and agents such as Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Mindtrip and Vibeslist. If an AI agent cannot query, interpret and confirm a property's inventory and offers because of poor data architecture, "your hotel simply ceases to exist in the algorithmic search funnel."
The technical layer. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is emerging as an open standard that lets agents call external tools and query live data through direct APIs. Derchi compares it to airlines' adoption of NDC: a route around legacy GDS and CRS layers toward direct, real-time connectivity that can serve personalised rate packages to agents.
Strategy Capital, redefined. In this environment, Derchi argues, strategic investment must be reinterpreted as "Data Fidelity and API Sovereignty." Siloed PMS and CRM data becomes a corporate liability, while clean, high-fidelity APIs open a path to capture demand directly instead of paying away 15% to 25% margins to OTAs. He points to Marriott International and Langham Hospitality Group investing in unified customer data platforms.
The human layer. Automation does not reduce the value of staff. Teams need data-informed judgment and system fluency to validate algorithmic decisions, handle anomalies and deliver the personalised experiences that agents promise.
What hotels should do now:
- Unify guest and inventory data in a real-time platform rather than isolated systems.
- Build direct API connectivity and adopt open protocols such as MCP so agents can query and book.
- Upskill teams in data-informed judgment so on-property delivery matches what the algorithm sold.
Why this matters for hotels. In Derchi's view, the winners of 2026 will be operators whose infrastructure is optimised for autonomous agents and whose staff are equipped "to deliver on those high-tech promises."