This insight summarises Destination AI Summit 2026: Hotels Are Ready. Now Comes the How., by Jill Dassen of Hospitality Net's sales and marketing team, published on Hospitality Net in October 2026.
From skepticism to curiosity. The Destination AI Summit in Washington, D.C. sold out with more than 500 attendees and a waiting list. Dassen found a clear change in mood: attendees were eager to try AI, but many asked where to start and how to make it work for their teams. Several speakers admitted they did not have all the answers either. "Hotels are ready for AI, but many are still looking for the how."
The AI Showcase. Hotel and supplier pairs had seven minutes each to present real projects:
- HHM Hotels and Folio built an agent that suggests a cheaper approved product when someone places an order, with potential savings of about $370,000 a year.
- Commonwealth Hotels and Ponte use AI to respond to job applicants within minutes instead of days, saving 685 manager hours across eight hotels in three months.
None of the projects began with the technology. Each started with an everyday problem such as hiring or ordering supplies.
The Great AI Debate. Adam Harris (Cloudbeds), Jacob Messina (Stayntouch) and Richard Valtr (Mews) argued all-in-one platform versus best system for each task, moderated by Sloan Dean (AI Hospitality Group). Messina won the audience vote. Valtr argued AI can "make hospitality more human again, with people greeting guests instead of standing behind a desk."
AI against human trafficking. Dassen's most memorable session showed how AI can help staff spot warning signs, check reservations before guests arrive and send reports to police within seconds. Darkwatch founder and CEO Noel Thomas opened with a personal story of a stranger taking his four-year-old sister before their father stopped them.
No single breakthrough. Dassen sees that as progress. The conversation has moved from what AI might do to what hotels are actually doing, what works, what does not and what it costs.
Takeaways for hotels:
- Start with a problem in your hotel, not with the tool.
- Bring frontline teams along through training and hands-on trials.
- Keep sharing experiences, since "nobody has it all figured out yet, not even the people building the technology."