This insight summarises The 7% Problem by Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director of Pertlink Limited.
The gap. A Capgemini study of 500 leaders across 16 countries found that 49% of individuals now use generative AI daily, yet only 7% of teams integrate it into their meetings. AI has crossed the personal-productivity threshold but has barely touched the room where hospitality decisions actually get made.
Why leaders stall. Ronson pins the non-adoption on two answers he hears repeatedly: "I never thought about it" and "I'd like to, but I don't know how." The obstacle is imagination and design, not capability.
What good looks like. He offers two case studies:
- A multi-timezone CIO quarterly review where AI drafted the agenda, surfaced blockers from prior minutes, and produced localised follow-ups in real time.
- An innovation workshop where custom agents played "Challenger" and "Customer Persona" roles, forcing the team to defend ideas against a synthetic guest before shipping them.
Three conditions for meetings that use AI well:
- Intentionality — a deliberate leadership decision, not a demo.
- Craft — prompts designed in advance, not tacked on at the last minute.
- Collective ownership — the team stays the decision-maker; AI is a participant, not a spectator sport.
Where hospitality can start. Map AI into calendar events that already exist: pre-opening task forces, EXCOM calls, F&B concept development, post-season reviews. Governance is the gate — a secure, whole-company platform must land before broader rollout.