In “Give your AI a soul: Designing natural, helpful and on-brand conversations that guests love”, Georgia Lewis Anderson (AI Consultant, ex Google, Microsoft & Meta) explored how hospitality businesses can move beyond generic automation and start building AI that genuinely enhances the guest experience.

Start with the problem, not the technology

One of the clearest takeaways was also one of the simplest. If you don’t have a clearly defined problem, AI isn’t the solution.

AI tools are powerful, but they will confidently pursue whatever direction they are given. Without clarity, that often means wasted time, off-target outputs and more complexity rather than less. For operators, this means stepping back before implementation and asking what friction, inefficiency or guest need you are actually trying to solve.

Prompting is the new operational skill

Anderson introduced a practical framework for getting better results from AI, built around six elements: context, persona, task, constraints, format and personality.

Constraints stood out as particularly important. Being explicit about what you don’t want is often what prevents AI from drifting into generic or irrelevant responses. In a hospitality setting, that might mean avoiding overly formal language, steering clear of upselling, or keeping responses concise and service-led.

The broader point was clear: words are now operational tools. The way teams communicate with AI directly shapes the quality of output.

Designing personality, not just functionality

For customer-facing use cases, the session emphasised the importance of going far beyond basic tone of voice guidelines.

To create AI that feels natural and aligned with a brand, businesses need to design personality in detail. That includes how the AI speaks, its attitude, its level of formality, and even characteristics that customers may never explicitly see.

This depth is what prevents the flat, overly agreeable tone that many users now associate with AI. In hospitality, where brand and experience are tightly linked, that distinction matters.

Hospitality’s advantage in an AI-driven world

While much of the session focused on technology, there was also a strong reminder of what AI cannot replicate.

As digital interactions become more automated and voice-led, real-world experiences are becoming more valuable. Hospitality sits at the centre of that shift. Human connection, atmosphere and in-person service are increasingly seen as premium, not baseline.

AI, used well, should support those experiences rather than replace them.

Building an AI-positive culture

Adoption is not just a technical challenge, it is a cultural one.

The session highlighted a shift in how people feel about AI. Where there was once hesitation around using it, there is now often uncertainty about not using it or not knowing where to start. Recognising and addressing that is key for leadership teams.

Creating an AI-positive culture means giving teams time to experiment, rewarding effort even when outcomes are imperfect, and encouraging collaboration across departments. It also requires a shift in mindset, where iteration and testing are expected rather than avoided.

Critical thinking over blind acceptance

A recurring theme was the importance of not taking AI outputs at face value.

The most effective users are those who question responses, refine prompts and combine tools in creative ways. Critical thinking, rather than technical expertise, is becoming the defining skill.

AI is best understood as a mirror. The quality of output reflects the quality of input. Better thinking leads to better results.

The pace of change means acting now

Finally, the session put the speed of AI development into perspective. The technology has advanced at a rate far beyond traditional benchmarks, making it something businesses cannot afford to wait on.

For hospitality operators, the message was not to rush into every new tool, but to start now with clear use cases, thoughtful implementation and a focus on enhancing the guest experience.