The Hospitality Tech360 team recently attend the lastest Tech on Toast summer brunch event at The Other House in South Kensington, drawing a packed room of hospitality leaders, technology specialists, and operators. The focus was artificial intelligence – not as hype or headlines, but in terms of its real impact on service, consistency, and strategy.

Jackson Versitano, Senior Regional Director, UK & RoEMEA Hospitality at Lightspeed, set the tone by stressing that AI is not a magic button. Without a clear business goal, investment risks becoming little more than a drain on resources. “Identifying why you want to do it is probably the most important thing,” Jackson explained.

That approach was echoed by Mitz Patel, Global Head of IT at Soho House, who described how AI supports member personalisation. With 95% of members using the app, data plays a central role in shaping offers and tailoring in-house experiences. The aim is not automation for its own sake, but giving teams usable insights so they can have richer, faster conversations with guests.

For Andrew Evers, Vice President of Technology at Rocco Forte Hotels, consistency is just as important as personalisation. While each property has its own identity, the guest experience should feel unmistakably Rocco Forte wherever a stay takes place. AI can track preferences across destinations, but as Andrew reminded the room, “You didn’t come to work in your uniform to sit at a computer. You came to smile and welcome guests.” Technology’s value lies in enabling, not replacing, human service.

Partnerships were another recurring theme. “We don’t do business with suppliers,” Andrew said. “We’re looking for partners. What’s good for us should be good for them too.” Mitz added that Soho House often collaborates with like-minded operators to approach vendors as a group, increasing their influence on product development. Jamie Morton, Sales Manager, noted that operators often achieve better results by working with specialist providers rather than broad “one-stop shops”, building stronger ecosystems through deeper integrations.

The question of governance also loomed large. Mitz outlined how Soho House is introducing a strict AI policy to avoid risks such as staff inputting customer data into public chatbots. For now, some tools remain locked until policies and training are in place – a balance between enabling innovation and protecting sensitive information.

Looking ahead, the panellists were reluctant to make predictions beyond the next year, given the speed of change. Short-term expectations include faster access to insights, more intelligent CRM integration, and broader adoption of voice AI for tasks such as handling out-of-hours bookings. At the same time, there was caution about over-automation. “Eventually everything is going to be completely AI, and every recommendation is going to come from AI – and it’s going to become tiresome,” Andrew warned. The human touch, they agreed, will only grow more valuable.

The morning ended with networking over coffee and pastries, but the conversations carried on long after the session closed. The message was clear: operators need to start with strategy rather than software, protect their data, and choose partners who will evolve with them. Above all, they must keep the guest at the centre. Hospitality may be reshaped by AI, but its purpose remains firmly rooted in people.

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