The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Foundation has released a new report examining how hospitality students are using generative AI tools and the implications for hotel sales, marketing and revenue management teams entering the workforce.
The report, titled “Case Study: The Future Talent Pipeline,” is the final installment in the McLean, Va.-based association's research series focused on generative AI and talent management within hospitality commercial disciplines.
According to the study, hospitality students are regularly incorporating generative AI tools such as ChatGPT into academic workflows, though many respondents indicated that formal hospitality programs are not fully preparing them to apply AI in operational business settings.
“Students are entering the workforce with established AI habits and confidence, but employers must equip future talent with the training, governance, and decision-making frameworks needed to apply AI tools successfully in real-world hotel operations,” said Brian Hicks, president and CEO, HSMAI, said in a statement.
Among the report’s findings was what the study described as a “confidence-preparedness paradox.” Students rated their confidence in applying AI to workplace tasks at 3.24 out of 5, while rating their academic preparation at 2.78 out of 5, suggesting that many are developing AI skills independently through experimentation rather than structured coursework.
The report also found that AI use among students remains concentrated in writing, research and conversational tasks, while operational and analytical applications are less common despite students identifying data analysis as an important future career skill.
Additional findings highlighted a disconnect between students’ expectations and usage patterns in recruitment. While many respondents expect employers to incorporate AI into hiring and candidate screening processes, relatively few reported using AI tools to support their own job searches.
The study recommends that hospitality organizations place greater emphasis on onboarding, governance practices, AI validation processes and operational training as adoption of generative AI expands across the industry.
“Hospitality has always been a people-first industry, and that won’t change with AI. What will change is how organizations prepare and empower their teams. The companies that invest early in AI education and operational readiness will be best positioned to cultivate the next generation of commercial talent,” added Amanda Voss, chair of HSMAI Foundation.