AI is no longer experimental in hospitality. New research from Mews shows that ninety-eight percent of hoteliers have used artificial intelligence across their operations in the past six months, with AI now involved in an average of 11 of the 19 most common hotel tasks. In those tasks, AI handles more than half of the workload on average, with adoption spanning front office, commercial, food and beverage and executive functions. Usage is highest among upper-midscale, upscale and luxury properties.
Despite widespread adoption, hoteliers continue to draw clear boundaries around the guest experience. Fifty-nine percent say the front desk welcome and check-in should remain human-led. That view is strongest among properties already using AI extensively, suggesting that hands-on experience sharpens hoteliers’ understanding of where personal interaction is irreplaceable.
The findings come from the Mews Hotelier Survey 2026, conducted between December and March across more than 500 properties worldwide. The research maps 19 common hotel tasks against both current AI usage and comfort with full automation, offering a snapshot of where the industry is embracing AI and where it is deliberately holding back.
“The data tells a consistent story: hoteliers are optimistic about AI and willing to use it broadly, but they are also precise about its role,” Wouter Geerts, director of market research at Mews, said in a statement. “Comfort with AI goes up with experience, and so does the conviction that certain guest moments should stay human. That is not resistance to AI. It is a mature understanding of what it is for.”
Overall sentiment toward AI is positive. Ninety-two percent of hoteliers say they are optimistic about AI in hospitality, and eighty-three percent trust AI tools to support decision-making. Governance, however, lags behind adoption. Forty-one percent of respondents report having no formal AI policy in place, relying instead on informal or verbal guidelines. The survey shows a strong link between governance and trust: properties with a formal AI policy report ninety-two percent strong trust in AI, compared with forty-nine percent among those with no guidelines.
As AI maturity increases, revenue growth is emerging as a primary focus. Among the most AI-proficient properties, 52 percent identify revenue growth as the top outcome they want AI to support, ahead of efficiency or cost reduction. These properties are significantly more likely to report higher revenue, increased spend per guest and improved upselling performance.
That shift is also raising expectations for how AI tools operate. Hoteliers want systems that reflect the realities of their individual properties rather than generic industry averages. Pricing and commercial decisions, respondents say, need to be grounded in a property’s own data and operating context.
To address that need, Mews is developing a semantic layer designed to give AI tools access to institutional knowledge that currently sits in spreadsheets, disconnected systems and employees’ heads. The goal is AI that understands how a specific hotel operates, not just how hotels operate in general.
“Hotels have spent the last few years getting the operational foundations right. What we are seeing now is a shift in how hoteliers think about AI,” said Matt Welle, chief executive officer of Mews. “The question is no longer whether to use it, but where it creates the most value. And that requires AI that understands how a specific property works.”
The future role of AI in hospitality will be a central theme at Mews Unfold, scheduled for May 27 in Amsterdam.