In my view, Agentic AI will be far more impactful than blockchain or the metaverse in hospitality, though not as immediately transformative as the Internet. The Internet reshaped the industry by creating a new layer for distribution, commerce, and information. Agentic AI’s influence will be more gradual, evolving workflow-by-workflow and use case by use case.
The real value goes beyond “AI booking a room.” AI agents will reshape how travelers discover, compare, personalize, and purchase travel. Over time, guests may rely less on traditional search, OTA filters, and brand websites, and more on trusted AI assistants that understand their preferences, loyalty status, budget, and purpose of travel.
That said, full OTA disintermediation is unlikely. Distribution power rarely disappears, it shifts. OTAs, search engines, hotel brands, and AI platforms will compete to become the trusted orchestration layer, with success driven by data, inventory access, loyalty integration, pricing intelligence, and seamless transactions.
For hoteliers, the priority is practical: ensure content is AI-readable, strengthen direct booking, expand trusted distribution channels, and deploy AI internally for revenue management, service, operations, and personalization.
Agentic AI is not hype, but its transformation will be steady, rewarding those who convert new capabilities into measurable results.
