Hilton’s chief commercial officer Chris Silcock has revealed the global hotel group is experimenting with how it can use artificial intelligence (AI) to deeply personalise the guest experience, both at the point of booking and during stays.
Speaking on stage at the Skift Future of Lodging Forum in London, Silcock said Hilton is piloting software which would enable guests to enjoy additional features as part of packages, rather than having to arrange these ‘add-ons’ during their stay.
Hilton is currently testing out three or four different packages which are powered by AI, including ones which would allow guests to arrange parking, pre-book meals at fairly short notice and organise late checkouts.
He told the crowd that some of these features will eventually be distributed to partners such as Booking.com and Expedia.
However, Silcock did not give a time frame for this, saying that Hilton wanted to ensure they had perfected the new features in-house first.
He said the move is part of Hilton responding to the changing needs of modern travellers, who are seeking tailor-made experiences.
Silcock also revealed that attribute-based shopping, referring to knowing the types of rooms or amenities a guest prefers, will lead to “powerful personalisation,” adding that loyalty program members typically provide more data to work with than guests who do not book direct.
In 2020, Hilton moved its central reservations system into the cloud, which meant guests could book connected rooms with ease – such bookings now flow directly into the property management system, where the rooms are blocked off.
Chris Silcock confirmed Hilton has no current plans to expand beyond its portfolio of 19 brands, but he didn’t rule out the idea.
The hotel giant recently announced its first premium economy brand, Spark, which will debut in the US but is likely to expand internationally.
