Today, it is difficult to talk about software without hearing about artificial intelligence. AI has quickly established itself across many industries, and hospitality is no exception. Chatbots, virtual assistants, automated recommendations, data analysis… The possibilities are numerous, and some can genuinely transform the way teams work.
But one question is worth asking: is artificial intelligence really essential in hospitality software? Or has it sometimes simply become another marketing argument?
AI can be a real tool for hospitality teams
Let’s be clear: artificial intelligence can make a lot of sense in a hotel. When software needs to analyse large amounts of information, identify trends or process complex data, it can provide real value.
In a concierge department, for example, it can help prepare a personalised response for a guest or quickly retrieve information from a history. From a management perspective, it can analyse data from several departments and highlight trends or information that would be difficult to identify manually.
In these situations, AI steps in where the volume of information or complexity of the process can become difficult to manage. It then becomes a genuine support tool rather than simply another interface.
But AI also raises security questions
The usefulness of artificial intelligence should not make us overlook another issue: the data it can access and the actions it can perform.
Hospitality software can centralise a large amount of information: guest data, preferences, stay history, employee information, schedules and events. Once artificial intelligence is involved in processing this data, new questions arise: which information can it access? Who can access it? And what can it do with that information?
These questions are not purely theoretical. Recent vulnerabilities, such as EchoLeak, have shown that attacks using hidden instructions can exploit certain interactions with AI assistants in an attempt to access sensitive information. Microsoft — AI application security considerations
This obviously does not mean that AI should be avoided. But the more information and ability to act an AI system has, the more carefully its integration needs to be considered.
In hospitality software, the issue is therefore not only what AI can do, but also what it should actually be allowed to do.
But does AI really need to be everywhere?
This is where things become more debatable. Today, some solutions promote a chatbot or an AI-based feature as proof of innovation. But let’s take a simple example.
A hotel manager wants to know: “Who was the top performer in room sales this month?” They could simply ask their software and get an answer within a few seconds.
The idea sounds appealing. Yet the AI first has to understand the question, interpret what the user means by “top performer”, find the relevant information and then formulate an answer.
If it misunderstands the request, it can therefore provide an incorrect answer. That is an important difference compared with information displayed directly by the software: if the data and the rules are correct, the result is too.
Thinking they are saving time, a manager may therefore ask an AI for information that was already available in two clicks. They may save a few seconds, but they also add a step that can introduce an error.
In hospitality, and particularly in high-end hospitality, some errors are simply not acceptable.
The important thing is not talking to your software, but understanding it
One of the major promises of AI-based interfaces is the ability to ask software a question just as you would ask a colleague. This can be useful, especially when the information you are looking for is extensive or difficult to find.
But in a professional environment, another question is worth asking: why should we have to ask for information that the software could simply show us?
A good tool should make it possible to quickly understand what is happening. A manager should be able to identify ongoing tasks, priorities, absences, problems or important events without having to constantly question their software.
This is particularly important in hospitality, where days are rarely predictable and teams need to make decisions quickly. Information therefore needs to be accessible, clear and well organised. Software should make it easier to understand what is happening, not simply offer another way of accessing the information.
AI should solve a need before becoming a feature
This may be the most important question when considering the integration of artificial intelligence into hospitality software.
Rather than asking: “Where can we add AI?”, it would be more relevant to ask: “What problem could we solve with it?”
This distinction puts actual use back at the centre of the discussion. AI can be relevant for analysing data, identifying trends, anticipating certain situations or automating actions that currently require human intervention.
But in other cases, a traditional, well-designed feature will simply be more appropriate.
AI therefore does not need to replace existing features simply because it offers a new way of interacting with software. It should find its place where it brings something genuinely new.
Why My Sharing System does not use AI today
At My Sharing System, we have chosen not to integrate artificial intelligence into the platform for now. This is not because we believe AI has no place in hospitality. It is simply because we do not want to integrate it just to be able to say that it is part of our solution.
Our priority, from the very beginning, has been different: making information quickly understandable and accessible to teams.
Each department has its own dedicated space, with the information it actually needs, while remaining connected to the other departments across the hotel. The goal is for a team to open its space and quickly understand what needs to be done, what is in progress and what requires its attention.
This is one of the strengths of My Sharing System: an interface designed for frontline teams, making it possible to understand data quickly rather than having to search for it.
There is also another point we place great importance on: data control. In hospitality software, information relating to both guests and employees needs to remain under control. If we cannot precisely control which information an AI can use, what answers it can generate and how users can use it, integrating it would not make sense for us.
For that reason, we currently prefer to automate processes as much as possible while keeping clear and controlled rules. This allows teams to save time without adding a layer of interpretation whose underlying behaviour we do not fully control.
Today, we are therefore focusing our work on information clarity, ease of use, automation and connectivity between the different departments of the hotel. For us, these elements remain fundamental before adding a technology simply because it is available.
Could AI find its place in My Sharing System?
The fact that we do not use AI today obviously does not mean we will never use it. On the contrary, we continue to monitor developments that could genuinely bring something valuable to hospitality teams.
If tomorrow a technology allows us to go further in automating certain tasks, anticipating needs or processing information that currently requires human intervention, it could naturally find its place in My Sharing System.
Because innovation does not necessarily mean integrating the latest technology into a piece of software. It mainly means choosing the tools that genuinely meet the needs of teams and can make their daily work easier.
And sometimes, that means artificial intelligence. Other times, it means a clearer interface, better-organised information or a simple automation.
The essential thing remains the same: technology should provide real value to the people who use it.
The My Sharing System team