AI travel summaries create new trust problem for hotels
A hospitality executive says platforms and AI tools are shaping guest expectations before hotels can correct inaccurate promises.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
AI-generated travel recommendations are adding a new reputational risk for hotels, according to Teresa Mackintosh, CEO of Aven Hospitality. In a Fortune commentary published June 13, Mackintosh wrote that hotels can end up blamed when outside platforms create expectations the property did not set.
Mackintosh said hotel competition once centered on placement, pricing, reputation and booking conversion. She argued that the booking path has changed, with travelers now moving among social media, Google, aggregators, reviews, booking sites and AI summaries before they reach a hotel’s own channels.
That shift means guests may arrive with a picture of the stay assembled by third parties, Mackintosh wrote. If the actual experience does not match that picture, she said, guests tend to hold the hotel responsible rather than the platform or algorithm that shaped the expectation.
Where expectations break down
Mackintosh pointed to several examples of mismatches that can occur before check-in. She wrote that travelers may expect amenities that are not available, room categories that do not exist, or combinations of experiences that were not actually offered together.
In her examples, a guest expecting a romantic suite with an ocean view may instead receive a standard room with only a partial view. A restaurant suggested during trip planning may be closed for renovations, or a smooth itinerary may turn into repeated explanations by hotel staff at arrival.
Mackintosh said the guest’s reaction often focuses on the brand they paid, not on the disconnected systems that influenced the booking. She wrote that those failures can hurt loyalty through fewer repeat stays, weaker customer relationships, more skepticism and negative reviews.
A broader brand problem
Mackintosh argued that the same pattern extends beyond hotels. She wrote that retailers face a version of it when products promoted online are missing from stores, patients see it when third-party scheduling systems show outdated openings, and financial companies encounter it when comparison sites shape customer expectations before direct contact.
Across those sectors, Mackintosh said, companies have less control over how their products and services are described before customers engage with them. She framed that as a transfer of accountability: platforms influence demand, while brands remain responsible for the outcome.
For hotels, Mackintosh said, broad visibility can become a liability if the information circulating across channels is wrong or incomplete. She wrote that brands need to keep discovery, expectations and delivery in closer alignment rather than treating distribution alone as the goal.
Mackintosh said hotels should focus on basics such as accurate content, current availability and clear presentation of bookable experiences across channels. She argued that demand may now begin almost anywhere, but responsibility for the stay still rests with the hotel.
Her conclusion was that brands using AI-era distribution need tighter control over how expectations are created and passed along. Mackintosh wrote that companies that do not address that issue risk allowing algorithms to shape their reputation without the same responsibility for delivering the service.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.