Author: Tad Wilkes – Wilkes Works
Anyone considering a career in hospitality may be tempted to pause as news outlets continue to report the rise of robots and automation commandeering several tasks. This continuing evolution stands to alter the job landscape in many industries, and hospitality is not immune. But constant change and the evolution of labor and efficiency have always been how the industry progresses—and how hospitality pros grow. Fear not.
Automation is reshaping the hospitality industry, creating opportunities and challenges for workers.
Changes, Improvements, and Career Challenges
First, look at how technology affects operations and the challenges it creates for human labor opportunities. Automation offers enhanced efficiency and reduced labor costs across multiple hotel service levels, expecially for entry-level, high-turnover positions. This can lead to fewer entry-level job opportunities and a shift in job demand.
Limited-service and full-service hotels can cut costs by using robots for simpler, repetitive tasks such as cleaning lobbies and corridors. However, cleaning rooms is a more detailed challenge better suited for human staff. Even when robots are used for vacuuming, the tech should just help, not replace, human team members.
Robotic solutions can assist with food prep for continental breakfast in mid-level hotels, but the human element will never disappear. Robots offer increased efficiency and take on repetitive tasks, enabling human team members to grow and excel.
Some hotels have implemented automated check-ins, but hiring personable human talent for these roles is still advisable.
Automated concierge services are becoming commonplace at luxury hotels. AI-driven messaging offers more personalized digital interaction with tech-savvy guests seeking recommendations, and software tools and AI are optimizing event planning and coordination.
Automation aims to enhance the customer experience in several ways, but wise operators will balance tech efficiency and human interaction. AI-driven systems can analyze customer preferences and tailor services, improving the guest experience. Automation speeds up service delivery, allowing businesses to handle higher volumes with fewer staff. This shift means team members may need to focus more on customer relations and personalization.
The use of technology has increased demand for roles in maintaining, programming, and managing automated systems. Workers should learn technical skills to adapt and remain competitive in the job market.
The Changing Landscape of Human Opportunity
The key to growth is identifying opportunities.
Keep your eyes open for innovation. New roles and business models, such as those centered around experiences and personalization, are emerging. The most competent people entering the hospitality workforce and those with experience who wish to continue growing should embrace high-touch roles. Automation enables employees to spend more time on tasks that require empathy, creativity, or complex problem-solving—areas where humans excel.
High-touch roles in hospitality emphasize personal interaction, emotional intelligence, and the capacity to foster meaningful connections with guests. These roles are challenging to automate because they require empathy, nuanced communication, and adaptability. Examples across the hotel spectrum include:
- Hotel General Manager: A hotel GM must oversee operations, resolve guest issues, and maintain a welcoming atmosphere. The GM must balance operational management with being the face of the establishment to build guest loyalty.
- Front-Desk Staff: Humans are still the best at addressing guest complaints, providing personalized recommendations, and ensuring satisfaction during a guest’s stay. Guest relations require emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and the ability to read nonverbal cues to make guests feel valued. Humans also have local expertise and an understanding of individual guest preferences, which AI struggles to replicate fully.
- Sales and Marketing Specialists: Workers who are talented at engaging directly with clients to book events or accommodations and developing long-term relationships with key accounts are still much in demand. These individuals provide a high level of human touch; effective sales rely on persuasion, trust-building, and personal rapport.
Unique to upscale and luxury hotels, examples of human-touch-centric roles are:
- Fine Dining Waitstaff: While guests have come to expect faceless automation and kiosks in fast food and fast casual restaurants, white-tablecloth guests still crave and reward a high-end dining experience—with recommendations, attentive service, and the ability to manage complex orders. High-end service relies on warmth, professionalism, and the ability to anticipate and fulfill unspoken needs.
- Event Planner or Coordinator: If any role requires good old human emotional intelligence and the ability to think cognitively now, it is organizing weddings, corporate events, or conferences, managing logistics, and addressing clients’ needs. Deft event planning and management require creativity, relationship-building, and the ability to manage real-time changing expectations.
- Sommelier or Mixologist: Wine and cocktails are a romantic, delightfully human part of any fine dining experience. Sommeliers and mixologists providing personalized beverage recommendations are integral. These roles combine expertise with storytelling and engaging interactions that enhance the dining experience.
- Tour Guide or Experience Coordinator: Automation can be perfect for business travelers who want to go to the room, order room service, and avoid a conversation. However, the human touch is essential for other guests, such as leisure travelers, in the hotel space—especially resorts. Technology hasn’t replaced team members leading guided tours, facilitating cultural activities, or managing guest experiences like adventure outings. This is a prime opportunity for an aspiring pro who can offer insights and humor and adapt based on guest interests and group dynamics.
These roles highlight the enduring value of human connection in hospitality. They underscore the importance of emotional engagement, cultural understanding, and creativity—areas where humans consistently outshine machines.