With the exponential growth in AI and robotic technology, what will travel become in 10 years? What will hotels look like in 10 years?
You told your virtual assistant that you and your partner need a seven-day vacation in a remote area. Based on your travel history and biometric and bio signal data during your vacation time, your virtual assistant immediately makes three suggestions, and you approve one. Your virtual assistant makes reservations accordingly and distributes your global traveler ID information, which contains all your travel preference information. Travel companies access the information before and during your travel to personalize your experience.
You arrive at the destination, and a driverless vehicle picks you up. The car insurance is determined by the traffic and weather conditions. The arrival at the hotel is frictionless, and you walk straight to your room. Based on your biometric and big signal data history, the hotel has personalized the room automatically.
Smart Environments That Care
Furthermore, the physical environment monitors your comfort and health condition. With any abnormal situation, your wearable immediately vibrates and notifies your doctor (or her AI assistant). You take a shower to refresh yourself. After your shower, the shower zone cleans, disinfects, and air dries automatically, ready for your partner‘s use.
Your vibes host greets you in the lobby next to the piano. You love playing piano, but you do not have the luxury of playing it often. Last time, when you played piano in a hotel lobby, another guest joined with a guitar, and you sang together. Later that evening, you, and your new friend had dinner together. Hopefully, you will have a chance to make new friends during this trip.
Your partner went to the basketball court to play with the vibes host and other guests. Tomorrow, your partner will play tennis against the vibes host, who is a certified sportsmedicine professional and a regional tennis champion.
At this moment, another vibes host and some guests are cooking together for dinner. Some guests are amateur cooks; others are professional chefs. Both groups are eager to learn more about the local cuisine under the guidance of the vibes host.
Guests will join this communal–style dinner and conversation, again led by vibes hosts. After dinner, guests will help put away dirty dishes before heading to the bar or game room. The steward station is fully automated, and robots will put away clean dishes.
You and your new friends will wander to the bar area for a TED-like event. Instead of a karaoke bar, this is a story bar. The topic for tonight is “My most memorable travel experience.“ Guests sign up and share their experiences in the three-minute talk. Vibes hosts have coached these guests in advance and will moderate these talks. Your partner will head to a quiz night event in the game room.
The Rise of the Vibes Host
The above scenario is not a fantasy. Most technologies (e.g., virtual assistant, driverless cars, global traveler ID, robots, smart rooms) already exist and have made profound improvement in the past few years. Eventually, humans will want these technologies in their homes to make their lives better and easier.
The increasing demand will initiate mass production and lead to lower prices and widerdeployment of these technologies. Hotels will use similar technologies to create a home-like environment tailored to personal preferences.
Furthermore, robots and technologies will take over mundane tasks, such as cleaning, laundering, and delivery. Humans will deal with exceptional cases, teach robots to address exceptional cases, address the contradiction between guest preference and the property policy, and monitor and improve the performance of robots and machines.
What are these vibes hosts? Vibes hosts are the new generation of hospitality employeeswho understand the relationship between social connection and well-being. Good relationships are fundamental to human well-being. Vibes hosts help guests become friends. Their job nature has changed from serving to hosting.
Vibes hosts are amateur masters in sport, art, hobbies, and local culture and excel in social skills. Their expertise in sport, art, hobbies, and local culture attract and gather like-minded people. While mingling with other like-minded people, relationships flourish. The new roles give vibes hosts purposes and meaning in their work because their work contributes to relationship building and well-being.
Vibes hosts and the hospitality industry become part of the social fabric in this disconnected society. These changes will enhance the social status of vibe’s hosts and attract more talent to the hospitality industry.
Hospitality as the New Social Fabric
Good relationships are fundamental to well-being because humans are social animals. Humans need social interaction in the same way they need food, water, and rest. When humans do not get enough social interaction, they become lonely. Loneliness is as detrimental as smoking fifteen cigarettes per day! Unfortunately, the modern society (urban-migration, the rise of single households, addiction to social media, work from home, to name a few) hinder social interaction.
The ubiquity and diversity of hospitality businesses and the excellent social skills among hospitality employees provide a fertile field to nurture relationships. Imagine going to your favorite bar to celebrate your promotion with the bartender or having a cup of espresso with your favorite barista to discuss your devoice. The hospitality industry is the perfect third place, a place that is not home nor work, where you can be yourself, free from responsibility and obligation. A place where you can show your authentic self and build relationships.
Technology Evolves, Human Nature Endures
In a nutshell, do I worry about AI and robotics? No. AI and robots are coming, but human nature will not change. Humans are social animals and have an innate need to socialize with others. Although societal changes and technology have deprived many socializingopportunities, humans still long for meaningful relationships.
The hospitality industry can transform itself to become a place for socializing, facilitated by vibes hosts. By transforming itself, the hospitality industry will become part of the social fabric of social connection. Hospitality employees will transform into vibes hosts who co-create experiences among like-minded people and nurture friendships.
Are you looking forward to the future of travel?
