Hotelschool The Hague presents ‘The AI Power Gap’ research | Hospitality risks losing control of the guest to tech giants
Hotelschool The Hague presents ‘The AI Power Gap’ research - Hospitality Lags Behind
While the world is talking about AI as the biggest economic shift since the smartphone, the Dutch hospitality sector finds itself in a dangerous dilemma. New research, ‘The AI Power Gap’ by Hotelschool The Hague, shows that the sector is structurally lagging behind: only one in ten Dutch hospitality businesses currently uses AI in a structural way. According to the researchers, this is a “code red” for the sector, as economic value is rapidly shifting toward external tech intermediaries.
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From brands to ‘Sleeping Utilities’
The report from Hotelschool The Hague warns of a future in which hotels are reduced to ‘sleeping utilities’. Simple, interchangeable providers of beds for the algorithms of tech giants. While companies using AI in the broader economy already account for half of total revenue, this share is only a quarter within the hospitality industry. As hotel owners hesitate, external platforms are equipping themselves with algorithms to take over the entire guest relationship.
In ‘The AI Power Gap’ study
Some notable future perspectives highlighted in the ‘The AI Power Gap’ report by Hotelschool The Hague include:
- The efficiency trap: By 2028, 80% of hotels will have implemented AI assistants, yet this will deliver 0% additional market share. Efficiency has simply become the new price of market entry — a hygiene factor rather than a competitive advantage.
- The human premium: The paradox of 2030 is that more technology will actually require more hospitality. Authenticity will emerge as the only true competitive advantage. Whether it concerns a boutique hotel or a large chain, offering a demonstrable human connection will no longer be reserved for “ultimate luxury”; it will be the only way to remain visible in a world filled with AI-generated slop (marketing noise).
- Five scenarios for the sector: The report outlines extremes ranging from the “Nightmare of No Slack” (where employees are pushed by algorithms down to the second) to the “Worker-Empowering Path” (where AI functions as a co-pilot that removes administrative burdens and gives hospitality back to the employee).
A call for digital sovereignty
According to Hotelschool The Hague, the report is not just another technological prediction but a strategic roadmap designed to inform hospitality leaders about how to prepare for a future in the AI era.
“The question is whether we allow the technology to wash over us, or whether we take back control through digital sovereignty,” the research states. The report advises sector leaders to explicitly reinvest AI gains into ‘high-touch’ hospitality in order to remain relevant to the critical guest of the future.
You can view the report here.
We have written more often about inspiration from Hotelschool The Hague. For example, at the end of last year they organized a masterclass on immersive technology together with House of Hospitality.
Hotelschool The Hague presents ‘The AI Power Gap’ research – Hospitality Lags Behind
Website: Hotelschool The Hague
