AI in hotel distribution

📅 Date: Wednesday, 5th November
⏰ Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm + joint Networking with Connecting Future Leaders after the program
📍 Location: London, venue TBA

The second edition of Curate this year brings senior hospitality leaders together to explore one of the most important forces shaping the industry today: AI in hotel distribution

We are proud to welcome Dr. Peter O’Connor, a superstar within Distribution and Professor of Strategic Management at the University of South Australia, and an HSMAI supporter as our speaker. His research and teaching focus on the effect of digital on business, and his work has been published in leading journals such as Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Tourism Management, Cornell Quarterly, and the International Journal of Hospitality Management. Before joining UniSA, Peter founded the Chair in Digital Disruption at ESSEC Business School in France, where he also held a variety of academic roles.

Embrace AI, Secure Success: A Hotel Distribution Playbook for the Next Decade

The hotel industry stands on the brink of its next great transformation — an AI-driven revolution that is reshaping how guests search, book, and experience travel. Just as OTAs transformed distribution two decades ago, AI is now redefining visibility, personalization, and competitive advantage.

A new reality is emerging, with AI-powered search, personalised recommendations, and agentic assistants rewiring the customer journey. Guests increasingly expect tailored, real-time solutions — unique itineraries, curated dining tips, and frictionless booking — delivered instantly, automatically, and often before they even ask.

Forward-thinking hotels are already experimenting. From personalised guest itineraries generated overnight, to AI-driven revenue and reputation management, early adopters are proving that when data meets intelligence, service becomes unforgettable.

Success in the coming decade will require three things: integrated data systems, empowered teams trained in AI, and a willingness to disrupt before being disrupted.

AI is not a threat — it is the defining force of the next decade. The future of travel belongs to those who embrace it boldly, creatively, and fearlessly.

After Peter’s presentation there will be roundtable discussions on selected topics.

About the Curate

The Curate is an exclusive benefit offered to Organizational Member companies of HSMAI Europe, which is By-Invitation-Only. The Curate events are held twice a year to help executives keep up with the rapid changes in the hospitality industry. Designed to identify, capture, and shape executive-level content, providing an opportunity for executives across different companies to discuss cross-disciplinary issues across the fields of culture & people, sales, marketing, distribution, revenue management, and innovation. This edition of the Curate will be a condensed but high-impact version lasting only 2 hours followed by networking.

The day will be moderated by Michael Nowlis, Programme director, MBA Programmes at Imperial College Business School and chair of HSMAI Europe Board of Directors

For questions, contact us at postbox@hsmai.eu