Budapest, January 21, 2026 – According to the latest industry research by SabeeApp, artificial intelligence is currently utilised the most in marketing within the hotel industry. Of the accommodations surveyed, 53.3% identified marketing as their primary area for AI use, coming in ahead of revenue management (38.3%) and data analysis (31.7%). Although the use of artificial intelligence is growing in popularity, hotels currently don't feel that AI tools threaten the value of human labor; instead, they see them as complementary.
AI doesn't replace marketing teams, it supports them
According to SabeeApp's analysis, the primary role of AI in marketing (and other fields) isn't to replace the workforce, but to support decision-making and daily operations. Hoteliers currently see AI-based solutions as an opportunity to automate and speed up background tasks, freeing up more time to create creative, personalised campaigns.
Based on the research, marketing is expected to be followed by revenue management, analytics, and eventually operational processes in terms of AI adoption. However, it's no longer a question of whether artificial intelligence is here to stay: most respondents believe that AI usage will become standard in the hotel industry within three years, and those who begin adopting it now will gain a significant competitive advantage.
Counting on guests' openness
The research data shows that hoteliers believe guests will react positively to AI-based solutions as long as they offer tangible convenience or communication benefits. 57% of respondents think guests would be open to 24/7 digital concierge or chat services, 55.6% expect AI-based translation and multilingual communication to be popular, while 49.6% believe faster check-in and check-out processes would be highly appreciated. The results clearly indicate that artificial intelligence serves as a supplement to employees rather than a competitor: providing 24-hour customer service or translations for rare languages with human staff would often involve prohibitive financial or logistical burdens, but AI can handle these tasks with ease.
While openness to personalised sales is currently somewhat lower (24.4%), it’s quite remarkable that 89.6% of guests are fundamentally open to AI. These figures suggest that the majority of guests aren't dismissive but rather curious and waiting to see what happens. They view AI not as a threat but as a useful tool, provided it creates genuine value and enhances the accommodation's services.
AI offers a competitive edge, but only to those who act in time
SabeeApp's research also highlights a significant gap between the expectations of hoteliers and guests. While most guests appear open to AI-driven convenience and marketing features, a large portion of accommodations still aren't fully capitalising on these tools. According to the data, this isn't a technological issue: many industry players understand the potential of AI but haven't implemented it due to a lack of necessary expertise, concerns over PMS integration, and financial constraints. However, this delay could soon become a competitive disadvantage, as guest expectations are evolving faster than hotel operations.
"One of the key questions moving forward will be who can bridge this gap in time: those who take the time now to understand and tailor the benefits of artificial intelligence to their own property will be able to secure a long-term competitive edge through AI and automation tools,"
emphasised Szabolcs Herman, founder of SabeeApp.
The research results are available at this link: https://www.sabeeapp.com/blog/ai-in-tourism-2025-what-do-hungarian-hotels-think-and-how-will-ai-shape-the-future
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